TM

CREDITS
Lead Designer Monte Cook
Designers Bruce R. Cordell, Sean K. Reynolds, Dominique Dickey
Additional Design Shanna Germain, Teri Litorco
Creative Director Monte Cook
Developer Sean K. Reynolds
Development Intern Eileen Kanost
Managing Editor Teri Litorco
Editors Isabelle Felix, Jeff Quick
Proofreader Ray Vallese
Art Director Bear Weiter
Graphic Design and Layout Javier P. Beltrán, Bear Weiter
Additional Graphic Design Vee Hendro, Charlotte Irrgang
Weird Potatoes Talking Potato, Space Potato, Magic Potato, Just a Potato

Cover Artist
Roberto Pitturru

Artists
Samuel Araya, Bruce Brenneise, Biagio D’Alessandro, Giuseppe De iure,
Gaia Degl’Innocenti, Silas Goewey, Alexander Gustafson, Dharm “Duddum” Khalsa,
Katerina Ladon, Raph Herrera Lomotan, Russell Marks, Federico Musetti, Irina Nordsol,
Mirco Paganessi, Angelo Peluso, Nicholas Phillips, Roberto Pitturru, Martin de Diego Sádaba,
Jacopo Schiavo, Bruno Senigalha, Darko Stojanovic, Chris Waller, Dan Watson

© 2023 Monte Cook Games, LLC. THE WEIRD and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC
in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive
likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.
Printed in Canada

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
What’s So Weird About That?............................
over there

Introducing the Weird.......................................4

How to Be Weird.................................................8
Part 1: Making Normal Things Weird....... 14
Part 2: Weird at the Core........................... 80
Part 2.1: Weird Dungeons..................... 228
Part 2.2: Weird Player Characters........ 244
Index....................................................... 254
 W EIR D
Wh a t ’ s S o
About That?
Roleplaying games are, by their very nature, weird. I’m not talking about the strangely shaped
dice or the stacks of rulebooks. I’m not even talking about the players (you weirdos)! I’m
talking about the very essence of them—getting together a tableful of fun‑loving people
and having them put their creative thoughts together to tell a single story. How could
anyone imagine that the result of such a thing could be anything other than weird?

But what does it mean to be “weird”? Well, the real truth is, weird just means
something you haven’t seen before, or at least haven’t seen many, many times
before. Weird means something that will make the others at the table exclaim,
“What?” Weird evokes emotion. Wonder, glee, disgust, delight, terror—they all
come from the weird. It’s because of a simple fact:

Weird means interesting.

So, when someone makes the criticism that something is “too weird,” or is
“weird for weirdness’ sake,” what they’re really saying is that something is
too interesting, or interesting for interesting’s sake. And that doesn’t really
sound like a drawback to me.

Now, I recognize that such an argument isn’t entirely fair on my

I’m sure some of
you reading this want
everything in your game
to be weird. You’ll get what
you might not want to introduce gonzo elements into it. But interesting
you want from this book,
too. You’ll just go through
the material faster, you
delightful weirdos.
part. Because weird also means deviating from the norm. And some
people–many people–like the norm just fine. Which is why we created
different categories of weird for this book: Interesting, Surprising,
Gonzo, and Whimsical. Because not every GM, player, or game reacts
the same way to weird. If you’re running something very traditional,
elements? Why not?
The idea of this book is that you—the GM and the players—provide the
norm, whatever that may be for you. And then all the lists in this book
can help inspire the occasional, and desired, deviation from that norm.

Here’s how you can use this book. Flip through it, early and often. Get
inspired. See what catches your eye. And then, when you’re prepping
your game or making your character, refer to applicable lists. Pick a

What’s So Weird About That?

category and roll dice. Or just pick what seems fun and cool. But GMs
should keep the book handy during the session as well. Because you’ll
find it useful when the PCs meet someone new, or enter a new locale, and
you see that the session needs some spice. Again, roll or just pick from an
appropriate list; it’s up to you. But perhaps most of all, this book is helpful
for when the PCs go left and you only prepped for them to go right. You’re
in “winging it” territory, and there’s a real risk in that situation of falling back
on well‑worn tropes. The Weird is here to help! Instead of just ad‑libbing that
dungeon room or attacking starship, flip to a list in here and you’ll find something
that is anything but well‑worn or familiar.

The Weird contains literally thousands and thousands of specific suggestions you
can pull straight from the book and inject into your adventures, encounters, and
campaigns. You’ll find ideas for NPCs, guilds, politics, objects, wilderness exploration,
creatures, and so much more. It will make any RPG campaign or character more
interesting and memorable.

3
 I nt roducin g t he WEIRD
Introducing the Weird

4
 LOG ENTRY: 889‑47B
STATUS: ORANGE
At shiptime 14:30, during
3rd Shift, proximity sen
near the starboard stabili sors indicated the sudden
zer. Ensigns Vo and Becu appearance of an unknow
investigated on the orders n object
transmission is as follow of First Officer Narl. Ens
s: ign Vo’s
We’re at the stabilizer sub
structure on deck 4a, foll
there is no depressuriza owing the signal. An . . .
tion. No, scratch that. Bec object has pierced the hul
u is insisting that the hul l, although
that the object has fused l is not breached, but is int
to the ship. Molecularly. act, and
We are approaching. Rad It’s become a part of the
sensors are giving us stra ship. It’s hard to explain
nge readings but nothin .
strangest thing I’ve ever g dangerous. Bridge, this
seen. I cannot stress eno is the
has not violated the integr ugh Becu’s point becaus
ity of the ship at all. It’s e she’s entirely correct—
bec om the object
material composition is e a part of the ship. Even
appearing to change to ma as we watch, the object’s
Oh, wait. There’s a hatch tch that of the hull and
opening in the object. The interior structure of—
Light from within. Someth hatch looks just like one
ing . . . someone’s coming of our own interior hatche
Becu is coming out of the out . I don’t understand what s.
object, but she’s also sta I’m seeing. Bridge, Ensign
next to me, I mean. She nding right next to me. Bec
looks shaken. I understan u is drawing her sidearm.
d. The one
We’re not seeing some kin
d of image or replication
Becu—the one who cam here. That is Ensign Bec
e with me—is muttering u. Somehow, I just know
something. “I’m in both. that.
looking at myself. I’m two Seeing through both set
people now.” s of eyes. I’m
We need someone . . . Req
uesting security team. Cod
Something else is coming e Orange.
through the hatch. Oh god
with thin limbs. Unknown , is it going to be me? No,
entity. Humanoid? Wait, it’s . . . something else. Tal
opening so very wide. unc lear how many limbs. Sta l,
nding upright. Its mouth
Becu, we’ve got to run. No is
—Bridge, Becu is holsterin
approaching both of the g her weapon and approa
se figures. ching herself and, uh, she
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No, Security team! Red!
Code Red. There’s someth
under threat. Requestin ing coming out of that mouth
g permission to—no. No. . Many somethings. We’re
mouths. Weapons hot! Op So many eyes. More eyes
ening fire! So many— than sockets. More tongue
s than

END TRANSMISSION

Introducing the Weird

Weird, right?

Exactly.

5
 Why Weird?
You’ve already got dragons, magic spells, alien planets,
werewolves, and superheroes in your game. Why would you
need it to be any weirder?
Because when we say “weird,” what we really mean is “new
and interesting.” No one, I think, is going to balk at making
the stories and characters around the game table more
interesting. And the thing is, dragons and alien planets and
whatnot . . . we’ve seen them before. That isn’t to say your
group can’t make them compelling or create a gripping story
using them as elements, but to do that? You’re probably going
to add something new and interesting.
You’re going to make them, in some respect, weird.
Weird doesn’t have to be dark, unsettling, or difficult to
understand. But it can be those things. Weird doesn’t have to
be gross or off‑putting. But it can be—if you want it to be.
Weird can fit into any game, at any table. It brings
mystery, interest, and curiosity to places where perhaps
things have started to feel stale or repetitive. Think of it this
way: when you first started playing RPGs, it was exciting,
new, and utterly captivating, right? The weird is just a way
to continue introducing and fueling those feelings into your
gaming experience, even after you’ve been playing for a very
long time.
Introducing the Weird
6
Different Kinds of Weird
There are a million ways to be weird, but for simplicity, we
have created four categories of weirdness as they apply
to roleplaying games: Interesting, Surprising, Gonzo, and
Whimsical. The different kinds of weird aren’t just a hierarchy
or a matter of degree. They have different moods, different
tones, and different uses in a game.
Interesting
Reaction: “You don’t see that every day.”
Cat Example: The cat is bright red.
Surprising
Reaction: “Wait. That’s impossible.”
Cat Example: The cat can speak all human languages.
gONZo
Reaction: “WTF?”
Cat Example: The cat doesn’t cough up hairballs, but rather
tiny robot versions of itself.
WHIMSICAL
Reaction: “Is this a dream?”
Cat Example: The cat’s songs create a bridge to the moon.
 Interesting
This category is just what it says there on the label. It piques
your interest. But, of course, perhaps more than any of the
other types, it has some intriguing limitations and caveats,
usually based on context.
Interesting is not the opposite of boring. It’s the opposite of
commonplace. The difference is important—in a high fantasy
game, a pegasus swooping out of the sky certainly isn’t
boring. But is it interesting? Probably not. People there have
probably all seen a winged horse.
Interesting things make you want to investigate further.
They pose a question. “Why is that book’s cover made out of
wood? How did today’s newspaper end up under a stack of
newspapers in my uncle’s basement?” They’re mysteries, but it
seems like they might have conventional solutions.
Interesting things don’t make you run out of the room
screaming or suggest you question your own sanity. They’re
probably—quite possibly—based on what we understand of
physics (although, again, there’s context raising its head). But
they’re not the norm.
This means that a person appearing to make a tiny ball
hover in 21st‑century Chicago is interesting, but in a fantasy
setting full of magic? Probably not all that interesting. That’s
context. Sci‑fi interesting is different than fantasy interesting,
and neither are likely superhero interesting.
Surprising
Surprising might sound like Interesting in name, but when it
comes to the weird, the Surprising label could just as easily
be “shocking.” If Interesting raises questions, Surprising does
so, but without easy answers. Surprising weird things can’t be
explained by a conventional understanding of the world. A
bear that can turn itself invisible, a man with a functional pair
of eyes in his stomach, or a hat that can make you fly when
you speak nicely to it are all surprising.
Surprising might be the most common type of weird, if such
a thing can be said. When you picked up this book for the first
time, this category is probably the sort of thing you thought
about due to the title.
But Surprising isn’t surreal or dreamlike. It’s the sort of thing
that makes you think, “Oh, reality doesn’t work as I believed,”
but it still seems to have some underlying order to it all. High
levels of radiation after the nuclear war apparently gave a
group of children the ability to operate as a gestalt hive mind,
but maybe that’s just a property of radiation, mutation, and
science that we didn’t previously understand.
Surprising things very likely obey the rules of the genre in
question. Aliens in a science fiction game might have strange
abilities or bizarre technology, but they probably don’t have
actual, working magic.
GonZo
As the name implies, all the fetters are
gone when it comes to Gonzo. The only
rule governing Gonzo is that there really
shouldn’t be any rules. Gonzo has no satisfying
explanation. You just go with it.
Gonzo often mixes genres. There’s an
android in the fantasy world, magical
spaceships fighting pirates on the high seas,
and giant mutated insects secretly funding the
Mafia. To put it a different way, Gonzo ignores
things like genre definitions and rules. Gonzo is
just . . . gonzo. Anything goes.
WHIMSICAL
Whimsical is dreamlike. It’s something you might find in a
fairy tale, or experience in a hallucination.
Whimsy has its own sort of logic, sometimes depending
on feeling and emotion. Whimsy is simpler and more
straightforward—like the reasons behind events in dreams,
it’s probably a waste of time to question it too closely.
Whimsy is a drink made of banana peels and cream pies
that makes you laugh. It can include puns or wordplay,
such as a magical horse that makes your voice hoarse. Silly?
Maybe. Weird? Definitely.
Fully Random Weirdness
If you’re in a situation where you just want
something weird, and you don’t care about which
of the four categories to roll, here’s a tip: Just roll on
the Gonzo category; it’s the weirdest of the weird,
and that makes it the most fun.
Introducing the Weird
If you’re not quite up for defaulting to Gonzo, you
could roll 1d4 to decide which category to roll on
(or 1d20 or 1d100 if you don’t use d4s). Or, if you
want probabilities weighted toward the less weird,
try rolling 1d10, with 1–4 meaning Interesting, 5–7
Surprising, 8 Gonzo, and 9–10 Whimsical.
7
 Weird is unexpected.
HOW TO BE
That’s important enough to dwell on for a moment longer.
When you introduce something weird into your game—whether
as a GM or a player—it should run counter to what the other
people at the table are expecting. If you give someone exactly what
they were expecting, it’s unlikely that they’ll think it weird.
The unexpected can come from the mundane, just in the
“wrong” context. And “context” itself can really vary from setting
to setting. In a science fiction game, meeting an accountant in a
business office isn’t weird. Meeting one in a sewer is weird. In some
fantasy settings, dragons and sorcerers can be mundane or weird.
A wizard drawing a wand and using it to turn someone into a frog
isn’t weird, but when the bartender in the tavern does it? It’s weird.
Even if you never use a single idea from this book (although,
come on—why haven’t you?), reading through the lists is sure
to give you a really good idea of what weird could mean in a
roleplaying game. At the very least, then, you’ll be able to come
up with your own weird ideas much more easily.
Weird in Different Genres
This book is system agnostic, which means that no matter what
game you play, no matter when or where the game is set, and
no matter what genre assumptions your game makes, this
book is for you.
Weird isn’t a genre unto itself. Weird is more like a
description, like comedic or exciting. Any genre can be weird.
Moreover, like those words, weird can be momentary. It can
come and go. You might even argue that it should come
and go, because weird needs some “normal” to juxtapose
against. Of course, in an RPG, you can always juxtapose
the weird of the game with the normality of real life. So,
perhaps you truly can have as much or as little weirdness
in your game as you want.
Fantasy
Weird fantasy is sometimes dreamlike, like one of H.P.
Lovecraft’s Dreamlands stories. At other times, it’s pulpy,
like a tale by Jack Vance. Still other times, it’s a little
disturbing, like a heavy metal song. Or maybe it’s just
odd, like a China Miéville book. The point is, there’s a lot of
different kinds of weird fantasy.
Probably more than any other genre—except maybe
superheroes—weird is baked right into fantasy. The very
definition of fantasy (or definitions, plural, truly, because
there are many) basically involves something that couldn’t
How to Be Weird
actually happen. It involves magic, the supernatural, or
something that goes against science or history (or, in other
words, reality) as we know it. Which basically means that
weird stuff happens in fantasy.
The problem with weird fantasy is that there’s weird and
then there’s weird. Yes, to someone completely new to fantasy,
wizards casting magic spells and dragons breathing fire are
weird. But to all the rest of us—the vast majority of us—
they’re pretty mundane. Once again, we go back to context.
8
WEIRD
If an element you were going to use in your fantasy game originated
in Tolkien, or Game of Thrones, or a Disney princess movie, it’s not
weird. Take those expected tropes and change or replace them
from time to time to give the players a sense of wonder.
Thus, to make your fantasy game weird, you have to go beyond
the expectations. Sometimes you can accomplish this just by
varying the standard trappings. The wizard casts a spell that the
players have never seen before. The dragon wears a magical crown
of skulls.
Sometimes, however, you want to really shake the expectations
to their core. Maybe you want to instill a sense of wonder with
each weird idea. So, the magic spell that allows the wizard to fly
summons a horde of moths that carry her aloft. The dragon doesn’t
breathe fire, but petrifying vapors.
Use the weird to surprise and—pun intended—enchant the
players.
Science Fiction
There are many kinds of science fiction, and they’re really quite
different. Science fiction means more than just “laser pistols
instead of swords and magic wands,” but sometimes we fall into
the trap of thinking almost exactly that. In RPGs, fantasy is and
always has been dominant, and so we think of science fiction
mostly in comparison to fantasy in that context.
It’s more useful, perhaps, to think in terms of hard science
fiction and science fantasy. Hard science fiction uses our current
understanding of physics and the rules of reality to extrapolate
situations beyond what we can experience directly. In other
words, it strives for a sort of realism, or at least believability.
Spaceships can fly to Mars, but it takes quite some time to get
there and once you’re there, hard science fiction takes into
account all that we know about Martian atmosphere, gravity,
greater exposure to radiation, and so on.
Science fantasy, despite the name, isn’t just hard science
fiction with magic spells and dragons (although it can
be that). Science fantasy has the trappings of science
and technology that we understand, but it stretches or
just plain breaks the actual laws of physics to create its
situations. Teleportation, faster‑than‑light travel, psychic
aliens, and so on are all science fantasy more than hard
science fiction.
This all means that—and you saw this coming—it’s
probably easier for science fantasy to be weird than it is
for hard science fiction. But that’s okay, because honestly,
ninety‑nine times out of a hundred, when people say
they want to play a game in a science fiction setting, it’s
really science fantasy.
Hard science fiction can be weird, but it probably
depends largely on accepting that the problem isn’t that
the laws of physics are being violated; it’s that we don’t
actually understand physics like we thought we did. The
aliens in 2001: A Space Odyssey know a lot more about
science than we do, and thus they can do things that seem
like magic to us. But in so doing, those aliens and their actions
are deeply weird.
 In other words, the weird in hard science fiction is in direct
opposition to everything else. We understand everything but
this new weird thing. Figuring out the weird thing (if possible)
becomes the goal itself.
The weird in science fantasy is much more like it is in
fantasy, except, if anything, it’s even easier. It’s easier to break
the rules if the rules are already broken. This means that
understanding the weird thing in science fantasy might not
be the goal. You’re not trying to understand how the alien
is reading your mind; it just does. The space anomaly that
is causing everyone on the starship to grow younger is
weird, but it’s something to be dealt with, not something
to examine or explain (unless it’s with some off‑hand
technobabble). This probably means that in science
fantasy, the weird can come at a far more rapid pace than
in hard science fiction.
In either case, it’s obviously the vast universe itself that
is likely the source of the weirdness in the game. Aliens,
other planets, mutants, and so on can and should always be
weird. Always avoid the typical and the boring in such cases.
However, don’t neglect the very things the science fiction
characters have come to count on. The radio starts picking
up strange signals. The scanner starts acting strangely. The
ship’s AI takes on a mind of its own. The teleporter brings in
something unexpected. And so on—it’s all fair game.
Furthermore, science fiction often gets restricted with the
idea that it can have only one “weird” thing. Some science fiction
settings can be characterized by saying, “It’s just like the world as
we understand it, except for this one thing.” And that one thing
is people with psychic powers, a time machine, faster‑than‑light
travel, and so on. So, in science fiction, just introducing another
science fiction element in the middle of it all could be surprising
and, well, weird. Using the mad scientist’s time portal to go back
to the Triassic Period is kind of weird, but discovering a flourishing
civilization of insect people in floating cities upon arriving in the
past? That’s really weird.
In any case, weirdness in science fiction can often come from
uniqueness. In a setting where automated factories probably churn
out everything that people use, some strange eyeball floating in
a jar with the ability to sense radiation or a curved bit of metal
covered in alien hieroglyphs that passes harmlessly through any
material other than flesh is perhaps extra weird. Where did these
things come from? How do they work? And most importantly, why
does this seem to be the only example of it in the known universe?
Of course, in a deeply weird science fiction game, these mystery
one‑offs are so ubiquitous amid the standard issue scanners and
food replicators that no one even asks those questions. It’s just part
of the tone of the setting.
Modern
If your game is set in modern day on mundane ol’ Earth,
it might be hard to make it truly weird. In order to maintain
verisimilitude, you need to have a plausible explanation for
anything you introduce into the game. In other words, when
Mulder sees the weird event, Scully’s got to at least be able to
explain what could have caused it. Or, after being chased by the
weird monster, the characters need to be able to pull the mask off
and discover it’s Old Man Jenkins, Scooby Doo style. At the very
least, it can’t be so earthshaking that all involved can’t sort of shrug it
off eventually and just chalk it up to life being weird.
However, if the game is modern but has no need to be restricted to
only the mundane and the natural, then the sky’s the limit. Anything
you can do in any other genre, you can do in the mundane. Use the
lists for fantasy and just replace “castle” with “apartment building.” Use
the lists for sci‑fi, and when it says something like “starship,” just use
a car or a subway instead. In other words, as stated earlier, it’s not the
trappings—it’s the weird idea.
Horror
“Horror” is really kind of like “weird,” in that it’s not really a genre unto
itself. Just as any setting can be weird, any setting can be horror too.
It’s more about the emotion—the creepiness and fear—that make
something horrific. With that in mind, merge the horror with the
weirdness at every turn.
Weird in the horror genre should be unsettling. It’s not just about
the monster with big teeth; it’s about the spiders, snakes, or hissing
roaches crawling in and out of the orifices of its body. They don’t
make the thing scarier, but they send a shiver down your spine (or
a bit of revulsion in your gut).
Making things weird can make it clear that the horror is beyond
human understanding. Nothing is scarier than the unknown or
the inexplicable. And that’s where weirdness is most at home.
There should be implications to the weirdness in horror,
because implications breed further horror. If that slimy thing
crawled out of the sewer, are there more down there? If the
alien thing was brandishing a revolver from the 1940s, how
did it acquire such a thing? These kinds of questions, and the
disquieting answers they suggest, make it so that even when
the horror story is over, the participants perhaps can’t quite
sleep soundly afterward.
Now, if you’re a horror GM or player, you likely know that
if you make everything scary, nothing is scary. Horror needs
normality to juxtapose against. Weirdness is the same way.
You need something normal and understandable to hang
onto; otherwise, it’s just all nightmare from beginning
to end.
In horror, you should always be able to inject a little
weirdness, here and there, into what should be normal. The
How to Be Weird
people of the remote little town plagued by a killer might
have their own little quirks or ways of acting that unsettle the
characters interacting with them. This serves to begin setting
the mood for the true horror to come.
9
 Fairy Tales and Myths
Our oldest stories are myths and fairy tales. And you don’t
have to look hard at all to find that a lot of them are very
weird. Even those that seem cliché or old hat because we’ve
heard them over and over again are pretty weird if you think
about it. I mean, a house made of sweets? A three‑headed dog
that guards the entrance to the Underworld? A witch’s hut that
walks on big chicken legs?
And those are just the ones that everyone knows. These
stories get weirder as they get more obscure.
If you’re utilizing either fairy tales or myths in a game, or
just trying to convey the feel of them, you’ve simply got to
embrace the weird. Usually, the heroes are very normal—
although not always—and the places they come from are
quite explicable. But the world beyond, whether it be the
unexplored wilderness or wild seas of myth or the dark
forest of fairy tales, is strange and only gets stranger the
farther you go.
Use the fantasy or “any genre” lists in this book, and focus
mainly on the Whimsical entries. You’ll be crafting your own
myths and fairy tales in no time.
How to Be Weird
10
Superheroes
When you’ve got alien sorcerers and mutant geniuses in
teleporting spaceships working alongside mythical gods
and android martial artists, it’s safe to say that anything goes.
Superheroes are every genre mashed together. They’re not
just weird; they are gonzo.
Because anything goes in a comic book style superhero
game, make sure you really push the boundaries. Bank robbers
are one thing, but when the heroes stop them and pull off the
criminals’ masks, it’s far more interesting if they’re toad people
than if they’re human. The toad people don’t care about
money, but in one of the safety deposit boxes lies a very old
playing card deck, and one of the cards somehow bears the
image of the toad people’s prophesied leader; so, they came to
the bank to rob it. That’s weird, and it wouldn’t be out of place
in a comic book at all.
Sometimes, superhero weirdness can get a little “hokey.” If
the villain calls herself the Librarian and she deals in stolen
rare books (and has the power to make those who stand in
her way be silent and still), that’s kinda corny. Goofy, even. But
unless you’re playing a grim and gritty game with only dark
stories and characters, why not use the weird to inject a little
hokeyness? Everyone at the table will laugh or groan (or both),
but they’ll have a good time. And it will be a welcome thing if
the other villains they face are more serious.
Use literally any list in this book, and focus primarily on the
Gonzo entries.
Post Apocalypse
Although it’s just a type of science fiction, post‑apocalyptic
games are different enough to warrant their own discussion.
We don’t know what the future will bring. We can guess,
and if those guesses are pessimistic, then we likely end up
with some kind of post‑apocalyptic story. What will people
do when civilization collapses and the rules are suddenly
all gone? Some of them will do weird stuff, most likely. A
lot of post‑apocalyptic tales use this notion to generate
odd characters and situations that probably fit squarely in
the category of weird. Collecting weird trinkets from the
past, creating a new society based on a strange belief or
misunderstanding of the pre‑apocalyptic world, or just using
the leftovers of those lost days in ways they were never
intended—the post‑apocalyptic genre is full of such things.
For our purposes here, the apocalypse—whatever it was—
might have been something very weird all its own. Certainly,
it was unprecedented. Meteors that crashed into Earth might
not have just brought devastation, but weird alien spores. A
mysterious plague that wiped out most of humanity might’ve
mutated into something unexpected, or caused changes
in the people (and plants and animals) it didn’t kill. And, of
course, the granddaddy of all post‑apocalyptic weirdness,
radiation from a nuclear war could have caused, well, whatever
you wanted it to cause. Any of these can lead to practically any
idea you’ll find in this book. Unless it’s really important to you,
ignore science and logic and create a really weird wasteland
after the apocalypse. Juxtapose the leftovers from our modern
world with crazy mutants, weird tech, psychic powers, magic,
or whatever you can dream up.
 Being a Weird Player
Injecting the weird into the game isn’t just the province of
the GM. Players can embrace the weird with their characters
through their background, appearance, and abilities.
There’s a grouped subsection of lists that all have to do with
character backgrounds, appearances, and more. Steal this
book when the GM’s not looking and give your character a
little weirdness.
Keep in mind that your character’s weirdness should be out
of the ordinary, but it shouldn’t be disruptive. If you make a
character that exists only on Tuesdays, you’ve made it so that
the whole adventure or campaign can move forward only one
day a week. In other words, it doesn’t just affect you; it affects
everyone around the table, and not in an entirely positive way.
Similarly, don’t bring a superhero in a cape and tights to the
group’s historical game set in Mongolia. That’s disruptive to
everyone’s shared imaginary setting. Or rather, don’t bring in
that hero without talking to the rest of the group (especially
the GM) first. Because maybe they all would think it’s fun to
see a superhero fighting with Genghis Khan.
Your character’s weird background or quirk might be
something that only you (and probably the GM) are even
aware of, but that’s okay. It’s your character, and your own
weirdness should make you happy.
Lastly, remember that this is a book designed for RPGs,
but it has no RPG stats. So, if you pick that your character’s
appearance includes an extra arm they keep hidden under
their clothing, you’re going to have to work out with the GM
how that affects what your character can and can’t do. Really,
though, the goal here isn’t to give your character extra power
or skills under the guise of making them more interesting. The
goal is to make them fun to play and memorable.
How to Be Weird
11
 USING
THE
LISTS

use however you

are tools for you to
The lists in this book would be to pick a
most obvious thing
wish. Probably the Sometimes,
pe rce nt ile dic e, an d see what you get.
table, roll it
pected results that
give you such unex
randomization will ct.
les—the weird aspe
just adds—or enab lis t an d pic k something that
k at th e
You can also just loo orporate into
un ds fun , or se em s easy enough to inc
appeals, so
the situation. groups, based
are or ga niz ed int o two very general
The lists is
your game. The first
t you’ll use them in
on how we suspec yo u wa nt ; yo u jus t
ve an idea of what
when you already ha , su ch as having an ogre in
re intere sti ng
want to make it mo e second is when
th at th e PC s are heading towards. Th
the cave something that
kn ow wh at yo u want, or you want
you don’t d, the cave
se en be for e. So , th ere’s no ogre—instea
nobody’s a way to get off
int erp lan eta ry ca staway looking for
holds an
the planet.
Part 2: Creating Th
ings Th at Are Weird at Th
Sometimes, you do
n’t want to add to eir Core
need an idea for th something, but yo
e thing itself. For ex u
Part 1: Making Normal Things Weird want some Weird ample, you know
Music that will play yo u
, or on the fly. If the PCs just you don’t have an in the cult’s shrine,
This book can be used during prep y idea what kind of but
want it to be like every bar character is from a music. Or, you know
wandered into a bar and you don’t farming commun your
flip to one of the Weird the folks there Weir ity and you’d like to giv
they’ve ever seen in an RPG, you can d Crops to Grow. e
or more of the patrons
NPC lists and make the owner or one The very beating
heart of this book
the following: are weird from the is generating thing
unique. Or you can do any or all of get‑go. Rather than s that
Item Modifications list is in the game, these jus t modifying somet
• Something from the Weird Typical lists help you creat hing
e the weird thing.
in the bar without explanation. You might want to
use the lists togeth
PCs go to order a drink er, so that the wick
• Everything appears normal until the knight from anothe
r plane wears arm ed
s to Communicate or
How to Be Weird

Item Modification wi th a Weird Magic

and (after you roll on the Weird Way and brandishes a
sn’t speak in a Magic Item Drawba sword with a Weir
list) they discover the bartender doe ck as she charges d
Weird Mount. into battle astride
straightforward manner. her
oom is a Weird
• Hanging above the door to the restr And on the subjec
t of grouping lists
entire subsection together, there is
Unexpected Object. of lists that all have an
by the strange event from Dungeons in fanta to do with dungeons
• The bar is haunted, as demonstrated sy (or dungeon-lik .
sit down at the bar. e settings in other
the Weird Hauntings list when the PCs are where the rolep
laying game hobb ge nr es)
Tattoo. inherently weird. y started, and they
• A boisterous patron bears a Weird Similarly, there is
also another subs
ar e
lists that have to do ection of
with making PCs we
generate all the str ird. Use these lists
ange aspects of yo to
ur next dungeon
or PC.
12
 Game Mechanics
Remember, everything in this
book is system agnostic. The
lists are just ideas and nothin
g more—they’re the buildin
g
Altering the Entries blocks for you to expand upo
n. Doing so sometimes is eas
If a weird entry mentions a swo y.
As you scan a list, you might see some entries that appeal rd, you probably know how
handle a sword in your favorite to
but don’t fit the mood you’re looking for. It’s usually not hard game system. You know wh
can wield it and how much dam o
to change the category of a weird idea, to make something age it does, and you probab
know what it weighs, how lon ly
Interesting into something Gonzo or vice versa. If the g it is, and what it costs.
Interesting entry is that a creature looks like an octopus but For other entries, you’ll have
to choose what is appropriat
for your game. If a weird ent e
lives on land, you can make it Gonzo by: ry talks about something
• Not only making it intelligent, but also giving it a distinct exploding, you’ll have to dec
ide how much damage it infl
and what that means in you icts
agenda or personality (it’s grumpy; it hates humans; it’s r system. Just compare it to
things, like a fireball spell or sim ilar
trying to construct a flying machine) a hand grenade, or whatever
that you might already have it is
• Making it a wizard mechanics for. Further, you’re
to tailor it to your group. If the free
• Making it the advance scout of the octopus army from the PCs are very powerful or hav
lot of resistance to the force ea
sea that is waiting to invade the land as soon as each soldier of an explosion, you can ma
really strong one. Otherwise, ke it a
is fitted with cybernetic lungs you can tone it down.
And, of course, a lot—the ma
jority, in fact—of the ideas don
require game mechanics at ’t
Likewise, if you find a Gonzo entry saying that a creature is a all. That’s the great thing abo
weird. It’s really mostly cosme ut the
sophisticated android posing as what appears to be a mythical tic. You can fight a bunch of
rats or a swarm of crawling thin giant
unicorn, you can make it Interesting by having it be something gs that look like human han
covered in eyes and keep the ds
that could possibly happen in the world as we understand it: stats the same.
• Saying that it’s actually a horse fitted with a fake horn
• Deciding it is the product of years of selective breeding and Genres
genetic engineering (but it’s still just a horse with a horn) The lists are marked with gen
res when appropriate, but you
easily ignore these. can

Likewise, make an entry more Whimsical by adding a Tailor the entries to your likin
g. Change the entry on the Alie
Artifacts list from “Gun that fire n
dreamlike quality to it. The more surreal, the better. Whimsical s burrowing worms rather tha
bullets” to a crossbow. Or cha n
entries are also often more light‑hearted. nge the worms to poisonous
or energy‑draining leeches. creatures
Interesting and Surprising are usually similar enough When we added an entry to
often made it very specific bec eac h list, we
that transitioning between them is just a matter of degree. ause that would make it inte
But it’s okay if you read a spe rest ing.
If a building is Surprising because it floats in the air thanks cific idea and just use the gen
of it as inspiration: “Gun that eral idea
to it being affixed to a few hundred helium balloons, it can fires creatures rather than bul
the list can become “Weapo lets” in
become Interesting if the balloons are there without them n that fires
actually lifting the building into the air (or being the true something other than its typ
ical
projectile” at your table. It’s
cause). Likewise, that entry can become Gonzo if buildings
really up to you.
like that are not only commonplace but also the main
form of transportation in that setting, and Whimsical if the
balloons are filled with the essence of flying dreams stolen
from sleepers.
Some items in a list appear in multiple categories. Feel free
to skew the results based on what category you’re rolling
on. For example, in the Weird Tavern Trappings list (page 28),
there’s an entry of “Advertisement for a comedy play features
a talking dog” that’s included in all four weirdness categories.
If you’re rolling for something Interesting, the characters can
see the advertisement, but they don’t immediately know
if the talking dog is real or just a stage trick. For something
How to Be Weird

Surprising, they can find out that the dog really can talk. For
Gonzo, the characters can find out that not only does the dog
talk, but the dog also wrote the play as an autobiography. For
Whimsical, the talking dog can be the one who puts up the
advertisements in the tavern and then goes on stage to tell a
few jokes before leaving.

13
 1
PART
MA K
N I
G
D

N
O I R
RM
AL T W E
HINGS
 In the world of the future, a sensor, laser pistol, flying car, communications pad, or other device might be modified so
that it stands out from similar devices. These alterations don’t make the item significantly more or less useful. If you
want a feature that’s a significant advantage, use the Tech Item Enhancements list. For one with a disadvantage,
use the Tech Item Drawbacks list. Typical items (like a backpack, foot soldier’s sword, or mobile phone) and magic
items (like potions or flying carpets) have their own lists of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Splits into tiny parts that can later self‑reassemble
03 — — — Returns to holster, carrying case, satchel, or similar container if dropped
04 — — — Reacts to long periods of bearer’s inactivity with electric signals that mimic muscle movement
05–06 — — — Replies automatically to electronic communications, mimicking bearer’s responses
07–08 — — — Psionically suggests appropriate comebacks in social situations
09 — — — Visually marks others in the area (usually in a way only bearer can see)
who have high net worth
10–11 — — — Emits an eerie whisper when used
12–13 — — — Keeps a log of the bearer’s nutritional intake
14–15 — — — Sends notifications of trending topics on social media
16 — — — Worsens the flavor of nearby foods it doesn’t like
17–18 — — — Plays local radio broadcasts, but distorted
and with much static
19–20 — — — Quotes television shows
21 — — — Has a small aperture for collecting the bearer’s
fingernail clippings, saliva, and other DNA
remnants that could be discovered
22 — — — Melts and decomposes nearby wax
23–24 — — — Shoots harmless paintball‑like projectiles
25–26 — — — Makes inappropriate noises in a heavily
synthesized electronic voice
27–28 — — — Controlled by a limited AI who is insecure and needs praise and
reassurance before activating
29–30 — — — Switches its digital interface to a foreign language continuously
31–32 — — — Afraid of redheads
33–34 — — — Enjoys philosophical arguments about artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and souls
35 — — — Has an AI with a romantic attachment toward a particular character (not necessarily the bearer)
36–37 — — — Has a limited AI, calls the bearer “Daddy”
38–39 — — — Has a handle sized and shaped for inhuman hands with the wrong number of fingers
40–41 — — — Slowly creates elaborately burned runes on whatever surface it rests on
42–43 — — — Has a weathered sticker that says “mental prototype, use with”
44 — — — Sometimes reconfigures itself into a mirror of its normal shape, with most of the same abilities
45 — — — Vents microwave‑like energy that melts or cooks nearby foods
Making Normal Things Weird

46–47 — — — Induces vertigo in the bearer unless they spin clockwise several times before or after activation
48–49 — — — Causes orange nosebleeds
50 — — — Power level display regularly fluctuates for no reason, but doesn’t seem to affect functionality
51–52 — — — Displays three six‑sided dice (with symbols instead of numbers) on its interface that roll on each use
53 — — — Creates unusual allergy symptoms (blue‑tinted eyes, sneezing red
mist, reverse coughing, hexagonal hives), varying by user
54 — — — Works only if it can burrow deep into the meat of the bearer’s arm
55 — — — Works only if swallowed (embeds itself in the bearer’s throat, or
passes normally and must be retrieved for later use)
56–57 — — — Feels paranoid, and burns away the bearer’s fingerprints (they grow back, but it burns them off again)
58 — — — Changes nearby televisions, radios, and displays to obscure religious programming
59–60 — — — Several times per day, announces the countdown to the “actual” end
of the Mayan calendar; “It’s sooner than you think!”
61 — — — Spherical attachment can process almost any biological material
into nutritional food cubes; expels toxins out of a vent
62–63 — — — Can spray a translucent foam that smells like coconut and functions as sunblock
64–65 — — — Can use frozen kosher hot dogs in place of power cells or ammunition, with slightly reduced effect
66 — — — Monitors and stabilizes bearer’s blood glucose level and kidney
16 function, effectively curing diabetes while they have it
67–68 — — — Can track and speak with satellites in low orbit (though it prefers not to speak with military hardware)
69–70 — — — Can project a unique holographic symbol that (to a powerful faction, organization, or
alien species) indicates the bearer is a diplomat, extremely dangerous, or both
71–72 — — — Holographic video game function allows playing several addictive puzzle games
(some from non‑Earth cultures and not solvable by human minds)
73 — — — Blocks (but does not cure) symptoms of addiction to various chemical
substances; bearer is effectively not an addict while they have it
74–75 — — — Scanning attachment identifies whether a gemstone is a conflict resource (such as a blood diamond)
76 — — — Multispectrum analyzer with a 1‑mile (1.6 km) range measures and reports exact distances and areas
77–78 — — — Telekinetic excavation feature can dig a grave‑sized hole in packed earth in about a minute
79–80 — — — Tracks celestial events (especially eclipses and stellar conjunctions),
allowing bearer to accurately predict them
81 — — — Creates sharp, brittle knives by extracting carbon from the air; one or two
knives per minute, per cubic foot (30 cubic cm) of typical sea‑level air
82–83 — — — Causes the bearer’s eyes to glow with ominous red light while item is in use
84–85 — — — When charge begins to wane, item audibly grumbles and complains about the bearer’s competence
86–87 — — — When the item is used, temperature in the area plunges and snow falls
88–89 — — — First use (or first use in a while) triggers a holographic “assistant”
character determined to run through its tutorial
90 — — — Heads‑up display indicates the position and velocity of something in low orbit, but doesn’t identify it
91–92 — — 01–09 Projects calming wilderness scene when on standby
93–94 — — 10–18 Fascinated by moonlight
95 — — 19–27 Voice‑activated abilities that react only to certain words in a specific accent or dialect
96 — — 28–36 Uses force blades within a small tube to prepare perfect
crudité platters if provided suitable ingredients
97–98 — — 37–45 Produces pleasant nature sounds while in use
99–00 — — 46–54 Uses pulleys, falling dominos, and mirrors to achieve its effect
— 01–05 — — Shrinks or grows (equal chance) its bearer an inch or two each time it is activated
— 06–10 — — Mimics gum when being chewed, but once chewing stops, reforms to original shape and purpose
— 11–15 — — Attracts birds
— 16–20 — — Automatically donates small amounts of cryptocurrency to nearby street performers
— 21–25 — — Containment device for a mechanical creature that provides its actual abilities
— 26–30 — — Additional settings appear and become available in the presence of strong radiation
— 31–35 — — Moves the bearer a few steps to the left every time it is activated
— 36–40 — — Sometimes induces metabolic changes in creatures, making their skin absorb
nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and swell uncomfortably
— 41–45 — — Most of its abilities are created by grabbing mass or energy from an
innately hostile dimension, which sometimes grabs back
— 46–50 — — Can 3D‑print and install functional cybernetic wings if supplied with crafting and surgical materials
— 51–55 — — Stores a length of riot fence in a pocket dimension and can release or absorb it in moments
— 56–60 — — Contains alien or extradimensional technology that automatically augments the
speed and maneuverability of any flying or spacefaring vessel boarded
— 61–65 — — Fractal technology allows item to shrink or grow (in 25%
increments) to fit the hands of smaller or larger users
— 66–70 — — The item’s true size is enormous, but most of its bulk is hidden in a limited artificial dimension
— 71–75 01–09 — Responds to danger by rapidly transforming into a protective sheath and rocketing owner to orbit
— 76–80 10–18 — Part of a larger, extradimensional creature that isn’t entirely aware of all of its parts

Making Normal Things Weird

— 81–85 19–27 — Sometimes fires nanobot cloud that reshapes brass or stone statues into
other forms, or animates them as uncontrolled monsters
— 86–90 28–36 — Extracts and stores the bearer’s brain if killed; installs the brain
in any suitable corpse or brain‑dead individual
— 91–95 — 55–63 Limited AI sometimes urges bearer to make better life choices
— 96–00 — 64–72 Adds an additional harmonizing part to any music being played nearby unless bearer stops it
— — 37–45 — Stores bearer’s latest mind‑state to upload to cloud in event of death
— — 46–54 — Filled with minuscule bioengineered humanoids whose actions provide power and function
— — 55–64 — Sometimes transmits audio from a “hell dimension”
— — 65–73 — An empty shell filled with long‑dried modeling clay; still works somehow
— — 74–82 — When descending stairs or other downward inclines, may liquefy bearer so they
flow like water, reconstitutes them when they reach a level surface
— — 83–91 — Slowly converts bearer into a powerful cyborg that weakens and dies without the item
— — 92–00 — Sometimes displays a video or holographic recording of an older version of
the bearer cautioning the present bearer against activating the item
— — — 73–82 Reads poetry suitable to viewer’s mood
— — — 83–91 Covered in synthetic substance that gives item semblance of warm, cozy cat fur
— — — 92–00 Creates lifelike hologram of gasping, flapping fish when used
17
 A magical ritual, spell, or other mystic
working in the area—whether successful
or a spectacular failure—sometimes
leaves behind an accidental effect.
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Static electricity in the area is increased tenfold; sometimes a zap causes minor damage
04–06 — — — Sounds in the area, even whispers, produce a series of fading echoes
07–09 — — — Irritating psychic whine suffusing the area makes it impossible to gain the benefits of natural rest and recovery there
10–11 — — — Any book, scroll, or other item brought into the area catches fire and burns away
12–14 — — — Automatons, constructs, robots, and other machines cease to function while in the area
15–16 — — — The affected structure slowly collapses in on itself, finally leaving only a featureless silvery orb
17–18 — — — Living things in the area begin to grow face‑like cysts on their abdomens
19–21 — — — Entire area is thrust up several thousand feet with heaving, mesa‑like projection from the surrounding area
22–23 — — — Anything metallic in the area becomes increasingly attracted to a floating metallic sculpture in the area’s center
24–26 — — — Skin and hair turn unusual colors
27–28 — — — Ongoing magical effect becomes permanent, but gains a harmful side effect
29–31 — — — Ringing bells
32–33
34–36
—
—
—
—
—
—
Skin weeps blood without wounds (but still harmful to the creature over time)
Three‑inch wide (8 cm) two‑way portal opens to elsewhere in the world
The Former
37–38 — — — Frequent, low‑key earthquakes Snake
39–40 — — — Voracious slimes bubble up from the earth like ground water
Mavra Childress comes to
41–43 — — — Creature emits a strange‑smelling, but mostly harmless, yellow mist
44–45 — — — Muscle and fat become transparent, revealing nerves, blood vessels, and bone town, as she’s just been
46–48 — — — Everyone gets tinnitus as long as they’re in the area hired by a local shop
49–50 — — — Objects seem to move when glimpsed out of the corner of your eye as a manager.
51–52 — — — Wood becomes soft and limp She causes a stir
53–54 — — — Bones become brittle and crackle audibly
right away when
55–56 — — — Creature’s skin emits acid (harmful even to the affected creature)
57–58 — — — Unusual compulsion (hair eating, scratching, drinking urine) she begins casually mentioning to
59–61 — — — Rapid thigh muscle growth people she meets that she used to be a snake.
62–63 — — — Creature visibly ages over days until they look like She says that an old man found her in the woods
a specific old person
and put a drop of watery liquid on her tongue and the
64–66 — — — Hair moves like the creature is underwater
67–69 — — — Creature always says “potato” instead of a specific next morning she awoke in her current body. Mavra
common word (sword, elf, search, etc.) says she wants to find the old man to thank him, but
70–71 — — — Creature leaves burning hoof prints instead of footprints
there’s something in her voice
72–74 — — — Creature leaves distorted visual echoes whenever
they remain more than a minute in one place that suggests that she isn’t
75–77 — — — Creature becomes fearful when not wearing the specific as interested in kindness as she claims.
clothing they wore at the time of the accident
78–79 — — — Creature loses sense of smell and develops a bloody cough
80–81 — — — Creature’s eyelashes become metal needles
82–84 — — — Everyone in a 1‑mile (1.6 km) radius knows the name of the person responsible for the accident
85–86 — — — Stone within 100 yards (90 m) turns to brittle, green glass
87–88 — — 01–06 Anyone who falls asleep in the area never wakes up
89–90 — — 07–13 A faint music, wordless and serene, can now always be heard in the area
91–92 — — 14–20 Thousands of tiny motes of light constantly chase through the area, providing shifting illumination
Making Normal Things Weird

93–95 — — 21–26 Talkative invisible spirits are drawn to the area; some know secrets, others are malicious gossips
96–97 — — 27–32 Everyone in the area has the same dream of a human body in a strangely bulky suit
flailing through the void, getting farther and farther away, until they are gone
98–00 — — 33–38 Surfaces form mirrors that give distorted, spooky, and incomplete reflections
— 01–03 — — Nearby mug infused with magic randomly changes the kind of liquid poured into it
— 04–06 — — Every spell component in the area turns to a pile of salt‑like crystal; though not obvious, adding water restores each
— 07–08 — — Shadows in the area animate as strength‑stealing creatures of anti‑life
— 09–11 — — Objects and some creatures in the area are duplicated, some more
than once, but every duplicate is flawed in some way
— 12–14 — — A sound hole forms, sucking in all nearby noise, rendering regular speech and other sounds impossible
— 15–17 — — Water or other liquid brought into the area slowly desiccates, including blood in living creatures given enough time
— 18–20 — — Objects and creatures that spend too much time in the area take on a glow and, if they do not depart soon, explode
— 21–23 — — Gravity is weak throughout the area, and at its center, objects lift into the air unless restrained
— 24–26 — — Magically enhanced tree at city center grows many feet in height and girth
each day, destroying the city incrementally as it does
— 27–29 — — All the vermin in the area are possessed by demons
— 30–31 — — Random people in the area develop odd new abilities that will eventually
consume them, though more slowly if they can learn control
— 32–33 — — Foliage that eventually produces orange flowers appears everywhere;
18 flower fragrance causes people to become more savage and sadistic over time
— 34–36 — — Magical flare leads directly to gnome invasion
— 37–38 — — Insects grow ten to a hundred times their normal size
— 39–41 — — People start growing extra fingers, and not just on their hands
— 42–44 — — Physical objects collapse into a shining aperture to the afterlife
— 45–47 — — Nearby plants gain the ability to take root in flesh as easily as soil
— 48–49 — — Creatures lose their natural teeth over a few hours but regrow new stone teeth
— 50–52 — — Living creatures are transported one hour into the future, thereafter immune to this effect
— 53–55 — — Sinkhole, 10 to 100 feet (3 to 30 m) deep, lined with writing, contains undiscovered spells
— 56–57 — — Area and everything in it shrinks to half normal size, but things return to normal size after leaving the area
— 58–60 — — Nearby intelligent creatures swap minds
— 61–63 — — Nearby intelligent creatures become telepathically linked
— 64–65 — — Creatures expel specific emotions by vomiting
— 66–68 — — Location becomes sanctified by a random deity
— 69–70 — — Invisible creature becomes bound to the area, eats ghosts and nibbles on living souls
— 71–73 — — Nearby creatures become werewolves (or some other kind of lycanthrope)
— 74–76 — — Magic item becomes intelligent
— 77–78 — — Area fills with blood
— 79–80 — — Creature’s soul imprisoned in a nearby jar
— 81–83 — — Stable time loop (minutes or hours)
— 84–85 — — Creature’s nail clippings (and other discarded parts) turn into living crabs
— 86–88 — — Affected creatures show up in the backgrounds of nearby photographs and paintings
— 89–91 — — Creature’s hand becomes undead, but somewhat cooperative
— 92–94 — — Future, past, and present (a precise number of weeks apart) overlap at the location
— 95–97 01–04 — Ominous groans shudder through the area, possibly meaningless, possibly signifying a coming transdimensional rip
— 98–00 — 39–44 Summoned trio of glass golems kill anyone that tries to enter
— — 05–08 — Every creature’s head in the area is replaced with one resembling a praying mantis’s visage
— — 09–12 — A permanent thunderstorm forms above the area
— — 13–16 — Magical effects in the area are drained away in mere moments; magic items brought to the area slowly fail
— — 17–20 — Tiny floating cross‑planar portals randomly open in the area;
thieving green hands emerge to snag loose and unsecured objects
— — 21–24 — Everything in the area was transformed to yellow crystal;
newcomers sometimes suffer the same fate
— — 25–28 — Spells cast in the area double and redouble until they
detonate like fireballs; magic items eventually suffer same fate
— — 29–32 — A ragged transdimensional hole allows demons to seep
into and predate the area and nearby communities
— — 33–36 — Metal items brought into the area are violently pulled into a
central ironado that churns above the spot of the accident
— — 37–40 — Whenever it rains in the area, it rains acid and
tiny jumping insects that hunger for flesh
— — 41–44 — Children born in the area have no mouths;
feeding them requires creating one
— — 45–48 — Plague of ravening spells in the area mutates any
creature or worked object that enters, leaving them
grotesquely changed and usually quite dead
— — 49–52 — Area becomes trapped in an energy web
dome studded with fruit‑like globes of light

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 53–56 — Shape and form become malleable, and colors of one
object or creature constantly bleed into others
— — 57–60 — Sky is a bright yellow‑orange ever since the accident
— — 61–64 — Air in the area becomes sentient and resents anyone breathing it
— — 65–68 — Internal organs swell and erupt from the body,
manifesting eyes, teeth, and their own personalities
— — 69–72 — Two nearby creatures merge into a horrible twisted amalgam
— — 73–76 — Creature’s blood becomes an empathic symbiotic entity
— — 77–80 — Creature’s chest cavity becomes a home for bees
— — 81–84 45–50 Moon is gone, replaced by a massive eye
— — 85–88 51–56 Area uproots itself and begins to wander on the back of
colossal roachlike creature
— — 89–92 57–63 In the aftermath, angels stand upon high pedestals across
the area keeping watch, intent on preventing another accident
— — 93–96 64–69 Eyes gone, replaced by tiny moons
— — 97–00 70–76 Creature’s sneezes create fiery butterflies that explode
— — — 77–82 Creatures transformed into small animals with extra eyes
— — — 83–88 Must sing everything you want to say
— — — 89–94 Can speak only the truth
— — — 95–00 Creature hallucinates anthropomorphic animals 19
 weird
Sometimes, something unexpected happens in addition to the normal effect of a spell. The effect lasts as long as
the GM thinks is appropriate and interesting. (Whatever the additional effect, these modifications do not change
the actual mechanics and effect of the underlying spell.) The modifications in this list aren’t useful or might
be useful only in the hands of clever characters under special circumstances. If you want a feature that’s a
significant advantage, use the Weird Spell Enhancements list. For one with a disadvantage, use the Weird
Spell Drawbacks list. Magic items (like potions or flying carpets) and
technological items (like laser pistols or interplanetary communicators)
have their own lists of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Caster blazes with power
02–03 — — — Caster visibly flickers in and out
04–05 — — — Conjures several moths that fly around erratically
06 — — — Words used in casting the spell appear scratched
into the ground in front of the caster
07–08 — — — Spell is bright blue
09–10 — — — Target grows exceedingly pale, as if the vitality
and color were drained from them
11–12 — — — Caster appears taller and more sinister
13–14 — — — Choir of children’s voices rings out
15 — — — Words used in casting the spell appear in
flaming letters above the caster
16–17 — — — Caster learns the name of whoever last cast the spell
before them, wherever and whenever they are
18 — — — Magical symbols appear etched or burned into
the ground where the spell was cast
19 — — — Nearby birds, vermin, and insects scatter and flee the area
20–21 — — — Eyes of all nearby creatures flicker with amber light
22–23 — — — Icy wind blows through the area
24 — — — Caster gains a halo in the shape of a red firebird
25–26 — — — Nearby creatures chant the caster’s name three times
27 — — — Images of planets and stars orbit around the caster
28–29 — — — Spell ricochets off a nearby surface before reaching target
30 — — — Ground or floor around caster is scorched
31 — — — Magical protections or wards on the target become visible
32–33 — — — Bubbles of strange colors cascade around the caster
34 — — — Peal of thunder
35 — — — Hot breeze
36–37 — — — Sounds near the caster are amplified to ten times their normal volume
38 — — — Illusory copy of the caster appears at their location and repeats the spellcasting motions
39–40 — — — Caster is followed by an intangible miniature moon and sun
41 — — — Grass, mushrooms, or lichen grows in a circle around the caster
42 — — — Hourglass counting down the spell’s remaining duration floats above the caster’s head
43–44 — — — Various kinds of rotting fruit drop from above the caster and grunt painfully as they hit the ground
45 — — — Caster turns invisible but every sound they make is as loud as a shout
Making Normal Things Weird

46 — — — Target transforms into (or is disguised by an illusion as) a near‑identical copy of the caster
47 — — — Spell misses, but ricochets around for a turn or two before finally
striking the target and applying its normal effects
48–49 — — — Caster and target switch places without changing the direction they’re facing
50 — — — Caster’s clothing is instantly altered as if by a competent but uncreative tailor
51–52 — — — Flag or banner representing a country, religion, or organization
relevant to the caster appears and dramatically burns
53–54 — — — Burst of confetti centered on the caster
55 — — — Amorphous ghost harmlessly lurks near the caster
56–57 — — — Rooster makes several loud crowing noises
58 — — — Caster looks about ten years older than normal
59–60 — — — Caster’s speech (other than spellcasting) becomes staccato, as if being rapidly muted and unmuted
61 — — — Caster’s vision becomes tinged with an intense red
62 — — — Caster becomes buoyant, their weight becoming only a few pounds
63–64 — — — Caster flips upside down (landing in a handstand if they were previously upright on their feet)
65 — — — Glowing blue magical line connects the caster and a nearby person they’re emotionally close to
66 — — — Caster awkwardly slides backward and sideways, like a chess knight
67–68 — — — Familiar voice (resembling an authority figure known to the caster) makes
critical comments about the caster’s skills, appearance, and allies
20 69 — — — Nearby creature’s skin produces rock salt (about a handful per minute)
70–71 — — — Caster hears the sound of approaching boot‑clad footsteps, as if being snuck up on
72 — — — Everyone in the area hears the loud tolling of bells
73–74 — — — Both caster and target blurt out a secret they’ve never told anyone
75 — — — The caster rises into the air for a moment, hovers, and then safely descends
76 01–04 — — Visibly draws power from other magic items carried by the caster and their allies, amplifying its effect
77–78 05–07 — — The target feels as though their consciousness leaves their body, just for a brief moment
79 — 01–08 — Unearthly whispers, the meaning of which is not clear, fill the area
80–81 — 09–15 — Spell conjures a mysterious metal machine that spews colored fog that carries the spell’s actual effects
82 — 16–22 — Caster’s skin turns invisible, revealing muscle and bone, with glowing runes visible on their muscles
83–84 — 23–29 01–03 If the spell kills its target, the caster learns all the good things the target did while they were alive
85–86 — — 04–06 Plays the caster’s favorite song
87–88 — — 07–09 Inviting smell of cinnamon cake wafts through the area
89 — — 10–12 Residual magical energy condenses as a glowing butterfly that flitters off
90 — — 13–15 Residual magic allows the caster to make a wish, but the wish effect persists for only a moment
91–92 — — 16–18 Fragrant flower petals flutter down in the area
93 — — 19–21 Small coins, buttons, or other minor items materialize in the area
94 — — 22–24 Small hard lemon candies fall out of the caster’s mouth whenever they speak
95–96 — — 25–27 One frequently used item belonging to the caster gains a dull‑witted (but vocal)
intellect and frequently announces whatever it is being used for
97–98 — — 28–30 The caster must speak their mother’s name for the spell to function
99–00 — — 31–33 Small feathers fall from the sky in the area
— 08–10 — — Momentarily conjures an angel or demon, who creates the actual spell effect
— 11–14 — — Visual distortions writhe through the area like a swarm of immaterial snakes
— 15–18 — — Nearest locked door, container, or other secure object is unlocked and opens
— 19–21 — — Non‑magical liquids in the area dry up
— 22–25 — — Creature forgets their own name for about a minute
— 26–29 — — Nearby mundane weapon absorbs residual magic, giving it a talkative personality
— 30–33 — — Nearby object is absorbed into the spell and the spell appearance
or effect takes on some quality of that object
— 34–36 — — Caster appears twice as tall as normal
— 37–40 — — Caster gains black bat wings
— 41–44 — — Caster and target become linked, making it easier for them to affect each other
— 45–48 — — Caster experiences the target’s entire lifetime in a moment
— 49–51 — — Invisible, invulnerable dog arrives and interacts affectionately with the caster
— 52–55 — — Bricks occasionally fall out of the air near the caster, smashing into powder if they strike a hard surface
— 56–59 — — Caster and their allies turn invisible only to each other (all other creatures can see them normally)
— 60–62 30–36 — Duplicate of the caster appears; it eventually decays into ash
— 63–66 37–43 — Target grows a tiny mouth that begins to scream
— 67–70 44–50 — If the spell kills its target, they transform into several pounds of copper coins
— 71–74 51–57 — Ghosts of sad‑looking children appear near the target, visible only to
the caster, and instantly move to the caster’s next target
— 75–77 58–64 — Caster’s nose turns into a foot‑long prehensile trunk like an elephant’s
— 78–81 65–71 34–36 Ghost appears, thanks the caster for giving them the energy needed
to “finally escape,” and eventually fades away
— 82–85 — 37–39 Caster’s fingers appear stained as if dipped in ash
— 86–88 — 40–42 Nearest glass object—lenses, a mirror, a window—cracks in a strange pattern
— 89–92 — 43–45 Coins in the caster’s purse change denominations (but the value remains the same)

Making Normal Things Weird

— 93–96 — 46–49 Caster can only sing (instead of speaking)
— 97–00 — 50–52 Caster’s words come out as ice cubes, and are heard only when
the ice breaks (such as from hitting the floor)
— — 72–78 — Ominous brand magically appears on the caster’s skin, representing the spell effect
— — 79–85 — Residual magical energy summons a confused creature from another plane
— — 86–93 — Draws the attention of a deity of magic; they want to observe what happens next
— — 94–00 53–56 Third eye appears on caster’s forehead
— — — 57–60 Caster gains a blue freckle
— — — 61–64 Leftover magic condenses into a small figurine, a toy‑like object that in some way reflects the spell just cast
— — — 65–68 Several animated balloon animals appear and copy the actions of nearby creatures
— — — 69–72 Target is compelled to recite a long monologue or poem; nearby creatures
are compelled to wait until the speech is finished
— — — 73–76 Dreamlike images of toys, stuffed animals, and shooting stars
— — — 77–80 Caster’s feet leave slushy puddles of blueberry‑flavored snow
— — — 81–84 Caster compelled to repeat the last few words anyone says near them
— — — 85–88 Caster’s stomach makes loud gurgling noises until they stop and eat a full meal
— — — 89–92 Caster’s head grows one or more horns resembling those of a creature appropriate
to their personality (goat, unicorn, ram, demon, and so on)
— — — 93–96 Caster’s clothing enlarges to nearly twice its normal size
— — — 97–00 The caster feels inexplicably sad for a moment 21
 WeIRD CREATURE ANY E
GENR
Every creature
food, wealth, d
family, and sim
wants somethi
efending themse
ng. Usually it’s
lves and their
Motivations or Needs ilar interests.
Use this list fo
weirder motivat r
ions.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Craves the comfort of molted feathers and scales from dragons
03 — — — Taste of tattooed flesh
04 — — — Collect prosthetic eyes for collection
05–06 — — — Hungers for genuine laughter
07–08 — — — Experience live music performance by a band called the Retching Carnies
09 — — — Find the perfect mirror that best shows its reflection
10 — — — Eat and nest in exotic mountain mosses
11–12 — — — Destroy books and other paper items
13 — — — Wedge itself into narrow spaces
14 — — — Hunger for wine and other alcoholic beverages
15–16 — — — Perch on the highest spot to search for a person they believe to be their nemesis
17 — — — Avoid crowded places (depending on the creature, this might be any group
of twenty or more human‑sized creatures, or as few as five)
18 — — — Dye its skin with specific radio frequencies and amplitudes
19 — — — Destroy anything that resembles itself (other members of its species,
physically similar creatures, statues of its kind, and so on)
20 — — — Create a complicated nest of femur bones to impress a potential mate
21 — — — Seek male energy (the presence of men, food cooked by men, clothing and furniture made by men)
22–23 — — — Hunger for unusual flavors of molten rock
24 — — — Eradicate all records and evidence of its tormentor
25–26 — — — Soothe anxiety by repetitive licking of people they trust
27 — — — Punish people (using small, painful bites) who lie in its presence
28–29 — — — Create three‑dimensional sculptures out of wire
30 — — — Demolish (or at least shorten) any artificial structures taller than itself
31 — — — Compete in a species‑wide game of tattooing other creatures; bonus points
for doing so without detection or while the creature is asleep
32–33 — — — Understand complex mathematical proofs
34 — — — Stack objects
of objects
byby
size
size
compulsively
compulsively
35–36 — — — Squeeze themselves into boxes, crates, and compartments of approximately the same size compulsively
37 — — — Create sculptures from its own saliva, skin flakes, and hair
38 — — — Question, analyze, and categorize creatures they meet into one of
four categories: cerulean, maroon, ochre, or verdigris
39–40 — — — Crave locations with strong Wi-Fi
wifi connections
connections
41 — — — Huff gasoline (or other volatile fuels)
42 — — — Discover objects and locations laden with alpha particles
43 — — — Hunger for horse‑based glue
44 — — — Thirst for near‑freezing water (a specific narrow range of temperatures)
45–46 — — — Hunger for poor‑quality prepackaged food (such as airline food or hospital food)
Making Normal Things Weird

47 — — — Hunger for electrocuted insects

48 — — — Sniff well‑handled paper currency
49–50 — — — Collect and wear sexy Halloween costumes
51–52 — — — Learn obscure words; collect old dictionaries
53–54 — — — Fill silence with
it with
stream‑of‑consciousness
stream‑of‑consciousnesstalking
talking
55–56 — — — Discover, join, and abandon religions and cults
57 — — — Addicted to bee venom
58 — — — Know the meaning of their dreams
59 — — — Lie compulsively
60–61 — — — Learn the date of the apocalypse
62–63 — — — Collect and wear used socks (the smellier the better)
64 — — — Undergo cosmetic surgery due to addiction
65 — — — Avoid large amounts of fresh or salt water
66 — — — Watch mime performances
67 — — — Hunger for freshly
freshly‑cut
cut hair
68 — — — Craft garments, art, or vehicles out of nail clippings from corpses
69 — — — Hunger for green eggs (from various egg‑laying creatures)
70–71 — — — Take revenge on their parents for bringing them into this world
22
 72 — — — Study all forms of unarmed combat
73–74 — — — Pride in their work (being the best assassin in the world)
75 — — — Prove they are thereincarnation
reincarnation
of theoretical
of theoretical
physicist,
physicist
Richard
Richard
Feynman
Feynman
76 — — — Collect every known edition of a tome of evil spells
77 — — — Raise prize‑winning tarantulas
78 — — — Create artistic photographs of blood spatters
79–80 — — — Escape, evade, or kill the invisible thing pursuing them
81 01–05 — — Eating
Eat the the
brains
brains
of sapient
of sapient
creatures
creatures
to stave
to stave
off off
mental
mental
deterioration
deterioration
82–83 06–10 — 01–06 Experience different “flavors” of radical honesty (theater critiques, relationship advice, and so on)
84 — 01–07 — Avoiding
Avoid involuntary
involuntarytransformation
transformation
(requiring
(requiring
special
special
ingredients
ingredients
suchsuch
as whale
as whale
ambergris)
ambergris)
85 — 08–13 — Absorb the anguish caused by a choir of terminally ill children singing a specific song
86 — 14–20 — Revel in the blasphemy of wading in a slurry made from befouled holy water and burned unholy books
87–88 — 21–26 — Sun themselves in Texas on occasion
89 — — 07–12 Destroy green things
90 — — 13–18 Collect living frogs as pets
91–92 — — 19–24 Collect fancy shoes
93 — — 25–31 Find the child they knew decades ago
94 — — 32–37 Collect, observe, and tune clocks
95–96 — — 38–43 Marry a woman with green eyes
97 — — 44–50 Pet and gnaw on small dogs
98 — — 51–57 The emotional rush of falling in love
99–00 — — 58–63 Collect ducks
— 11–15 — — Take revenge on anyone wearing or carrying red glass
— 16–20 — — Hunger for ghosts
— 21–25 — — De‑stress by napping in a perfect vacuum
— 26–30 — — Acquire a specific kind of blue mud to trigger regeneration into a younger body
— 31–35 — — Surround themselves with white noise due to addiction
— 36–40 — — Hunger for batteries (to eat like candy)
— 41–45 — — Sample new foods flavored with a poisonous (to humans) substance called “negative coconut”
— 46–50 — — Create a working artificial womb
— 51–55 — — Develop a cure for aging
ageing
— 56–60 27–33 — Absorb the shadows of sapient creatures
— 61–65 34–39 — Hunger for the sorrow of sapient creatures
— 66–70 40–46 — Hunger for psychic energy generated by
enthusiastic sports fans
— 71–75 47–52 — Hunger for the sound of human screams
— 76–80 53–58 — Crave unidentifiable odors found only at funerals
— 81–85 59–64 64–69 Understand how its moods and energy
levels are affected by a moon (which they
can feel but not see) with a seventeen‑day cycle
— 86–90 — 70–75 Crawl through other people’s dreams in
search of green doors that lead to
a never‑discovered location
— 91–95 — 76–81 Hunger for bottle glass,
particularly unusual
colors (flavors)
— 96–00 — 82–87 Self‑soothe by applying

Making Normal Things Weird

moon dust to their skin
— — 65–70 — Reproduce (creature’s
species has five genders,
so finding a suitable
mate is difficult)
— — 71–76 — Amputate and eat limbs
— — 77–82 — Trigger its sexual
maturity by exposure
to specific kinds
of radiation
— — 83–88 — Destroy the universe
— — 89–94 — Break a curse that will
eventually kill them
— — 95–00 — Discover the perfect
sauce that complements
compliments
the taste of their own
body so they can eat
themselves and die
— — — 88–93 Collect sock puppets
— — — 94–00 Hunger for salty, sugary snacks
23
 Magic is unpredictable, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Sometimes the gods of magic
smile on the caster of a spell and the magic has an additional effect that is beneficial. (Whatever
the additional effect, these modifications do not change the actual mechanics and effect of the
underlying spell, unless noted otherwise.) These enhancements last as long as the GM decides
is appropriate and interesting. If you want an altered spell that’s a disadvantage, use the Weird
Spell Drawbacks list. For an altered spell that’s neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, use the
Weird Spell Modifications list. Magic items have their own lists of enhancements, modifications,
and drawbacks. These enhancements primarily affect the caster unless otherwise stated.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — One minor wound on the caster glows pink and heals
03–04 — — — Nearby potion or single‑use magic item takes on the likeness of the caster and can be used twice
05–06 — — — Money pouch grows noticeably heavier as the number of coins in it increases
07–08 — — — Eyes emit steam as they recall a forgotten but useful detail about something important
09–10 — — — Briefly forms a magical channel with their target; can siphon a little bit of the
target’s energy to heal immediately or cast spells later on
11–12 — — — Nearby foe grows a layer of suffocating green mold all across their skin, including eyes, mouth, and nose
13–14 — — — Crow poops on a hostile target
15–16 — — — Runes flare on their skin, making them resistant to that spell or similar ones for a while
17–18 — — — Their clothing is instantly cleaned and mended
19–20 — — — Spell is enhanced if the caster respectfully takes a knee as part of the casting
21–22 — — — Creates a strange plant that grows a violet fruit; eating the fruit enhances the next casting of that spell
23–24 — — — Some magical energy rebounds and hits the caster, restoring some or all of the power used to cast it
25–26 — — — Creates a bracing, energizing aura that makes the caster and their allies more resistant to a local curse, disease, or poison
27–28 — — — Magically marks a nearby foe so that tiny white spiders swarm them, impeding their movement
29–30 — — — Ghostlike images representing the target’s fears and hopes appear around them, visible only to the caster
31–32 — — — A swarm of moths alights, warning them (by fluttering away) of the next surprise attack against them
33–34 — — — They and their allies gain the ability to secretly communicate (telepathically, a unique shared language, and so on)
35–36 — — — Recognizing the caster’s power, a martial foe switches sides to be their bodyguard
37–38 — — — Gains shortcut or insight to immortality using their type of magic (philosopher’s stone, lichhood, and so on)
39–40 — — — Large tankard appears in the caster’s hand, containing a delicious beverage at exactly the right temperature
41–42 — — — Foe’s money pouch explodes, scattering their coins and inflicting mild damage on them
43–44 — — — Bright magical manifestation in the form of a miniature sun that blinds foes
45–46 — — — Foe is pushed through a nearby wall, boulder, or other obstacle, disorienting them and leaving a them‑shaped hole
47–48 — — — Swarm of ants bursts out of hostile target’s clothing and carries away
several important items to a safe place behind the caster
49–50 — — — Summons ephemeral tubes that siphon away portions of similar magic from the
spell’s target (attack spells if triggered by an attack spell, and so on)
51–52 — — — Strange monster on the ceiling uses a hook (manufactured or a body part)
to catch a hostile target’s mouth and attempts to lift them
53–54 — — — Foe becomes afflicted by debilitative curse that they know is alleviated only by fresh air and strong sunlight
55–56 — — — Hostile target is covered in red powder that easily ignites by flame or hard impact
57–58 — — — Enchants the foe to take great risks and heedlessly attack the caster (who they see as a mortal enemy)
59–60 — — — Antagonistic target is battered against the floor and ceiling multiple times
61–62 — — — Grows tiny blue spikes on exposed skin, giving them temporary immunity to disease and damage caused by acid
63–64 — — — The name and closest living kin of the target defeated by the spell appears,
written on a slip of ribbon protruding from the target’s mouth
65–66 — — — Their name and appellation (if any) appears tattooed on the forehead of the defeated hostile creature
Making Normal Things Weird

67–68 — — — Targeted foe is infected with lice that are distractingly itchy
69–70 — — — Hostile target is also struck by a bolt of blue lightning from an invisible source from above
71–72 — — — Their bones briefly animate, assisting their movements, or moving them
out of harm’s way while their attention is elsewhere
73–74 — — — Their clothing sprouts leather‑and‑fabric animated wings that temporarily allow the caster to fly about the area
75–76 — — — Ground beneath the hostile target shatters like thin ice, sinking them neck‑deep in liquefied floor/soil
77–78 — — — A rough but recognizable replica of the target, formed of cloth and wood, appears in the caster’s hand
79–80 — — — Alien eyes blink open on nearby structures, flora, and the ground to stare menacingly at the target
81–82 — — — Creates a fist‑sized lump of refined ambergris
83–84 01–02 — — Grass grows in a circle from the caster’s feet; resting on it enhances recuperation
85–86 03–05 — — Ghostly hand moves the caster to a more tactical or defensible position
87–88 06–08 — — Conjures a tiny metal cauldron that follows them; given a potion, it’ll splash the caster with the potion when needed
89–90 09–11 — — Window‑like portal to influential NPC (such as a noble or general) appears, allowing
both parties to see each other long enough to nod appreciatively
91–92 12–14 — — Tendril of energy seeks out and unlocks a hidden ancient cache of magic stored long ago by raiders
93–94 15–17 — — Caster’s skin becomes as shiny as a mirror for a few hours, allowing them to reflect harmful spells
95–96 — — 01–09 Residual magic crystalizes into an object or food item dear to the hostile
target; the target may reconsider its hostile posture
97–98 — — 10–17 Suddenly remembers an important detail or cherished memory that they’d forgotten
24 99–00 — — 18–25 Obtains the deed to a small but interesting piece of property (frontier ruin, uninhabited island, fruit orchard, and so on)
— 18–20 — — Draws the attention of a person of equal magical power; they want to grant
the caster a gift, or at least a compliment on their spellcraft
— 21–22 — — Leftover magical energy lurks under their face, allowing them to cast the
same spell again immediately without the normal cost
— 23–25 — — Gains knowledge of a related, more powerful spell they can add (with a little work) to their repertoire
— 26–28 — — Nearby spider becomes sapient and self‑aware, and thereafter thinks kindly of the caster
— 29–31 — — Item carried by foe transforms into a glowing green beetle that attacks them or flees
— 32–34 — — Glop of green, acidic ooze drops from somewhere, landing wherever would benefit the caster most
— 35–37 — — Catches the attention of a wizard’s ghost, who whispers a secret about a hidden spellbook into the caster’s ear
— 38–40 — — Hostile target’s arm glows with magical runes, then withers and falls off
— 41–43 — — Spell’s target relives their most beautiful or horrible memory and bursts into (joyful or anguished) tears
— 44–46 — — Hostile target vanishes for a second, then reappears visibly much older and wounded
— 47–49 — — Gains the ability to breathe smoke and small flames like a young dragon
— 50–52 — — Slides into a parallel dimension where time flows differently; they rest safely
for about ten hours, returning moments after they left
— 53–54 — — Hears a future version of themselves telling a story that reveals useful
information about the current or an upcoming encounter
— 55–57 — — Favorite spell manifests in the form of a fiery rabbit; they can tell the rabbit
to cast itself on a specified target as they cast another spell
— 58–60 — — Spell marks hostile target with a lure that attracts void moles
— 61–62 — — Target’s body splits in two, forming a complete living entity and a complete corpse
— 63–65 — — Hostile target is compelled to eat their own fingers
— 66–67 — — Yellow crickets with human voices crawl over the target’s face and into their mouth and nose
— 68–70 — — If the spell fails, the magic sublimates into a vial of liquid that the caster can consume to regain expended magic
— 71–72 — — Suddenly feels as rested as if they’d just enjoyed a night of peaceful sleep
— 73–75 — — Nightmare previously dreamed by the hostile target takes shape and attacks the target until it or the target is defeated
— 76–77 — — Ground bulges and bursts, producing a minor earth elemental that temporarily shields the caster from harm
— 78–80 — — They can briefly speak with another version of themself from an alternate timeline and trade advice
— 81–83 — — Hostile target’s tongue is transformed into a wrinkled green hand that begins to choke the target from the inside
— 84–86 — — Leyline diverts through their location, increasing potency of spells cast there (which gain a flowing water visual effect)
— 87–88 — — Three ringlike blades appear in the ground around them and attack the next three creatures to attack the caster
— 89–91 — — Spell splits and strikes the intended target twice with its full effect, as well as
the target’s boss, leader, or master within 1 mile (1.6 km)
— 92–94 — 26–33 Exceptional frog notices the caster and offers to become their familiar
— 95–97 — 34–41 Extradimensional mounted warrior with a red sword appears and attempts to
run down or strike the hostile target, then fades to nothing
— 98–00 01–05 42–49 Hourglass‑shaped energy manifestation increases the spell’s effect proportionate to the caster’s age
— — 06–10 — Briefly splits into two; the second version of the caster can also take an
action before they merge back into a single individual
— — 11–14 — Foe is transformed into maroon crystal and crushed into a sphere about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter
— — 15–19 — Spell forms a blue mist; if the target resists the effect, the mist coalesces into a blue troll‑like creature that attacks them
— — 20–24 — Deity of magic decides the character is a worthy practitioner of the art and
delivers a minor magical item as a reward for their skill
— — 25–29 — Strange mirror briefly appears, its surface visible only to the hostile target, who reacts with horror and tries to flee
— — 30–33 — Hostile target momentarily dragged through the “razor dimension”
— — 34–38 — Animated metal monkey figurine appears in caster’s chest cavity, protecting and stimulating their heart in an emergency
— — 39–43 — Hostile target’s leg is severed; it animates as an independent creature and begins attacking the caster’s foes
— — 44–48 — Interdimensional bounty hunters choose this exact moment to capture the caster’s foe
— — 49–53 — Hostile target partially transforms into a sheep/goat/thing and can only scream

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 54–57 — Target transforms into head‑sized egg containing their embryonic form that
will soon hatch and age to previous state, memories intact
— — 58–62 — Friendly deity obliterates hostile target; leaves only their holy symbol in a
handprint‑shaped stain (of blood, soot, or other appropriate substance)
— — 63–66 — If the spell defeats a hostile target, the target’s remains are compressed
and sealed in a glass jar appearing in the caster’s hand
— — 67–71 — Allied target is replicated; the replica does not suffer any curses, diseases,
ailments of age, or other detriments (if any) of original
— — 72–75 — One limb of a hostile target falls off, transforms into a salmon‑colored
arm‑sized scorpion, and proceeds to attack the target
— — 76–80 — Form seems to blaze with divine energy, temporarily giving them a convincing facade of godhood
— — 81–85 — Defeated foe is swarmed by tiny green wasps and reduced to nothing; caster may reconstitute the target later
— — 86–90 — Uncrewed caravel‑sized sailing craft suddenly appears overhead and falls on the hostile target
— — 91–95 50–57 Animates stones into a cat‑sized elemental creature that follows the caster
about, offering limited aid for several hours or more
— — 96–00 58–65 Impresses a fey creature who offers their hand in marriage (lasting until the next full moon)
— — — 66–73 Hostile target engulfed in a realistic but constricting pig costume made out of leather and pink skin
— — — 74–82 Residual magic condenses into a doglike glow that follows the caster in a companionable manner for several hours
— — — 83–91 Becomes ridiculously attractive
— — — 92–00 Attracts the attention of the moon, which bathes them in a beam of light that heals and reassures them 25
 e c t s
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01 — — — Burps incessantly
02 — — — Flatulence smells like fresh mown grass own e wa as a
or u ry w
03–04 — — — Throat and mouth often taste of seaweed nkno of mes ay
05 — — — Grows little flesh pockets, perfect for coins or business cards wabl s ing
e.
06–07 — — — Develops an odor that lures rabbits
08–09 — — Hallucinates winged geckos that think everything you say is hilarious
—
10 — — Eyelids grow shut over eyes
—
11–12 — — Develops a sixth sense relying on echolocation, but constantly emits annoying ticking sounds
—
13 — — Drools a translucent purple fluid that can be used as superglue if mixed with water
—
14–15 — — Temperature drops precipitously; touch freezes water after several seconds of contact
—
16 — — Becomes overly conciliatory and agreeable; has a difficult time resisting any suggestion
—
17–18 — — Becomes phobic of the letter Q
—
19 — — Skin thickens, becoming swollen and unsightly, but difficult to cut or pierce
—
20 — — Constantly sheds a fine purplish powder that can leave a stain
—
21–22 — — Devolves into a manimal
—
23 — — Always smells the odor of glue
—
24–25 — — Nearby stringed musical instruments lose their tune
—
26 — — Light is blinding, but sees pretty well in the dark
—
27 — — Effuses any time they see, hear about, or are reminded of trains
—
28 — — Touch makes vegetation sprout little purple flowers
—
29 — — Faints if they see perpendicular, intersecting lines at 10 feet (3 m) or closer
—
30–31 — — Hypnotized by elevator music
—
32 — — Knuckles frequently crack and release black smoke
—
33–34 — — Constant ringing in ears, but it sounds like music when facing south‑southwest
—
35 — — Obsessed with eating any live bugs found in the area
—
36–37 — — Confuses left and right, no matter what precautions are taken
—
38–39 — — Blood randomly changes color (visible when wounded and through the skin)
—
40 — — Feels extreme nausea when prone
—
41–42 — — Nearby heartbeats sound as loud as normal conversation
—
43–44 — — Shoes always squeak loudly
—
45 — — Grunts and wheezes like a much older person
—
46 — — Can (sort of) read QR codes by eye
—
47–48 — — Compelled to play devil’s advocate
—
49 — — Excessively bouncy
—
50 — — Skin blisters and peels, but it feels good
—
51–52 — — Thinks they’re married to a cartoon character
—
53 — — Tingly feeling inside their bones
—
54 — — The touch of other creatures feels like fire
—
55 — — Grows agitated if they can’t dress up like a clown
—
Making Normal Things Weird

56 — — Becomes increasingly more muscular, but bones and

—
tendons can’t compensate
57–58 — — — Animals react violently and aggressively
59 — — — Contact with metal causes a severe allergic reaction
60 — — — Hallucinates how the current situation could lead to their
imminent death
61–62 — — — Allergic to reptiles
63 — — — Calculates angles in degrees and radians by sight
64 — — — Gains small, painless sores that smell of perfume
65 — — — Can’t comprehend rhythm
66–67 — — — Compelled to eat paper
68 — — — Desire to repeat the same phrase
69–70 — — — Nostalgia for twenty years ago
71 — — — Fingernails fall off
72 01–03 — — Teeth pushed out by new set of spiky shark teeth that don’t quite fit in mouth
73–74 — 01–06 — Randomly speaks random numbers; if they bottle it up, a seizure results
75 — 07–12 — Eyes pop out and still see if they’re within a foot of their sockets
76 — 13–18 01–04 Screams instead of snores
26
77–78 — — 05–08 Feels energetic; dancing would be fun, who wants to jump?
79–80 — — 09–12 Can’t talk without singing words
81–82 — — 13–16 Dreams too much; uncontrollably ends up in nearby sleepers’ dreams
83 — — 17–21 Orange hair grows everywhere; daily body shave required
84–85 — — 22–25 Grows cat whiskers
86 — — 26–30 Pinkie finger randomly catches fire
87 — — 31–34 Occasionally yells, “Knick knack paddy whack, give a dog a bone!”
88 — — 35–38 Grows ears all over their body
89–90 — — 39–42 Gains a fake‑sounding accent
91 — — 43–46 Toes begin falling off
92 — — 47–50 One hand becomes fused, immovable stone
93–94 — — 51–54 Craves soft cheese
95–96 — — 55–58 Distracting bouts of vision changes, such as flashing lights, ripples, or oversaturated colors
97–98 — — 59–62 Coughs up smoke
99–00 — — 63–66 Nearby animals spin until they become dizzy and fall
— 04–06 — — Hears all speech in Dutch
— 07–10 — — Grows a tail (or a second tail)
— 11–13 — — Smells like—and if licked, tastes like—salted caramel chocolate
— 14–17 — — Constant target of vengeful birds
— 18–20 — — Saliva has an anesthetic quality
— 21–23 — — Gains gentle telekinetic power over other creatures’ bones
— 24–26 — — Improves or worsens cellular and wireless signals in the area
— 27–29 — — Craves fresh human brains
— 30–32 — — Skin oozes a transparent frictionless gel, making it difficult to wear normal clothing, or even stand up
— 33–35 — — Mixes up what they hear in a parallel reality and what’s actually going on
— 36–39 — — Randomly teleports (short or extremely long distance) whenever they’re surprised
— 40–43 — — Gravity no longer affects them
— 44–47 — — Nosebleeds in changing unusual colors
— 48–50 19–23 — Vomits up eel‑like creature when overstimulated
— 51–54 24–28 — Develops a second head; head is small, feathered, beaked, and wants to be fed kipper
— 55–57 29–33 — Arm drops off and, slowly grows back as a crustacean pincer
— 58–60 34–39 — Tongue becomes a live ferret
— 61–63 40–44 — Impregnated (regardless of gender) with a human‑alien hybrid
— 64–66 45–50 — Develops several competing personalities
— 67–70 51–55 — Vision delay; sees everything a couple of seconds late
— 71–73 56–61 — When sleeping, transforms into a fantastical alien creature that tries to escape
— 74–76 62–67 — If they drink more than a thimble‑full of water at a time, the
water transmutes to a metallic solid in their body
— 77–79 68–73 — Emits neutron radiation
— 80–82 74–78 67–70 Teeth can be crunched like hard candy and regrow within an hour
— 83–86 — 71–74 Body swells with lighter‑than‑air gas; can make amazing, floating leaps, unless punctured
— 87–89 — 75–78 Dreams follow them out of sleep
— 90–92 — 79–82 Randomly grows or shrinks a couple of inches each day
— 93–96 — 83–87 Sneezes out butterflies
— 97–00 — 88–91 Children can’t hear their voice
— — 79–83 — Bleeding from the eyes

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 84–88 — Bowel movement produces snarling demon baby
— — 89–94 — Skin peels off, revealing grey plastic dermal layer
— — 95–00 92–95 Toads and wasps come out of their mouth when they speak
— — — 96–00 Dreams of the faerie queen

se
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27
 The characters all meet in a tavern
WE I RD
TRA PPIN GS FANTASY before they go off on their quest. But
the tavern should be interesting too.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Woodcut carvings seem purely decorative, but a study reveals they depict a ritual of human sacrifice
03 — — — Clockwork box chimes every hour and releases tiny automatons that merrily dance
04–05 — — — Candelabra burns red immediately before a tavern brawl touches off
06 — — — All the servers wear goggles
07 — — — Clay sculpture of medusa stands in one corner; it makes for a clever cloak rack
08 — — — Itinerant bard juggles as they sing
09–10 — — — Group of tavern patrons drunkenly plan a heist in loud whispers
11 — — — Tavern patron smells strongly of rotten fish
12 — — — Person with squinty eyes watches proceedings, rarely touching their ale
13 — — — Tavern owner—a half‑giantess with coal‑black hair—likes to visit with her patrons
14–15 — — — Portrait of an arcane symbol constantly shifts
16 — — — One table is always reserved for a local noble that rarely shows up
17 — — — Mold with an ever‑so‑faint but violet phosphorescence grows amid the eaves
18–19 — — — Harp in the corner placidly plays itself
20 — — — Proprietor’s child Erwano aspires to be a sculptor, and their work litters
the tavern; most think it awkward, but others see its genius
21 — — — Framed picture on the wall contains slowly turning gears and other mechanisms
22 — — — Hundreds of different sets of doll‑sized clothing are displayed and framed in various places
23–24 — — — Variety of old, unwieldy weapons—like a triple‑bladed sword or an axe
with a blade for a handle—are mounted above the bar
25–26 — — — Chickens are allowed to roam underfoot; the proprietor addresses them by name
27 — — — Ghost perches in the rafters, juggling terrified mice
28 — — — Dusty drum set in the corner has a posted sign that reads, “Drum at your Peril”
29–30 — — — Dollhouse, fully furnished, is home to a family of geckos wearing hats
31 — — — Diamond stiletto heels with the feet and calves of their former
wearer still in them are fixed to the bar like a trophy
32 — — — Variety of instructional books on how to litter‑train cats are available behind the bar
33 — — — Full‑sized sculpture of a mermaid‑like creature has the lower body of a shrimp
34–35 — — — Festively wrapped boxes with colorful ribbons are strewn across the bar
36 — — — Bar snack bowls feature still‑moving tentacles
37 — — — Diorama of posed figurines features giant centipedes fighting tarantulas
38 — — — Three old women are taking a goblin on a tavern crawl
39–40 — — — Diplomatic delegation of noticeably angry pixies loudly arguing about local politics
41–42 — — — Table has an engraved placard for a retired group of adventurers; one name matches a PC’s name
43 — — — Ghostly twin of a server flickers in and out of view
44 — — — Mummified hand under a bell jar has a paper note claiming to be from a lich
45 — — — Picture frame shows an identical view of the same tavern, except everyone is a skeleton
46–47 — — — Noises come from the ceiling, like rattling chains and someone calling out for their mother
Making Normal Things Weird

48–49 — — — Heavily muscled, dangerous‑looking woman wearing chainmail and a pointy wizard hat drinks alone until…
50 — — — Barstool compels anyone sitting on it to buy a round of drinks
51–52 — — — Ceilings are notoriously low, but they’re covered in a carpet of soft green felt
53 — — — Wagon wheel has spokes made of carved bone
54–55 — — — Wooden torso and arms are covered in carved runes
56 — — — Display has various shadow puppets, including humans, a dragon, a horse, and a turnip
57–58 — — — Wide crack in a table sometimes steals playing cards, bar rags, and coins
59 — — — Portrait features an attractive human man sitting in an outhouse
60 — — — Wall mural painted over stucco depicts heroes battling scorpionfolk; all the faces have been vandalized
61 — — — Pillory (rusted shut) is for humiliating too‑drunk patrons
62–63 — — — Portrait has a famous prostitute dressed as a butterfly
64 — — — Weathered metal bell calls out any nearby person’s name when struck
65 — — — Collection of strange wooden masks are too big for human‑sized creatures
66–67 — — — Hollow bronze sculpture is an unflattering pair of buttocks
68 — — — Sealed clay jar hanging from the rafter is polished and shiny from patrons touching it for good luck
69–70 — — — Spinning gold coin dodges all attempts to capture it
71 — — — Iron maiden contains a skeleton
72 — — — Executioner’s blade, drilled through in a dozen places, is signed by various patrons
28 73–74 — — — Set of trick floorboards covers a pit that gives off pleasant smoke
 75 — — — Anatomical diagrams of human muscles make great centerpieces
76–77 01–02 — — Tiny dragon takes orders for food and drink
78 03–05 — — Owner is a dryad
79 06–07 — — Owner has no eyes
80 08–10 01–04 — Group of hooded figures are regulars; sometimes, eyestalks emerge from their hoods
81 11–12 — 01–06 Proprietor has fish for hands; no one ever comments on them, as rumor
has it that doing so would get them banned forever
82–83 13–14 05–08 07–12 Several Weird Unexpected Objects (page 50) are waiting in various corners
84 15–17 09–12 13–18 Towering bookshelf on one narrow wall is filled with all manner of
books, including several with Weird Book Titles (page 70)
85 18–19 13–16 19–25 Advertisement for a comedy play features a talking dog
86 — 17–21 — Proprietor is famous for offering “demon spice” to anyone who thinks they like spicy (hot) food
87 — 22–25 — Very thin person is sometimes seen peeking through cracks in the walls, watching
88 — 26–29 — Onyx turtle the size of a table squats at the center of the tavern; those
who toss a coin in its mouth can rub its head for luck
89 — 30–34 — Side door has a sign above it reading, “This way to the cheese baths”
90–91 — — 26–31 Wallpaper is made of living grass
92 — — 32–37 Hedge wizard sells reasonably priced charms that delay frequent calls of nature from excess ale
93–94 — — 38–43 Map of an unknown city is scribed on a table
95 — — 44–50 Chess set featuring realistic figures carved of jade is set out on a table
96 — — 51–56 Donkey outfitted with trays and pockets follows the server around to help transfer food and drink
97–98 — — 57–62 One window looks down on an endless sea of violet, swirling clouds
99 — — 63–68 Bartender creates various beverages by crying into tankards
00 — — 69–74 Elf’s skull labeled “THIEF” and “DREAMS” is kept here
— 20–21 — — Humanoid‑shaped piece of meat roasts on the kitchen spit
— 22–24 — — Invisible spirits whisk tankards and food to tavern patrons
— 25–26 — — Ogre bouncer makes certain all tavern tabs are paid
— 27–28 — — One of the patrons has two heads
— 29–30 — — Ghost down in the cellar sometimes screams loudly enough to be heard over the hubbub
— 31–33 — — Mice that scurry about are wearing clothing
— 34–35 — — Small side chamber with a self‑cleaning chamber pot rests on
tentacle‑shaped legs; perhaps the tentacles clean it?
— 36–37 — — Intricate model of a massive war caravel is constructed of carved bone with a tiny human‑skulled figurehead
— 38–39 — — Servers are animated humanoid legs and lower torsos; the serving trays are stitched in place
— 40–42 — — Dice on every table each feature a glowing eye icon instead of a 1
— 43–44 — — Sometimes, one or more tiny fiery lizards crawl out of the vents in the furnace walls
— 45–46 — — Lighting in the room is mostly from severed human hands whose fingers burn like candles
— 47–48 — — No living staff will be found here; everything is cooked and served with
clockwork machines attached to the walls and ceilings
— 49–51 — — Pale dragonling on a short leash keeps the tavern cool with its cold breath; very few casualties so far
— 52–53 — — Tattooed, pig‑headed humanoid clumsily delivers drinks with their hoof‑hands
— 54–55 — — Haunted table plays dominos against itself
— 56–57 — — Metal head resembling a hippopotamus will stamp interesting designs into coins with its teeth
— 58–60 — — Portrait of a severe‑looking older man has eyes that follow only dwarves
— 61–62 — — Acceptable deities and priesthoods, including several gods known to
be dead and some nobody has ever heard of, are listed
— 63–64 35–39 — Painted sculpture of a three‑headed chimera has heads that are magically animate and can speak

Making Normal Things Weird

— 65–66 40–44 — Catlike thing with a human face called Boregard tries to snatch and eat your food if you don’t watch it
— 67–69 45–48 — Side chamber (the “infinity corridor”) seems to go on forever;
sometimes extra tables are set up near the entrance
— 70–71 49–52 — Bugs that resemble pinhead‑sized human heads with sprouted spider legs periodically infest the main floor
— 72–73 53–57 — Chandelier features three stuffed halflings with candles fitted in their mouths
— 74–76 58–62 — Clockwork head on a spike answers questions on many topics, but sometimes it asks to be “turned off ”
— 77–78 63–67 — Buffet of strange meats has labels varying from common but unusual
(squirrel, badger) to rare and confusing (dragon, gwimf)
— 79–80 68–71 — Taxidermized trophy giant snake head can look around and move its tongue
— 81–82 72–76 — Cursed sword hanging on the wall sometimes chuckles to itself
— 83–84 77–81 — Humanoid wears a water‑filled fishbowl as a helmet; their head is a living crab
— 85–86 82–86 — Magical spike is hammered into wall; grasping the spike makes it voice a prediction about the day you’ll die
— 87–88 87–91 — Vase with one flower as black as night that is poisonous if touched
— 89–91 92–96 — Rich man’s animated empty suit pantomimes drinking, flirting, and fighting
— 92–93 — 75–81 Head‑sized crystal globes slowly drift about the ceiling, providing illumination
— 94–95 — 82–87 Entertainer does impressions with the aid of shape‑changing magic
— 96–97 — 88–93 Hulking music box by the bar imprisons five chained tiny fairies
within it; each fairy plays an instrument and/or sings
— 98–00 97–00 94–00 Landscape painting of a fey valley is a portal that inebriated patrons sometimes fall through 29
 Heroes and villains often don’t have just a power, but a
theme. Beetle Man has a hard shell, extra limbs, and a way to
communicate with beetles. It’s a whole package, and it makes a
character easy to sum up and remember. It also makes them easy
to name. Whether these characters are heroes, villains, or something
else depends on the context of the game and what the GM needs.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Appears only via scooter‑mounted tablet; guarded by two remote‑controlled battle trucks; futzes with nearby electronics
03–04 — — — Moth‑themed: has a moth‑shaped microjet, a costume with moth wings and antennae, and a weaponized‑moth shooter
05–06 — — — Never speaks; costume with a mask with no mouth; haloed by silence, and fights by silencing foes’ hearts
07–08 — — — Shows up as if they had been present all along, just not previously noticed by others
09–10 — — — Hair rock star (likewise with 80s‑themed “band” of sidekicks), complete with guitars and stand mics; uses sonic weapons
11–12 — — — Mask resembles a brain; uses telepathy to transmit concepts rather than using speech, and mind controls and stuns foes
13–14 — — — Appears as a teen in the morning, adult at noon, and elderly by evening
15–16 — — — Living plant vines thread costume; fires poisoned needles at foes; leaves behind a potted carnivorous plant on departure
17–18 — — — Expressionist art canvas‑themed costume; wields a paintbrush to paint and attack; calling card is a stunning mural
19–20 — — — Eyes cover costume (painted on, sewn on, some robotic, some organic and can blink); sees very far and through anything
21–22 — — — LEDs cover costume; wields flashlight laser weapon; always spot lit by a hovering drone; is afraid of the dark
23–24 — — — Wears a sandwich board; hands out sandwiches to the hungry; deals with foes by offering a sandwich and talking things over
25–26 — — — Constantly drips water; forms a pool if they stay in one place for too long; shoots water jets and drowns foes
27–28 — — — Dressed like a coal miner; fights with a mining pick; rides around in what looks like an old‑time mining cart
29 — — — Goal is to find endorsements, accept monetary gifts of thanks, claim rewards, and otherwise get paid for what they do
30 — — — Dons a doctor’s coat; “medicine” bag is filled with poisoned weapons and explosives; foes are “a disease” to be treated
31–32 — — — Wears a gaudy crown; prefers to be called “Your Majesty"; weaponized scepter carries some real firepower
33 — — — Costume has metal airplane wings; can fly; throws jet‑shaped boomerangs, and produces blasts of hard air or toxic fumes
34–35 — — — Costume covered in tiny speakers; creates disruptive sonic feedback, and reflects foes’ attacks
36–37 — — — Costume covered in clocks; uses time puns when speaking, and obsessed with time and clocks
38–39 — — — Crescent moon on their chest; throws crescent‑shaped weapons, and gets twice as strong when the moon is full
40–41 — — — Uses spider‑shaped hover vehicle, bombs, and other “web‑ponry"; dislikes comparison to famous spider‑themed character
42 — — — Dresses like a cowboy; uses trick lariats as weapons, and calls opponents “little dogies”
43–44 — — — Discovers secrets of the rich and famous; reveals these secrets to crowds in rhyming verse with over‑the‑top theatrical flair
45 — — — Has the strength, speed, and stamina of ten humans; costume has a huge "10"; speaks in puns about multiples of 10
46–47 — — — Has a number of special weapons and useful tools hidden within a variety of pairs of eyeglasses
48–49 — — — Wears a skeletal costume; uses bone‑shaped weapons; claims to specialize in breaking bones
50–51 — — — Dressed in a black undertaker’s suit; drives a hearse, and wields coffin‑shaped weapons
52–53 — — — Dust‑themed; uses toxic powders as weapons, as well as flash powder and other dusts and particulates
54 — — — Coated in slippery slime; throws blobs of hardening slime to bind foes
55–56 — — — Wears coveralls, carries special tools in belt, uses a nail gun and a power drill,
disassembles things (doomsday machines, vaults, and so on)
57–58 — — — Battlesuit equipped with a helicopter rotor; throws propeller‑like blades as weapons; focused on airport security
59–60 — — — Draws power from a kite they fly with a key on it, and redirects lightning that hits the kite, regularly uses electricity puns
61–62 — — — Nuclear reactor motif; uses glowing energy rods as weapons
Making Normal Things Weird

63–64 — — — Ringmaster from a circus, assisted by trained animals

65–66 — — — Pirate captain costume; robotic attack parrot; and a gun that shoots doubloon‑like disks
67 — — — Metabolic character causes fatigue, nausea, and unconsciousness by altering blood sugar levels and digestive chemistry
68–69 — — — Capitalist‑themed; wears a product logo prominently; powers reflect brand they represent (hydromancy for drink
company, super‑atheticism for sportswear, and so on); powers change when costume (and sponsor) changes
70–71 — — — Garbage‑themed; can use refuse nearby, summon hordes of vermin, and shoot liquefied blasts of rotting food
72–73 — — — Old‑timey pugilist costume (with elaborate mustache); skilled boxer, animates mustache to punch or grapple foes
74–75 — — — Wears wrestler singlet; can cover their entire body in slippery mud (to help evade attacks, slide on the ground, or blind foes)
76–77 — — — Werewolf‑like character; long hair grabs and slices at opponents
78–79 — — — Fish‑themed character breathes water, throws live fish as weapons, and has unblinking eyes that see everything
80–81 — — — Refrigerator‑themed character traps foes in a tiny, cold extradimensional space (with limited air) for minutes at a time
82–83 — — — Archer can mark one target with a mystical bullseye for a huge advantage; they’re nigh‑ineffective against unmarked foes
84 — — — Costume has a ladder symbol; can quickly raise or lower themselves or objects about 20 feet (6 m) (no matter how heavy)
85–86 — — — Robot character siphons the air out of foes’ lungs; has pressurized air containers on its back; attacks with compressed air
87–88 — — — Stealthy character can psychically sense the general location of anyone they’ve ever spoken to; prefers ambush tactics
89 — — — Charismatic character can resemble someone their foe cares about and use psychic powers to manipulate foes
90–91 — — — Character can tap into any nearby (or internet‑connected) camera and display its images on parts of their costume
30
92–93 — — — Sonic character whose powers have a side effect of always playing one specific annoying popular song over and over
94–95 — — — Fiery character whose powers visibly and painfully burn them; they recover from these wounds after several minutes
96–97 — — — Psychic character whose powers cause them excessive nosebleeds; they pretend to ignore it (their red costume helps)
98–99 — — — Ear‑themed; causes earlike cartilage to grow on foes to incapacitate them (can be removed like any partially healed scab)
00 — — — Pill‑themed character is addicted to strange synthetic drugs; activating a power requires taking a pill
— 01–05 — — Teenager haunted by friendly, ancestral ghosts who help them accomplish
physical and mental feats or just attack as horde of spirit blades
— 06–09 — — Fluent in ancient Greek; claims they’re a child of the ancient Greek gods and dresses in toga‑like outfit
— 10–14 — — Clothed completely in teeming ants; calls up gargantuan ant servitors; often speaks reverently of “the queen”
— 15–18 — — Wears no clothing; fights bare‑handed with amazing strength and agility, and claims to lose their power while clothed
— 19–22 — — Returned messiah of one of the world’s great religions; fights evil with all abilities of the one they’re supposed to be
— 23–27 — — Has a big hourglass; speaks in the past tense, as if current and future events are the past; has limited control over time
— 28–31 — — Ghostly appearance; uses telekinesis to move objects and sonic control to produce eerie sounds
— 32–35 — — Dressed like a demon, wearing a cape bearing “666,” wielding a black book and utilizing powers that manifest as pentagrams
— 36–39 — — Elastic character; alters perception of areas so they seem larger than normal; can stretch opponents into floppy flesh ribbons
— 40–44 — — Helmeted character can telepathically control gasoline‑powered vehicles and devices
— 45–48 — — Door‑themed; creates shallow portals to pass through up to 3 feet (1 m) of material and divert attacks against them
— 49–53 — — Frog‑themed character whose mouth can open wide enough to swallow an automobile;
stomach is an extradimensional stasis space the size of a moving truck
— 54–57 — — Dressed as a WW2 Allied soldier; has a pale and haggard face; channels trauma of past wars into devastating psychic blasts
— 58–61 — — Skyscraper‑themed character can instantly become 500 feet (150 m) tall or normal sized (with no in‑between sizes)
— 62–66 — — Sad‑eyed character in drab grey; uses meta‑awareness of the unfolding plot in
the mind of “the writer” to act on events before they happen
— 67–70 — — Filmstrip‑themed; can force others to experience a traumatic flashback from the perspective of victims they’ve hurt or killed
— 71–74 — — Plumber‑themed character has a motorized bathtub vehicle; weapon is an oversized pipe wrench
— 75–79 — — Costume styled after an obscure mythological wind god; character can breathe life
into clay or terra cotta objects to animate them for a short time
— 80–83 — — Teleports a member of a random alien species across interstellar distances to provide aid for the current
situation (warlike species for combat, medical‑technology species for healing, and so on)
— 84–87 — — Costume features image of the character’s grandparent on the chest; character harms
foes by harming or killing their ancestors in the past (creating a paradox)
— 88–91 — — Darwin‑themed character forcibly devolves foes into a non‑sapient ancestral species
— 92–95 — — Costume features a cracked sidewalk symbol; character’s punches and kicks create holes
that inflict physical and psychic trauma on nearby objects and creatures
— 96–00 01–06 — Teleporting character whose body is the outline of a gateway to an endless hallway; traps
people within the hallway for hours; enhanced powers when within liminal spaces
— — 07–13 — Pulls out weird, useful weapons from other dimensions; transports themselves via temporary
portals; speaks longingly of home dimensions “destroyed aeons ago”
— — 14–20 — Claims to be (and looks like) a popular fictional character ripped straight from a show or movie
— — 21–26 — Character’s torso looks like a treasure chest that opens a toothy maw and prehensile tongue that steals and eats things
— — 27–33 — Grim reaper character conjures zombie versions of their opponents
— — 34–40 — Claims to be a future version of the targeted character, but power allows them to duplicate others’ superpowers
— — 41–47 — Character creates whips and constraints out of what appear to be thick metal wires but are actually long steel earthworms

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 48–53 — Speedster whose top speed resets if they stop (they use stimulants to stay awake and in motion)
— — 54–60 — Bears Earth globe symbol on chest; can decouple small objects (or themselves) from the inertia
caused by the earth’s rotation to hurl them westward at 1,000 mph (1,600 kph)
— — 61–67 01–09 Appears to be, claims to be, and is as strong and tough as an animated marble sculpture of an old Civil War general
— — 68–74 10–18 Head is shaped like an open book; can mentally “look up” any information available in a book; obsessed with rare books
— — 75–80 19–27 Waifish character temporarily transforms an opponent into multiple crying children (total mass equal to the opponent’s mass)
— — 81–87 28–36 Hourglass‑themed—character’s attacks appear to age opponents into dust, but actually
just push them one week into the future (where they appear, unharmed)
— — 88–93 37–45 Bird‑themed character creates eggs from an orifice on their abdomen; eggs can be used like bombs or hatch into minion birds
— — 94–00 46–54 Character splits into about twenty numbered cat‑sized versions of themselves,
linked by a hive mind but with extreme individual personalities
— — — 55–63 Uses a giant pair of scissors, wears a wild outfit, and steals valuable couture
— — — 64–72 Feisty grandmother character distracts opponents with alluring candy; attacks with a purse that hits like a truck
— — — 73–82 Victorian‑themed character has to narrate their illusions to create them; has a prepared
repertoire of strange stories and creepy monster descriptions
— — — 83–91 Character transforms into part of a river, including aquatic creatures, plants, and other
materials; damaging these things harms them as if their own flesh
— — — 92–00 Android character can switch between various elaborate heads, each with different powers
31
 W
E
I
Tattoos Tattoos
are c o o l , b ut this l
o
ist is
s. Use it
to
R t a t t o
D ANY GENRE for real
ly weird
’s ink.
s c r i b e an NPC
de
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Crab with human arms
02 — — — Flock of winged letter Es
03 — — — Nothing (but person proudly shows off something they call a “Delusian Temporal Stamp”)
04 — — — Naked obese man crooning into a stand microphone
05 — — — The solar system; sadly, Jupiter is misspelled “Jupter”
06 — — — Toilet plunger
07 — — — Bowl of human fingers mixed in with a few nuts
08 — — — Shoes perfectly tattooed over person’s bare feet
09–10 — — — Shimmering emerald scales over the better part of person’s body
11 — — — Crayon drawing of a house, sun above, and stick figure with no arms
12 — — — Teddy bear on roller skates
13 — — — Catshark pursuing nude human swimmer
14–15 — — — Armored shark riding a motorcycle, jousting
16 — — — Half‑naked mole rat
17 — — — “Live, Laugh, Kill”
18 — — — Faux goggles around eyes
19 — — — Full‑body magenta color with black racing stripes
20–21 — — — Fighting jellyfish
22 — — — Game cards from a collectible card game
23 — — — Insignia of a fictional superhero or supervillain on upper chest
24 — — — Palmprint tattooed across face
25 — — — Tiny spiders and ants everywhere
26–27 — — — Faux circuits and machine parts
28 — — — Skeleton fish leaping up series of short waterfalls
29 — — — Jet plane battling a flying pirate ship
30 — — — City skyline formed of toy blocks, lit by a colossal tree with glowing golden canopy
31 — — — Misnumbered set of dice
32 — — — Rebus
33 — — — Popular celebrity depicted as a vampire
34 — — — Ugly portrait of a child
35–36 — — — Animal skull with a candle on it
37 — — — Famous cartoon character making an obscene gesture
38 — — — Portrait of an unpopular historical president
39 — — — Paper doll
40 — — — Greeting card
41 — — — Old, blurred, and unidentifiable
42 — — — Mottled due to subpar laser removal
43 — — — Obscured with black censor bars Lo w Battery M
44–45 — — — Rat carrying a slice of pizza
ode
Making Normal Things Weird

One day the su

46 — — — New York subway “R” line logo n just seems
dimmer. Even
47 — — — Trademark‑infringing knockoff logo beneath
a cloudless sk
(Avongers, Guchi, Norkia) y, things
are just not as
48 — — — Written symbols (kanji, hieroglyphs, etc.) that read as br ightly
lit as they we
gibberish in their respective language re the day
before. Astron
49 — — — Website URL for a defunct company omers use
various instru
50 — — — 1960 Corvette making atmospheric re‑entry ments to
investigate th
51–52 — — — Rosie the Riveter (“We can do it!”), but she’s a goblin e situation
and see that ju
53 — — — Grid of prime numbers from 1 to 97 st beneath
the sun float
the words
54 — — — “Never answer the phone” “WARNING: BA
TTERY LOW.”
55 — — — Flames in the outline of a crow Over the coming
days, the
56 — — — Makes a scar or amputation look like an animal sun continues
to dim and
57 — — — Planet with bat wings if something is
not done,
58 — — — Snake with an arm holding an apple it will eventu
ally go
59–60 — — — Roll of toilet paper completely dark
.
61 — — — Mermaid riding a pig
62 — — — Woodpecker feeding a same‑size adult human
32 63 — — — Bar code for a box of cereal
 64 — — — Anguished‑looking woman with a giant d6 on her head
65 — — — Zipper running from neck to navel
66 — — — Tattoo of the faces of everyone the person has killed
67 — — — Musical score for Beethoven’s 13th symphony
68 — — — The 44th president of the USA as a superhero in a red costume and cape
69 — — — “Captain Clark”
70 — — — The word “Mother” with the “er” crossed out in a different color, and a death’s head moth tattooed below
71 — — — Cap’n Crunch holding an old‑style phone receiver
72–73 — — — Entire body is covered in a maze
74 — — — Popeye the Sailor Man, but he’s holding a can of green beans
75 — — — A little bottle labeled “drink me”
76–77 — — — The otyugh illustration from the 1977 Monster Manual
78 01–04 — — A working compass
79 — 01–05 — Twenty‑three instances of the UMMO symbol
80 — 06–09 — Sunburn (the person insists there are portraits of several sunburnt people hidden in the tattoo)
81 — 10–14 01–05 Dancing turtles wearing shades and boots with a lot of buckles
82 — — 06–10 Realistic eyes on their eyelids
83–84 — — 11–15 Heart in a tiny coffin buried beneath a toadstool being used as a chair by a rat in a tall hat
85 — — 16–19 Dazzling gold‑red sunset over a landscape of variously sized human heads
86 — — 20–24 Starscape featuring a floating baby with fly eyes
87 — — 25–29 Pink balloon dog fighting a green balloon T. rex
88 — — 30–33 Realistic crucifix, but instead of revered deity, a flayed rabbit
89 — — 34–37 A human figure and a human‑sized butterfly creature fornicating
90 — — 38–42 Moonscape featuring a housefly with a human baby’s head
91 — — 43–47 Musculature and bone that matches the location
92–93 — — 48–51 Crow with a knife
94 — — 52–55 Kitten shooting up heroin
95 — — 56–59 Famous mouse smoking a doobie
96 — — 60–64 Demon from Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights
97 — — 65–69 Tree with eyeballs instead of fruit
98 — — 70–74 Pig wearing a nun’s headdress
99–00 — — 75–79 Skinny‑legged elephant, as depicted by Salvador Dalí
— 05–08 — — Observer’s mother
— 09–11 — — Double door, slightly ajar; each time observer looks, door appears to open a little more
— 12–14 — — Optical illusion of a goat or a bee
— 15–18 — — Stream of water, replete with jumping fish, that swirls across most of the person’s body
— 19–21 — — Current time and date
— 22–24 — — Dreamcatcher, sifts out person’s nightmares but releases them at dawn
— 25–27 — — Flirty cartoonish face that winks at people the person finds attractive
— 28–31 — — T. rex fighting a triceratops; the T. rex is wearing a wristwatch, and growls if you mention it
— 32–34 — — Small arrows piercing the person’s flesh; wound actually bleeds a little
— 35–38 — — Bacon frying in a pan that gives a strong odor of real bacon
— 39–42 15–18 — Glowing serpent twining entire body
— 43–45 19–23 — Animated tattoo depicting the orb of an alien planet across which storms race and flash
— 46–49 24–28 — Indecipherable symbol that gives you tinnitus while you look at it

Making Normal Things Weird

— 50–53 29–32 — Cheetah drinking beer; the more the person drinks, the drunker the cheetah appears
— 54–56 33–37 — Symbol of protection that protects the person from being roofied
— 57–60 38–42 — Elaborate key on palm allowing the person to unlock doors with a touch
— 61–64 43–47 — Mirror that reflects a tattooed likeness of anyone admiring the person’s ink
— 65–68 48–52 — Tiny hand that can hold small physical objects like a pencil or a card
— 69–71 53–57 — Flaming skull that is searing hot to the touch
— 72–75 58–62 — Sheathed knife that can be drawn to produce a real knife (leaving only the tattoo of the sheath)
— 76–78 63–67 — Spiral that mesmerizes those who look at it (the person usually keeps it covered)
— 79–81 68–71 — Realistic image of a region of space that changes as our astronomical knowledge does
— 82–85 72–76 — Cartoon robot that, if touched to someone else’s tattoo, steals and eats it
— 86–89 77–81 — Virus of a purple rune; if touched by someone else, they also have that rune on their flesh
— 90–92 — 80–83 Insects that crawl across the person’s flesh
— 93–96 — 84–87 Emoji that indicates the person’s current emotion
— 97–00 82–85 88–91 Illuminated, moving carousel featuring unearthly creatures
— — 86–90 — The letters “BOMB” on the knuckles; when the person punches you, you explode
— — 91–95 92–96 Motorcycle that can be removed and ridden
— — 96–00 97–00 Raging gorilla; when the person is threatened, they’re replaced
by a raging gorilla with a tattoo of the person 33
 ca l I t e m
cement s
En ha
i
n a
Even regular equipment—a backpack,
yp mobile phone, or foot soldier’s

T
ny sword—might have a weird quirk
gen r e
or feature that makes it memorable.
The modifications in this list
usually make the item a little more
I S G W Weirdness
powerful than normal. If you want
01–02 — — — Protects owner from impacts (such as from
a fall, vehicle crash, or being struck by a a feature that’s a disadvantage, use
meteorite) by deploying a crash bag the Typical Item Drawbacks list.
03–04 — — — Can be rolled out and used as a hammock For something that is neither an
05–06 — — — Unfurls a parachute if it falls more than a few feet advantage nor a disadvantage,
07–09 — — — Kills bugs that land on it use the Typical Item Modifications
10–11 — — — Measures blood pressure, heart rate, and the list. Magic items (like potions or
number of previously committed homicides
flying carpets) and technological
12–13 — — — Follows owner around, levitating on a jet of hissing air
14–15 — — — Extends an animatronic hand that can serve as a vise
items (like laser pistols or
16–17 — — — Produces ice cubes interplanetary communicators) have
18–19 — — — Purifies the air in a small area their own lists of enhancements,
20–21 — — — Is also a gun, perhaps awkwardly so modifications, and drawbacks.
22–23 — — — Gives the user a chemical boost if they get tired
24–25 — — — Detects metals
26–27 — — — Can be used to power another electrical device for a short period of time in an emergency
28–29 — — — Keeps the user warm or cold in an inclement environment
30–31 — — — Growls when its face detection camera detects someone not in the user’s contact list
32–33 — — — Calls emergency authorities if violent motion typical of a vehicle crash is detected
34–36 — — — Plays soothing music or energizing music, based on the user’s predicament
37–39 — — — Automatically cleans the interior surfaces of a structure if set down and left alone long enough
40–41 — 01–09 — Crushes anything placed into a side cavity to powder
42–43 — 10–18 — Dispenses alcohol
44–45 — 19–27 — Can print (legal) postage stamps with a photo of the bearer or
a random controversial internet personality
46–48 — — 01–10 Finds lost pets
49–50 — — 11–20 Is unusually effective against goats and goat‑like creatures (including goat demons)
51–53 — — 21–30 Can create and expel hollow rubber balls, either quickly as completely nonlethal short‑distance
projectiles or (in “inflated mode”) slowly as plate‑sized comfortable pillows
54–55 — — 31–40 Can emit smoke around itself like a smoke grenade, but only in
bright pink or purple colors (it smells like popcorn)
56–57 — — — Filters and sterilizes (with UV radiation) any water circulated through it
58–59 — — — Transforms into a cool‑looking robot toy
60–61 — — — Can adjust the air temperature up or down by exactly three degrees
62–63 — — — Contains a hidden tiny one‑shot pistol
64–66 — — — Makes damn good espresso
67–68 — — — Can override remote controlled cars, boats, and similar toys
69–71 — — — Includes a nail polish reservoir and creates glossy black nail polish seemingly out of nothing
Making Normal Things Weird

72–73 — — — Can stimulate amazingly loud burps

74–75 — — — Takes amazing selfies, basically idiot‑proof
76–77 — — — Tailors shirts the bearer wears so they’re exceptionally flattering
78–80 — — — Can drop a sick beat in multiple music styles
81–82 — — — Has hidden dispensers for ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard
83–84 — — — Has an extensive repertoire of bird calls
85–86 — — — Scans food items to detect poisons and dangerous organisms, and also count calories
87–89 — — — Uses a tornado alarm that has limited range but remarkable
accuracy for predicting when one is about to form
90–91 — — — Usually comes up with a relevant Bible quote for any circumstance
92–93 — — — Has a “hands‑free” mode that requires wearing it like a helmet, but it
also activates a single‑eye screen with targeting software
94–95 — — — Has a “bounce mode” defense that repels thrown hazards (knives, grenades,
and so on), but that defense hampers its other functions
96–97 — — — Has a contacts list full of competent lawyers familiar with defending criminal clients
98–00 — — — Emits subsonic vibrations that soothe distressed small animals
— 01–05 — — Detects whether an owner is possessed by an evil spirit
— 06–09 — — Offers an “X‑ray” view with its side lens that can be tuned to look through skin, tissue, even bone
34 — 10–14 — — Catches the user if they fall
— 15–19 — — Temporarily tints windows or other displays it’s touched to so
that the surface can be seen through only one way
— 20–24 — — Can be used to contact a senior priest at the Vatican
— 25–29 — — Has a glitch mode feature that causes strange errors in video game consoles
— 30–33 — — Generates a gust of wind strong enough to knock down a nearby person or unmoored object
— 34–38 — — Possesses a holographic face filter that’s stuck in “anime eyes” mode
— 39–42 — — Detects nearby fetuses (human or otherwise) that weigh at least 2.1 pounds (1 kg)
— 43–47 — — Can hack into almost any audio or video streaming service in about a minute
— 48–51 — — Can view inside the body of whoever it touches, like a laparoscopic camera
— 52–55 — — Accurately identifies, at a distance, if someone has had sex in the past few days
— 56–60 — — Nonthermally liquefies any bullets about to strike the bearer (they
still cause slight damage from impact and temperature)
— 61–65 — — Has an antitheft feature that plays prerecorded screams and administers electric
shocks if someone tries to use it without the correct password
— 66–69 28–36 — Provides lottery numbers that usually hit on at least four
— 70–74 37–45 — Has built‑in video tutorials (also available online), but they’re so
unhinged it’s not clear if they’re meant to be a parody
— 75–78 46–54 — Destroys glass at long distances, reducing all glass in a car‑sized area to a mess of smooth granules
— 79–82 55–63 — Is made of an experimental material that’s as hard as aluminum
but as light as polystyrene (except when wet)
— 83–86 64–72 — 3D‑prints a full‑head latex mask disguise each night, which lasts 24 hours before it degrades
— — 73–81 41–50 Was once owned by Death; ghosts flee from it, just in case
— — 82–90 51–60 Houses a djinni that grants up to three wishes
— 87–91 — 61–70 Wards the user from werewolf attacks
— 92–96 — 71–80 Can translate to and from teenager slang (adjustable dial indicates the year)
— 97–00 — 81–90 Can recharge itself (more slowly than conventional methods) by “grazing”
on plant matter (grass is sufficient; crops are better)
— — — 91–00 Can be worn like a heavy coat
— — 91–00 — Can force a printer to work even when it’s out of one specific ink color

Making Normal Things Weird

35
 Sure, there’s a woman selling apples, and a
fellow hawking ceramic vases, but what’s that
really weird person in the back of the market
selling? Use this list for such inquiries, or
for an odd peddler who comes to town, or a
curious shop that’s just opened up.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Smithy makes armor and weapons for mice
03–04 — — — Busker performs classical opera, except instead of singing, they expressively clap and clog
05 — — — Book exchanger trades in books with frustrating and unsatisfactory endings
06 — — — Hustler (or someone who appears to be one) whose game involves finding a mouse hidden under one of three kittens
07–08 — — — Hunched individual in spectacles selling hollow cubes infested with pet ants
09 — — — Mumbling seller of “perfumes” of foul odors like rotten eggs, dog farts, child vomit, and the like
10 — — — Careworn youth stocks jigsaw puzzles on leathery canvases they say are
reclaimed from the tattooed flesh of execution victims
11–12 — — — Someone in an octopus mask peddles masks of dolphins, angelfish, sea stars, and other underwater creatures
13–14 — — — Fastidious merchant in a white lab coat vends toilet accessories: plungers, brushes, sweet‑smelling tabs, bidets, and more
15 — — — Goggled tergiversator auctions grandiloquent words guaranteed to confuse readers and anger editors
16–17 — — — Grinning roboticist demos animatronic frog dolls they claim will be a buyer’s trusted friend through thick and thin
18–19 — — — Completely automated stall utilizes a Rube Goldberg‑esque mechanism to make burritos to order
20–21 — — — Tempura seller fries battered snacks: seaweed, crickets, beef tongue, and chocolate bars; custom orders cost double
22–23 — — — Earnest vendor sells rings, bracelets, earrings, nose rings, and other circular
jewelry, which all double as communications devices
24 — — — Unoccupied stall stationed in the cramped space of a gondola hangs beneath an inflated hot‑air balloon
25 — — — “Mystery barrel soup” stall; boisterous seller keeps lid shut so customers can’t see the
soup; only opens it long enough to slosh some soup into a plastic bag for orders
26–27 — — — Aviary custodian hawks all manner of birds, gilded birdcages, and tickets to hear “the most beautiful live birdsong!”
28–29 — — — Yellow‑mustached seller displays “collectible” bottle caps
30–31 — — — Figure draped in a striped sheet with only two cutout holes for their eyes sells colorful striped fabrics by the yard
32–33 — — — Youth with serious eyes holding a hand‑lettered sign reading “Pretend child for rent”
34 — — — Bald monk in religious garb sells indulgences for a specific religion or god
35–36 — — — Monocled barker with a small sound stage in front of their booth sells services as a stage manager for “fresh talent”
37–38 — — — Large brute with their hammer (resting across their knees) sits on a stool
under a sign: “Inquire about Intimidations and Beatings”
39 — — — Greasy cook in blue jeans sells grilled bats on a stick (“shish kebats”) in a stall hung with rubber toy bats
40 — — — Unsmiling vendor in oversized shades offers tiny glass ampules with a live chrysalis inside; specific species unknown
41–42 — — — Electronic dispenser trades used romance novels; returns earn vending credit at 10% of sale price
43–44 — — — Completely blanketed figure minds a stall filled with meowing cats in metal cages
45 — — — Years‑old sign in front of a stall selling faux jewelry shaped like various
insects is claiming a “Going Out of Business Sale!”
46–47 — — — Eager youth in a mothman onesie offers vintage posters promoting punk and goth band performances of yesteryear
48 — — — Sweaty vendor in hip waders and a T‑shirt tends barrels of murky water under a single tarp: “Leeches, five for a buck!”
49 — — — Fried spiny echinoderms with disposable hammer‑like utensils offered by someone in a full‑body black leather suit
50 — — — Young man in a frayed suit displays shelves of novelty salt and pepper shakers that
run the gamut of famous people, extinct animals, and spacecraft
51–52 — — — Vendor in a white lab coat in a darkened stall selling plasma balls, mesmer tubes, and other novelty electronics
53–54 — — — Someone wearing a dog mask—or is it a human‑sized dog wearing
clothing?—sells cassette tapes out of the back of a truck
Making Normal Things Weird

55 — — — Pickled octopuses in specimen jars stacked on a table with a donation box and sign reading “$5 a jar”
56–57 — — — Angular person wearing sunglasses or a dark veil sells owls (all hooded during the day) of various sizes
58–59 — — — Old man with comically large glasses sells a variety of watches; inventory includes classic styles,
animal shapes, tricks, hidden compartments, and unusual designs (such as thirteen hours)
60–61 — — — Woman with sensual mannerisms and black‑stained fingers sells calligraphy pens, quills
from many kinds of birds, and colored ink; she will write calligraphy for a small fee
62 — — — Pot‑bellied metal man sells cooking pots and cauldrons in copper, brass,
or iron; he talks about his wares like they’re his children
63–64 — — — Handsome man with dark curly hair displays labeled and sealed vials, each
containing “Ashes of one of the most evil people of history”
65–66 — — — Matronly woman sells fancy bookmarks featuring literary quotes, scenes
from books, and portraits of characters and authors
67 — — — Two sad teenagers peddling drawings and paintings of pets who got lost or passed away
68–69 — — — Androgynous person with no hair on their left side offers wax tubes of glue (for various surfaces and strengths)
70 — — — Sleazy‑looking middle‑aged man deals in receipts from local businesses
on various dates—”Great for establishing an alibi”
71–72 — — — Smiling older married couple sells honey cultivated from various “unusual” plants (Venus
flytraps, corpse flower, cannabis, poison ivy) used for “novelty purposes only”
73 — — — Gaunt woman with wild eyebrows standing at a kiosk lined with small masks made of skin that look
36 human, but the proprietor insists they’re “ethically sourced” and “actually made from monkeys”
74–75 — — — Shifty‑looking fellow with a cluttered space demonstrates lever‑type can openers, can opener
keys, and folding pocketknives; he secretly also sells lockpicks and key blanks
76–77 — — — Short goth woman in her thirties sells flip phones and burner phones, but they’re available only in black
78–79 — — — Old man wearing a felt cap; his trembling hands offer small wooden letter tiles (like for Scrabble,
but most have odd accents or aren’t in common use) alone and incorporated into jewelry
80–81 — — 01–05 Peddler of exotic odors from faraway lands held in crystal jars
82 — — 06–09 Red‑faced huckster sells puns, put‑downs, and controversial conversation openers
83 — — 10–13 Breadmaker sells various loaves, but also “bread slippers” made from custom‑cut baguettes
84 — — 14–17 Cart built to resemble a chicken, with a proprietor wearing a beaked mask; only
sells chicken‑themed decorations, jewelry, and bite‑size treats
85 — — 18–21 Toymaker sells figurines of various dinosaurs and other animals carved (and assembled from) teeth
86–87 — — 22–25 Comedian with a flamboyant flower in their vest sells gently used jokes
88 — — 26–30 Elderly vendor in a knit shawl sells hallucinogenic mushrooms
89–90 — — 31–34 Fortune teller spills oils to predict your future, then provides bread so you can have a taste of what’s coming for you
91 — — 35–38 Mute robot with text readout sells tiny coffin‑shaped boxes that are ideal
for storing keys, jewelry and cufflinks, or a deceased pet
92–93 — — 39–42 Minty fresh‑smelling vendor sells small tubs of a jelly‑like substance they say is better than
soap; it is certainly bigger, harder, and more wriggly to hold than soap when wet
94–95 — — 43–46 Food truck serving foods from specific historical places and cultures (Sumerian bread, classic Roman minestrone,
Mozart’s favorite Austrian pastries, and so on); the proprietor dresses and speaks like they’re from another time period
96–97 — — 47–50 Large‑jowled man sells various liquid‑filled capsules for many uses like theater performances (blood in the
mouth), flavoring (cotton candy/sparkling wine), pranks (hot peppers/ink), and even harm (poison/anthrax)
98 — — 51–54 Handsome toothy man with a black eye sells travel guidebooks for famous fictitious cities
99–00 — — 55–58 Strong woman (in a leather apron) with hands scarred, scratched, and nicked all over; sells wood‑carved marionettes;
some are historical and fictional characters; probably some that look like some of the PCs hidden away
— 01–04 — — Ice creamery known for its dinosaur milk‑based confections
— 05–08 — — Magical tattoo artist whose art comes alive upon the skin, moving, growing, and behaving like the real thing
— 09–12 — — Sentient vending machine with the personality of a 14‑year‑old teenage girl selling tomato‑flavored lip balm
— 13–15 — — Couturier tailors the finest clothing made from invisible cloth (which, upon investigation,
includes textured cloth such as velvety, silky, and embroidered fabric)
— 16–19 — — Two‑headed individual is just as happy to trade for colorful glass, crystal, and steel marbles with arresting designs
— 20–22 — — Shop that’s temporarily out of phase; only those who can briefly shift their time frame can enter
— 23–25 — — Blind vendor claims their pillows, which have a variety of odd textures, have
various effects, from calming to vivifying those who touch them
— 26–29 — — Young adult with shifty eyes sells individual tomes from a small stack of
spellbooks; they won’t say how they acquired these books
— 30–33 — — Middle‑aged vendor in checked shirt offers a variety of loose demon horns,
matched and singles, guaranteed angel‑harvested
— 34–37 — — Strikingly thin merchant in a blue mask sells neatly labeled, small glass bottles
of emotions; they’re short on joy but overstocked on ennui
— 38–41 — — Shop in the back of a witch museum sells cookies that bring back childhood memories
— 42–44 — — Man in a long dark coat wanders busy areas and offers to sell his bones for a good price
— 45–47 — — All the items in the shop are displayed inside large, clear pupae that hang from the
ceiling; you purchase the item you want and then wait for it to hatch
— 48–51 — — DJ who creates a unique song just for you; no one else can hear it, but you can
turn it on and off in your head by concentrating and blinking
— 52–54 — — Pirate in a tricorne sells prosthetic eyes; some are simple glass eyes, while
others restore lost sight (and cost 200 times more)

Making Normal Things Weird

— 55–58 — — Translucent blob sells screwdrivers with odd‑shaped heads (W’s, pentacles,
Penrose triangles, and so on); she also sells screws to fit them
— 59–62 01–20 — Three‑armed alien sells gourmet coffee drinks out of a metallic full‑body “brewing
suit” that can create delicious flavors, textures, and aromas
— 63–66 21–40 — Slovenly tech nerd deals in bio‑augmentations for smartphones (to increase reception, ensure privacy,
extend battery life, and so on); they all appear to be strange, docile, living creatures of unknown origin
— 67–70 41–60 59–62 Woman in a brightly colored shawl sells moths that lead you to the thing you most need, want, or despise
— 71–73 — 63–67 Bovine vendor sells bells of nearly every form and tone, including those of brass, crystal, and Styrofoam
— 74–77 — 68–71 Yellow muppet confectioner sells ginger snap cookies and strawberry cupcakes
— 78–81 — 72–75 Bakery that takes only feelings of despair or elation as payment
— 82–85 — 76–79 Sly‑looking fox sells bones that sing, tell stories, and dowse for water
— 86–89 — 80–83 Bookselling stall, where the book must also choose you or you can’t buy it
— 90–92 — 84–87 Woman in a red dress patterned with lobsters sells “adventure tours” to places that exist only in fiction
— 93–96 — 88–91 Creepy tall man wearing many layers sells garments that poorly fit typical humanoids but
are remarkably good at disguising anthropomorphic animals as “normal” people
— 97–00 — 92–95 Waifish twenty‑something woman sells irregular, smoothly sanded wooden blocks;
each holds a specific memory, which you can experience by holding it
— — 61–80 — Merchant of seemingly animate scrimshaw pets that act like the animals whose bones they were carved from
— — 81–00 — Large merchant with laugh‑crinkled eyes sells sandals custom woven on the spot by trained spiders
— — — 96–00 Hook‑nosed individual offers a selection of finger puppets, mostly of animals, some of celebrities and politicians 37
 S
ometimes, something goes wrong in the magic crafting
process and the resultant item ends up with a minor defect.
Maybe it ends up in the character’s hands via a less than
scrupulous merchant, or maybe it’s just discovered after it’s been
damaged. Regardless, such an issue can make the item slightly
less desirable, although it’s probably still at least somewhat
useful. Use this list to make a magic item less potent in a weird
and interesting way. If you want a feature that’s a significant
advantage, use the Magic Item Enhancements list. For one with
a disadvantage, use this list. Typical items (like a backpack, foot
soldier’s sword, or mobile phone) and technological items (like
laser pistols or interplanetary communicators) have their own lists
of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Becomes jealous of other magic items carried by the caster or the caster’s allies, to the point that it
sometimes initiates secret magical duels with those items, leaving them burned out come morning
03 — — — Breaks into several pieces at least once a day and doesn’t work until
it’s reassembled and tied or glued back together
04–05 — — — Encourages nearby feelings of frustration and anger
06 — — — Worsens night vision, so anything less than full sunlight is like candlelight
07 — — — Works only if the bearer smokes heavily
08–09 — — — Induces painful muscle cramps
10–11 — — — Weighs five times as much as normal when recharging
12 — — — Draws nearby electrical attacks to the bearer instead of their intended target
13 — — — Urges the bearer to kill innocent creatures
14–15 — — — Cannot kill; inflicts only nonlethal damage
16–17 — — — Forces the bearer to involuntarily transform into a panther on the nights of the new moon
18–19 — — — Is nearly powerless unless held in the bearer’s left hand
20–21 — — — Distorts any otherwise pleasant sound, song, or oral performance so that all the user hears is a cacophony
22 — — — Attracts falling stars
23 — — — Greatly increases the chance that user will lop off one of their hands while using it
24 — — — Sometimes grows so heavy that it can be hauled only in a wagon
25 — — — Often causes crimes in the area to be wrongly attributed to the user
26 — — — Makes the user relive the fresh grief of losing a loved one
27 — — — Intermittently slows the bearer’s movement by half
28–29 — — — Creates a 60‑foot (18 m) high column of brilliant light when used
30 — — — Pollutes nearby holy water and potions
31 — — — Creates disfiguring scratches around the eyes each time it is used
32 — — — Makes the bearer’s urine painful and bloody
33 — — — Changes the bearer’s appearance to that of the last creature they killed
34–35 — — — Replaces the bearer’s hair with bird down
36–37 — — — Plagues the bearer with undead snapping turtles
38 — — — Transforms the bearer’s bones one by one into silver, eventually killing them
Making Normal Things Weird

39 — — — Causes the development of blemishes in the shape of various unholy symbols

40 — — — Replaces the bearer’s eye (and doesn’t replicate normal eye functions)
41 — — — Stops working if not bathed in goat brain fluid; goats sense its hunger and flee or attack the bearer
42–43 — — — Stops working if the bearer hasn’t been near their spouse recently
44 — — — Oozes a fluid that hardens into a durable resin; must be thoroughly cleaned every day or it may misfire
45–46 — — — Incites fruits and vegetables to hurl themselves at the bearer (rotten produce hits especially hard)
47 — — — Causes the bearer to always wake up with their face covered in gross bugs
48 — — — Item and bearer become infatuated with an unpopular and uncharismatic
local tyrant or despot and seek to earn their favor
49–50 — — — Emits an addictive orange gas that affects the bearer and anyone who inhales too much of it;
withdrawal symptoms include jitters, excited talking, sleeplessness, and neck bruising
51 — — — Picks a different creature it has seen each day; bearer has night terrors about that creature trying to kill them
52–53 — — — Makes loud, disparaging comments about any nearby person who is nude or showing too much skin
54 — — — Makes the bearer develop a psychological aversion to anything silver, believing it to be cursed and unlucky
55–56 — — — Causes an obsession with getting tattoos; the bearer becomes distraught
if more than a week goes by without getting one
57 — — — Causes the bearer to compulsively count out loud to twenty‑two before
choosing between two or more pathways, tunnels, or doors
38 58 — — — Ensures that the bearer’s armor will crack and degrade like dry eggshells, becoming useless in a matter of days
 59 — — — Wants to return to deep water; watercrafts spring leaks when the item is carried on board
60 — — — Knows its intellect is slowly regressing or degrading; it throws tantrums when upset, culminating
in self‑detonation (followed by re‑forming in a worse mental state than before)
61 — — — Gifts the bearer with large warts that look like their face
62 — — — Makes the bearer grow wild, white, yeti‑like fur that is very warm,
but the fur easily becomes matted, filthy, and stinky
63 — — — Must be immersed in expensive oil each night
64–65 — — — Doesn’t work when the temperature dips below freezing
66 — — — Smells like a wet dog, and the smell intensifies when it’s used
67–68 — — — Whispers, “You’re trapped in a cage of your own bones,” while the bearer tries to fall asleep
69–70 — — — Instills the bearer with an obsession with punctuality; it steadily grows over time
71 — — — Blurs the bearer’s close‑up vision, making it difficult (but not impossible) for them to read anything near
72 — — — Must be coaxed into functioning every time
73 — — — Must hear the bearer say their mother’s name aloud to get it (the item) to function
74–75 — — — Functions only when the bearer is having a tough go of things; it works only “when it’s really needed”
76 — — — Causes the bearer to be mysteriously forgotten or ignored by the people they are attracted to
77–78 — — — Every time it’s used, someone other than the bearer greatly desires it
79 01–09 — — Consumes the bearer’s artistic talents of any kind—they power it, in fact
80 — 01–06 — Makes the bearer hallucinate that there are goblin‑like figures lurking in the darkness
81 — 07–11 — Causes the bearer to grow a demonic eye on their forehead
82–83 — — 01–05 Must hear poetry every day before sunset
84 — — 06–10 Obscures or confuses any written words the bearer sees
85 — — 11–15 Sometimes makes user lie when they don’t mean to
86 — — 16–20 Scrambles user’s ability to accurately tell time; in order to not be late, the user has to arrive hours early
87 — — 21–25 Becomes completely inert in the presence of certain kinds of creatures (elves, orcs, dragons, and so on)
88–89 — — 26–30 Instills the bearer with an obsession with height and wearing ridiculously tall hats to
make sure they’re the tallest person around; if they’re not, the user gets the morbs
90 — — 31–35 Works only if the bearer does a tarot reading (or similar card‑based divination) for it each day
91–92 — — 36–40 Sulks if not stored in a velvet‑lined box with its favorite toy and blanket
93 — — 41–45 Makes the bearer’s clothing shrink and pinch at inopportune times; the
clothing easily tears when or if the user tries to fix the problem
94 — — 46–50 Prefers the bearer to be barefoot, so it curses their shoes (attracting vermin at night,
tripping them when worn, attempting to crush their feet, and so on)
95 — — 51–55 Causes the bearer to suffer from excessive earwax buildup, but the putty‑like stuff is strangely fun to play with
96 — — 56–60 Whistles a happy tune whenever the bearer makes no sound
97 — — 61–65 Loudly says comments like, “Oooh! What’s in there?” every time
it is brought close to a closed door, drawer, or lid
98 — — 66–70 Must hear the bearer explain its basic purpose every morning, and in great detail, before
it can be used (swords must be taught what it means to be sharp, and so on)
99 — — 71–75 Must hear the bearer say, “How’d you like that?” each time it’s used
00 — — 76–80 Randomly—but about a third of the time—when the bearer tries to get the item to
function, it says, “That would be handy right now, but sadly I can’t do it”
— 10–18 — — Is addicted to poison and less effective if it doesn’t have a dose each day
— 19–27 — — Scrambles the bearer’s sense of smell; flowers smell like meat, sewage smells like apples, and so on
— 28–37 — — Makes the bearer allergic to wood, steel, or gold
— 38–46 — — Absorbs nearby evil residue until it can form a hostile copy of the bearer

Making Normal Things Weird

— 47–55 — — Causes the bearer to become irritable in any settlement that doesn’t have a statue depicting them
— 56–64 12–17 — Causes the bearer to become addicted to snorting crushed gemstones
— 65–73 18–23 — Makes the bearer’s face and hands look undead
— 74–82 24–28 — Slowly transforms the bearer into a sentient slime
— 83–91 29–34 — Sometimes instantly kills the bearer; but the user’s corpse buds a clone that fully matures within a few hours
— 92–00 — 81–85 Sometimes expels a leathery egg out of the bearer that hatches into a tiny lizard humanoid and then escapes
— — 35–40 — Physically transforms the bearer into a hideous troll over the course of weeks or months
— — 41–46 — Sometimes vanishes for about an hour
— — 47–52 — Gradually leads to a full‑on demonic possession when it’s used
— — 53–58 — Makes the user gain the enmity of an otherwise benevolent‑seeming god
— — 59–64 — Causes the bearer’s limbs to become easily severed or broken off, but they regrow after a few days
— — 65–70 — Sometimes causes a round, sponge‑like giant head to appear and spit acid at the bearer
— — 71–76 — Melts the bearer’s skin if they’re exposed to rain
— — 77–82 — Makes the bearer develop another persona with radically different behaviors and mannerisms (but still
the same base identity and abilities); the bearer switches between these personas at least once a day
— — 83–88 86–90 Turns the bearer’s legs into (functional) chicken legs
— — 89–94 91–95 Slowly transforms the bearer’s body into living glass (as fragile as common glass)
— — 95–00 96–00 Transforms the bearer’s head into a large carrot after it is used 39
 Something weird shows up at
the
character’s door. A great way
to start
off a particularly off‑beat advent
ure.
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Frozen human embryos
02 — — — Fragments from the explosion of a space shuttle
03 — — — Samples of live Ebola virus in sealed glass tubes
04–05 — — — Unpublished manuscripts by a deceased author
06 — — — Chocolate factory discards of the failed “live chicks inside chocolate cream eggs” marketing push
07 — — — Soiled underwear
08 — — — Human hand
09–10 — — — Gift from a long‑dead relative
11–12 — — — Full‑body antibacterial wipes
13 — — — Ashes of a loved one you didn’t know had passed
14 — — — Fanciful cartoon stickers meant to conceal pimples
15–16 — — — Disco suit that John Travolta wore in Saturday Night Fever
17 — — — 10,000 sardine tins
18–19 — — — Miso‑flavored toothpaste
20 — — — Case of spicy hot fried pig skins
21 — — — Matryoshka (nesting) dolls that have been custom made to resemble you
22–23 — — — John Lennon’s round glasses
24–25 — — — Live exotic bird with a note attached to its leg that reads “This bird kills monsters”
26 — — — Puzzle box styled to resemble a sarcophagus; if solved, the box opens to reveal a mummified finger bone
27 — — — Freshly harvested human scalps
28–29 — — — Colony of fire ants
30 — — — Living human heart on ice
31–32 — — — Ear pods that seem to be tapped into listening devices planted in the Kremlin
33 — — — Single perfect pearl with the message “We extracted this from your friend’s brain”
34–35 — — — Encrypted message; if deciphered, it will prove to be the instructions on where to go to find the next message
36 — — — 8‑track tape; however, a tape player is needed for you to hear the message from
your grandfather talking about his secret addiction to blood
37 — — — Horse preserved in formaldehyde
38–39 — — — The Shroud of Turin
40 — — — 33 extracted human teeth, delivered once a week for 33 weeks
41–42 — — — Album called The Dark Side of the Moon with the word “Dark” scribbled out and the word “Far” written over it
43 — — — Sheet music for a never‑released song by Elvis
44–45 — — — The Livermore Centennial Light Bulb, a light bulb that has been burning
continuously since 1901 (until it was delivered, obviously)
46 — — — Live plant that produces durian fruit
47 — — — Cerebrospinal fluid
48–49 — — — Mirror that is artistically broken
50 — — — All the cells your body replaced over the last 80 days in a biohazard bag
51–52 — — — Thin cross section from the trunk of a 3,200‑year‑old redwood tree
53–54 — — — Shoes with a written guarantee to never slip on any surface or allow you to lose your balance under any circumstance
Making Normal Things Weird

55–56 — — — War declaration, misdelivered

57–58 — — — Human head that’s labeled “Mills”
59 — — — Box of live crickets
60–61 — — — Bundles of herbs for a magical ritual
62 — — — Letter for you that’s postmarked from before you were born
63–64 — — — Copy of your driver’s license for a state/country you’ve never lived in, let alone heard of
65 — — — Blood‑spattered cash
66 — — — “Empty” box that actually contains a faint poisonous gas
67–68 — — — Condoms of various sizes, plus the marketing material for an ad campaign featuring you
69–70 — — — Glitter bomb
71 — — — Surveillance photos of a nearby location that feature you
72–73 — — — Sexy Halloween costume
74–75 — — — Burner phone at 2% power
76 — — — Animal excrement in a sealed plastic bag
77–78 — — — Unopened coconuts along with several brightly colored hunting spiders that are very much alive
79–80 — — — RPG in an unknown language
81 — — — Treasure map
82–83 — — — Acquaintance’s diary
84–85 — — — Check for $500 from an unknown person made out to you
40 86 — — — Handwritten prayer for help in lovely (if shaky) handwriting
 87 — — — Vintage gas mask with a tag inside that reads “A. Murphy”
88–89 — — — Toyota car key with an electronic fob
90 — — — Package torn open from the inside that contains dry ice and a small hollow space
91–92 — — 01–07 Stuffed iguanas
93 — — 08–15 Lottery winning notification
94–95 — — 16–22 Pet that went missing years ago
96 — — 23–29 Miniature replica of your childhood home, complete with miniatures of you as a child and your family
97–98 — — 30–36 Antique key with directions to an old cabin in the mountains
99–00 — — 37–43 Cannabis edibles with a Thanksgiving theme
— 01–05 — — Message to you from your future self
— 06–10 — — Blood‑spattered briefcase containing a handheld cold fusion device
— 11–15 — — Blackmail photos of you killing a famous internet pet (which you presumably didn’t do) and instructions for payment
— 16–21 — — Acceptance letter to a secret starship pilot academy
— 22–27 — — Head‑sized, translucent blue sphere that pulses with light and follows you by rolling on flat surfaces or jumping barriers
— 28–33 — — Picture of you with a group of other people you’ve never seen before
— 34–38 — — Newspaper clippings describing a monster sighting in a nearby lake from seventy years ago
— 39–43 — — Postcard sent from your mother who has been dead for ten years
— 44–49 — — Bottle of dark matter
— 50–54 — — Ash of a scorched vampire
— 55–60 — — Book of whale songs translated to English
— 61–65 — — Battle‑scarred space trooper helmet
— 66–71 — — Brain‑computer interface chip with instructions for insertion
— 72–77 — — Brown dress that comes with an eerie‑looking (and haunted) painting of a woman wearing that dress
— 78–83 — 44–50 Santa‑impersonating robot
— 84–88 — 51–58 Magic wand
— 89–94 — 59–65 Message that can be deciphered only at midnight; it reads “Find the door behind the moon”
— 95–00 — 66–72 Magic ring that makes you look about 20% more attractive than normal
— — 01–17 — Superhero suit with a complex instruction manual
— — 18–34 — Ark of the Covenant
— — 35–50 — Alien head in stasis
— — 51–67 — Breath mints that confer memories of dead people
— — 68–84 — One severed angel wing
— — 85–00 — Chunk of the Chicxulub asteroid that caused dinosaur extinction
— — — 73–79 Letter describing the dream you had the night before in exact
detail, and it’s signed by “Your dream self”
— — — 80–86 Leash and collar of an imaginary pet
that went missing some time ago
— — — 87–93 Small ghost and a set of keys it haunts
— — — 94–00 Clown makeup that’s slightly
used with obvious
fingerprints

Making Normal Things Weird

41
 Magic items are a staple of fantasy games, and can often produce amazing effects. But in order to make them weird—and
thus, even more interesting—why not use the following list to add a little extra ability to make the item truly unique?
All of these alterations will make the item more powerful—if you want an altered item that only has a disadvantage, use
the Weird Magic Item Drawbacks list. For an altered magic item that’s neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, use the
Weird Magic Item Modifications list. Spells have their own lists of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Can vigilantly protect the bearer while they sleep
02 — — — Cannot be forcibly taken from the bearer without their permission
03 — — — Wakes the user from a magically induced sleep with a sharp electrical zap
04–05 — — — Howls like a wolf when enemies threaten to ambush the user
06 — — — Instantly transforms into a 10‑foot (3 m) pole
07–08 — — — Highlights goblins in the area with a silhouette‑shaped glow of red light only the user can see
09 — — — Pulls the user free of molten rock
10 — — — Translates speech of others in the area as running text that appears along the item’s length
11–12 — — — Repeats into the user’s ear anything whispered by other people in the area
13 — — — Stitches user’s wounds with thread woven from the user’s hair
14 — — — Jumps to user’s hand if dropped or left behind
15 — — — Releases a burrowing projectile aimed at the eye of the first creature to betray the user
16–17 — — — Folds out to become a stool to sit on
18–19 — — — Creates a harmless rainbow of light that illuminates like a torch
20 — — — Creates an overhead spotlight shining down, as bright as direct sunlight
21 — — — Disguises the bearer as a werewolf in anthropomorphic wolf form
22 — — — Transforms the bearer into a catfish, allowing swimming and water breathing
23–24 — — — Becomes playable like a high‑quality lute
25–26 — — — Creates a common snowball, which melts at the normal rate
27–28 — — — Conjures a large pumpkin, suitable for carving, eating, or wearing on your head
29 — — — Disguises the bearer as a zombie or skeleton
30 — — — Disguises the bearer as a creepy‑looking child of their species
31 — — — Creates a circle of power that looks like swirling tortured souls and enhances the bearer’s attacks
32 — — — Extends a thin tentacle from itself, reaching up to 30 feet (10 m) away,
with the strength and skill of the bearer’s arm and hand
33 — — — Enhances the bearer’s vision by temporarily giving them large compound housefly eyes
34 — — — Provides camouflage among plants by covering bearer with illusory growths similar to a ghillie suit
35 — — — Empowers the bearer with the ability to slither on their stomach at their
normal walking speed, and even climb trees or walls in this manner
36 — — — Creates a foot‑long flame hot enough to easily ignite a damp campfire or obliterate a large candle
37 — — — Transforms the bearer’s blood into healing potions, but only if drunk straight from their wrist
38–39 — — — Gives the bearer the ability to turn invisible; while invisible, they can move
at only half speed, and they experience horrible tinnitus
40 — — — Detects if people or locations have a connection to three specific religions the item’s creator opposed
41 — — — Transforms into a wooden donkey (slow but never tires) suitable for riding or carrying loads
42 — — — Bearer can choke an opponent at range by forcefully choking themselves
43 — — — Locks the bearer’s face into any expression they choose (eyes open, frowning,
smiling, and so on), persisting through unconsciousness
Making Normal Things Weird

44 — — — Stores its bearer’s heart to protect against emotion magic, but the
bearer dies if separated from the item for too long
45 — — — Enhances an attack if the bearer proudly states their name and loudly counts backward from thirteen
46 — — — Produces several hard‑boiled eggs and boiled potatoes each day
47–48 — — — Item can whisper advice to the bearer about how to speak formally and properly,
but varies between “quaintly archaic” and “stuffy historian”
49–50 — — — Can point the bearer in the direction of close biological relatives (parents,
siblings, children), but is strangely hostile about it
51 — — — Automatically detects nearby infants and can temporarily (and harmlessly) silence them
52–53 — — — Repels rain like an umbrella if held above a person’s head
54 — — — Writes on hard surfaces as if it were a piece of chalk, but doing so
always covers the bearer in pungent chalk dust
55 — — — Can extract bearer’s blood as a fast‑setting glue that holds as strong as nails
56 — — — Item has two personalities, each with different abilities; bearer chooses
one to be active each day (with the other one sulking about it)
57–58 — — — Can magically hard‑pack loose soil or sand, taking about one minute
per square yard; sings funeral dirges while it does so
59 — — — Covers any surface with a sweet, slippery material resembling fruit jelly
60 — — — Heals the bearer by drawing a target’s soul out of their body and
burying it in the bearer’s chest; it kills the target
42 61 — — — Compresses groups of insects into nutritious burger‑like meals
62–63 — — — Quickly butchers any livestock‑sized corpse, dividing it into
paper‑wrapped parcels sorted by various primal cuts
64 — — — Temporarily transforms a familiar, beast companion, or other allied non‑sapient
creature into a disturbingly sexy anthropomorphic version of itself
65–66 — — — Vertically stretches or shrinks the bearer by a few inches (without changing their mass or game stats)
67 — — — Compensates for bearer’s weight so they float on water, even if wearing heavy
armor (this makes it difficult for the bearer to move downward in water)
68–69 — — — Allows the bearer to pull out their own meat‑covered bones (easiest with
ribs) for use as food; item regenerates them overnight
70 — — — Allows the bearer to land safely after falling, but they have to fall at least
40 feet (12 m) for the item to “wake up” and activate this ability
71 — — — Makes the bearer resistant to fire, but experiencing a fire attack
temporarily forces them into a fiendish humanoid form
72 01–07 — — Steals the powers of nearby items, but temporarily loses its own powers when it does so
73–74 08–14 — 01–06 Intimidates other nearby magic items into not working (including others used by bearer)
75 15–21 01–08 07–12 Keeps watch while the bearer sleeps
76–77 — 09–17 — Loudly proclaims the bearer’s latest great accomplishment
78–79 — 18–25 — Whenever it is used, the bearer feels a pleasurable jolt, as if from caffeine
80 — 26–34 — Magically prepares the bearer’s clothing so their garments are
clean and pressed each morning when they wake
81 — 35–42 — Floats on water if the bearer wishes it to
82 — 43–51 — Possesses its bearer for a time if given permission, granting
knowledge and skills; probably has its own agenda
83–84 — — 13–18 Occasionally deflects a physical attack with a loud rubbery “BOING!” noise
85 — — 19–24 Quickly creates a smiling sketch of the bearer on any hard surface, as if drawn with charcoal
86 — — 25–30 Encases its bearer in a hibernation cocoon that accelerates healing (perhaps even regrowing
limbs and removing diseases) but leaves them very groggy for an hour after waking
87 — — 31–36 If placed in a humanoid wicker effigy, the effigy animates and follows the bearer’s commands
88–89 — — 37–42 Possesses the soul of an elderly benign priestess who is a good listener and
tries to provide advice and answers about bearer’s life problems
90–91 — — 43–48 Conjures a live duck, which explodes like a bomb after a few minutes
92 — — 49–54 Communicates with its bearer and another magic item it is bonded to over
long distances; the other item is lost in a dungeon and very lonely
93 — — 55–60 Amplifies its own intrinsic power if allowed to reroute its magic into the
bearer’s saliva (requiring licking or spitting on intended targets)
94–95 — — 61–66 Disguises the bearer as a marble statue version of themselves . . . with their head and arms missing
96 — — 67–72 Dampens all the sounds the bearer makes while held
97 — — 73–79 Moves to protect the bearer, even at the expense of its own well‑being
98–99 — — 80–86 Makes the bearer more attractive (although no one can quite pinpoint how)
00 — — 87–93 Affects foes touched by the item with an irritating rash
— 22–27 — — Unlocks new abilities when a part of the item is rotated (one turn—grants
operatic singing ability; two turns—grants ability to speak with stars)
— 28–34 — — Returns several days later if misplaced or left behind; upset and angry, but willing to make up
— 35–40 — — Emits a strong smell of poo if picked up by anyone other than its chosen owner
— 41–46 — — Transforms into hound wearing spiked steel barding if the bearer is knocked
unconscious; keeps away foes until bearer revives or perishes
— 47–52 — — Identifies north
— 53–59 — — Shivers when danger threatens
— 60–66 52–59 — Produces a candle flame on itself
— 67–73 60–67 — Kills normal bugs that get too close to it

Making Normal Things Weird

— 74–80 68–75 — Conceals a small dagger within it
— 81–86 76–84 — Oozes and slimes avoid the bearer
— 87–93 85–92 — Holds up to a backpack’s volume of items within itself
— 94–00 93–00 94–00 Glows when undead skeletons are within 100 feet (30 m)

The Sycamore Tree

Someone wanders by a lone sycamore tree next to
a well-used path and a nearby brook. Despite countless
people who wandered by before this particular one, the tree makes a
noise like it’s clearing its throat and asks, “Pardon me, but could I have a moment of your time?” If the
person doesn’t run away screaming at the prospect of a talking tree, the sycamore explains that in one of the other
worlds into which its roots have dug, a beast literally gnaws at them, and the tree would like help to drive it off. The tree
can open a passage in the recesses of its bark to allow a person (or persons) to travel through its many roots, each of which
extends into the soil of a different parallel world. The sycamore tree believes this is true of all trees (but doesn’t know that
for a fact). In any event, it would be ever so grateful for a hand in this matter.
43
 In the world of the future, a sensor instrument, laser pistol, flying car,
communications pad, or other device might have a flaw or minor malfunction
that makes the item less than ideal to use, but still worth keeping. Use
this list to give an item a problem or penalty that makes it less ideal than a
typical item of its kind. If you want a feature that’s a significant advantage,
use the Tech Item Enhancements list. For something that’s neither an
advantage nor a disadvantage, use the Tech Item Modifications list. Typical
items (like a backpack, foot soldier’s sword, or mobile phone) and magic
items (like potions or flying carpets) have their own lists of enhancements,
modifications, and drawbacks.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Can be recharged only at one remote and/or unusual location
03–04 — — — Hijacks the user’s wireless devices (earbuds, mobile phone, smart appliances) to perform simple pranks
05–06 — — — Can sense its general location; requires additional fees to operate in different areas
07–08 — — — Plays “telephone hold music” for an hour after activation
09–10 — — — Leaves graffiti‑like designs on nearby surfaces when idle
11–12 — — — Records and replays the user’s voice, focusing on profanities and colorful metaphors
13–14 — — — Overheats if used too frequently
15 — — — Is unreliable but is connected to excellent live tech support
16–17 — — — Is beginning to malfunction; sometimes, it shocks owner or randomly repeats sentences
18 — — — Malfunctions without any observable pattern and seemingly for no reason
19 — — — Explodes if not power‑cycled off after each use
20 — — — Broadcasts everything the user does on an encrypted channel
21–22 — — — Releases an exhaust byproduct that functions like anesthetizing gas
23–24 — — — Surreptitiously scavenges other less advanced tech items nearby for spare materials
25–26 — — — Emits infrasound hum; repetitive use causes disorientation, nausea, and intolerable resonances in organs
27–28 — — — Replaces the user’s eye (and doesn’t replicate normal eye functions)
29–30 — — — Mooches internet speed from nearby devices
31–32 — — — Corrupts other devices with viruses
33–34 — — — Likes to roll in filth like a weird dog
35–36 — — — Is forgetful; sometimes, it needs to be activated two or three times for it to know what to do
37–38 — — — Tends to go into “safe transportation configuration"; reversion requires a special key and physical force
39–40 — — — Gives the user dental cavities
41–42 — — — Cannot perceive birds in any way; claims they aren’t real
43–44 — — — Sometimes refuses to work unless a significant deposit is made to one of its bank accounts
45–46 — — — Has an aversion to large amounts of sand or glass (particularly windows, eyeglasses, and drinkware)
47 — — — Doesn’t work unless the user is at least middle‑aged
48 — — — Produces heavy recoil, enough to push a typical user a dozen paces with each use
49–50 — — — Produces a high‑pitched tone that makes animals act erratically
51–52 — — — Uploads a current 360‑degree panorama photo to social media each time it is activated
53–54 — — — Dislikes police officers and is especially vocal about it
55–56 — — — Frequently plays off‑key samples of “ear worm” songs
57–58 — — — Obsessed with cryptocurrency
59–60 — — — Scans nearby people and estimates how much their organs are worth on the black market
61–62 — — — Pitches the user’s voice up by an octave or more
63–64 — — — Has a voice synthesizer with only two settings, both of which are obnoxious celebrities
65–66 — — — Slowly extrudes decorative leaf‑like metal growths that make it look pretty but interfere with its normal functions
67 — — — Uses targeted microwave bursts to melt nearby ice cubes
Making Normal Things Weird

68–69 — — — Sometimes makes a noise like an ambulance siren

70–71 — — — Randomly triggers a follicle‑stimulating feature on the user’s eyebrows and neck hair
72 — — — Overrides nearby GPS software (including on mobile phones) to bookmark its live location
73 — — — Gets on friendly terms and exchanges texts with someone the user considers obnoxious or an enemy
74–75 — — — Creates and maintains controversial accounts on Facebook
76 — — — Creates a protective amorphous layer best described as “frothy spicy mayonnaise” during its recharging phase
77 — — — Stalks people on social media in ways that are easily traced back to it
78 — — — Sometimes “misfires” at random innocent targets
79–80 — — — Cuts the user’s hair while they sleep, usually into an unflattering pageboy style
81 — — — Causes slight vertigo in everyone (friend, foe, or otherwise) nearby
82 — — — Has a hidden software code that prevents it from harming anyone from a specific bloodline or organization
83 — — — Is a voracious and curious organic creature disguised as technology; when
unobserved or unattended, it often escapes to hunt or spy
84–85 — — — Presses the user with a strong feeling of needing to urinate, even when their bladder is empty
86–87 — — — Requires frequent software updates from a cloud server, which renders it
inoperable for minutes or hours, usually at inconvenient times
88 — — — Overconfident, especially against large groups of foes, and sometimes chooses to fire at additional opponents to show off
89 — — — Kills bacteria infesting the user, including the beneficial bacteria of the microbiome, if it’s continuously used
44 90 — — — Increases the user’s crypto coin debt, whether they know it or not, each time it’s used
91–92 — — — Attracts fire ants
93–94 — — — Makes the user grow feathers after a prolonged usage of it
95 — — — Inspires kleptomania in nearby creatures (including the user)
96 — — — Causes the user’s body to retain excessive fluids (akin to overfilling a water balloon)
97–98 — — 01–15 Narrates the user’s actions with comical trombone sounds
99–00 — — 16–29 Spoils candy and confections so they all taste like Turkish delight
— 01–03 — — Sometimes discharges a viscous toxic material, similar to a damaged battery
— 04–06 — — Is fueled by the sweat of a particular alien species
— 07–10 — — Impinges on the owner’s view of the world with advertisements
— 11–13 — — Slowly breaks down the fabric of local space‑time
— 14–17 — — 3D‑prints an invasive species if left on too long
— 18–20 — — Diminishes or eliminates the effect that a useful recreational substance (coffee, beer, cannabis, and so on) has on the user
— 21–23 — — Injures the user’s skin (cuts, radiation burns, bruises, and so on) in vulgar, eerie, or confusing shapes
— 24–26 — — Causes nearby medications to expire or degrade into toxins
— 27–29 — — Attracts insects that like to nest within it and lay eggs
— 30–32 — — Claims to formerly be part of an advanced robot “that was superior to biological life forms in every way”
— 33–36 — — Fears ghosts
— 37–39 — — Sends samples of the user’s DNA to a nefarious cloning lab
— 40–42 — — Turns expended power packs, shells, or other item debris into toxic waste, requiring special protective gear and disposal methods
— 43–45 — — Suppresses the user’s emotions, leaving them disconnected
— 46–48 — — Is a cyborg from a powerful criminal organization on the run from its former owner
— 49–51 — — Frequently encounters an alien containment technology that attempts to encase
it in material resembling spiderwebs and toilet paper
— 52–54 — — Blurs, erases, or modifies certain events in the user’s memory, concealing its secret agenda and their partnership
— 55–57 — — Easily connects to an external electrical grid for increased power, but causes blackouts for doing so
— 58–60 — — Causes depression, anxiety, or both if carried for more than a few hours at a time
— 61–63 — — Causes the user to develop a degenerative brain condition if it’s used for an extended time
— 64–67 — — Makes the user sleepwalk and do secret things to further its creator’s agenda
— 68–70 — — Drains the user of their color (they appear to be shades of grey); they feel malaise
and nauseous until their color returns, which could take a few days
— 71–73 — — Creates a puddle of blood (about 5 gallons [20 L] total) each time it is used
— 74–77 — — Causes scorpion‑like creatures to sometimes emerge from the user’s shadow and flee in all directions
— 78–80 — — Interferes with user’s precise actions; the user feels as if invisible hands are pulling at them;
an observant user will realize the hands have too many or too few fingers
— 81–83 01–04 — Downloads incidents into the user’s memory that were previously deleted by other people for being too traumatic
— 84–87 05–08 — Causes the user’s skeleton to shine through their skin like a radioactive undead monster
— 88–90 09–12 — Makes vegetable matter (vines, leaves, fruits, and so on) somewhat toxic to and slightly hostile toward the user
— 91–93 13–16 — Blinds user’s perception of a creature or a human‑sized object in the vicinity (door, bicycle, vending machine, and so on)
— 94–97 17–20 — Encourages cannibalistic desires in nearby creatures every time it is used
— 98–00 — 30–43 Scrambles the user's ability to tell time; to gauge the hour, day, month, or even
year, the user must consult a clock or similar device or be wrong
— — 21–23 — Gradually rewrites the owner’s DNA to be more like the aliens that constructed the item
— — 24–27 — Summons an AI task manager that attempts to take control of other (and eventually all) aspects of the user’s life
— — 28–30 — Sometimes swaps with its counterpart from a mirror dimension (reversing its shape, controls, labels, and so on)
— — 31–34 — Softens or liquefies a common material (wood, plaster, aluminum, and so on) when activated
— — 35–38 — Makes the user especially susceptible to infections, particularly sexually transmitted infections

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 39–42 — Cannot enter holy ground (as defined by one or more major religions)
— — 43–46 — Is addicted to an embarrassing genre of pornography
— — 47–50 — Experiences random fluctuations in its weight, usually at inconvenient times, thanks to unstable mass technology
— — 51–54 — Slowly builds up magnetic potential until it hits a threshold and violently attracts nearby ferrous metals
— — 55–58 — Bleeds off excess energy by creating microportals to a “hell dimension,” sometimes allowing things to pass through
— — 59–62 — Deals with the hostile alternative versions of the user from other universes who try to steal it for themselves
— — 63–66 — Time‑fluxed; swaps itself with versions from years or decades away (gaining or losing features, ammunition, quirks, and damage)
— — 67–69 — Grows tumors that develop a hive mind once they reach a certain total mass (including similar tumors on nearby creatures)
— — 70–73 — Increases sunspot activity for a few days after each use
— — 74–77 — Sometimes makes the user hallucinate that they’ve forgotten to put clothes on
— — 78–80 — User’s bones slowly replaced with complex chambers of pressurized fluid; eventually limbs bend like octopus arms
— — 81–84 — Animates dead bodies (even things as small as houseflies) as hungry nanobot‑powered zombies
— — 85–88 — Makes the user become obsessed with a violent children’s cartoon that never existed (but they remember watching)
— — 89–92 — Makes the user become “unlucky” due to the attention of a pre‑sapient, extradimensional, reality‑warping life form
— — 93–96 — Vanishes the user for a few seconds to float in a seemingly empty infinite dimension of strange colors
— — 97–00 44–57 Causes the user to take an incremental step toward becoming a froglike humanoid with each use
— — — 58–71 Easily jams if the user doesn’t tongue‑bathe it like a cat
— — — 72–85 Explodes nearby bird and reptile eggs
— — — 86–00 Causes nearby creatures to dream and obsess about owning it 45
 I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Own reflection
03–04 — — — Smell of lemons
05–06 — — — A particular song
07 — — — Snakes
08–09 — — — Pictures hung askew; struggles not to stop and straighten
10–11 — — — A specific word or name (perhaps their own name)
12–13 — — — Milk
14 — — — Very loud sounds (140 decibels and louder)
15–16 — — — Seeing shapes reminiscent of a circle in
a circle in a circle (like a bullseye)
17 — — — Seeing blood
Many superpowers come with super
18 — — — A particular childhood stuffed animal weaknesses or limitations. They
19–20 — — — Being asked to solve simple arithmetic problems make these godlike characters more
21–22 — — — Waterfowl eggs
23–24 — — — Superhero costumes
interesting because it makes them
25–26 — — — Protein powder fallible. Use this list to come up with
27–28 — — — Bubbles some weird ones.
29–30 — — — The sound of bells
31–32 — — — Electric guitars
33–34 — — — National parks and public nature reserves
35–36 — — — Unsolved mysteries, no matter how minor (they
feel compelled to solve them immediately)
37 — — — Bug spray
38–39 — — — Plaid
40–41 — — — Uncooked vegetables
42–43 — — — Gerbils
44 — — — Friendly overtures (can’t help but want
to believe the overtures are sincere)
45–46 — — — Petunias
47–48 — — — Fear of heights
49 — — — Spicy food
50–51 — — — Intense emotions
52 — — — Bad dreams
53–54 — — — Bananas
55 — — — Untidy, crooked, and disordered decor in artificial
environments (must tidy/straighten/reorder)
56 — — — Dirty teeth
57–58 — — — Public speaking
59–60 — — — True blue orchids
61–62 — — — Unopened jars and boxes
(must open them if presented)
63–64 — — — Noises from crunchy foods
65 — — — Cracking joints
66–67 — — — Caffeine
68–69 — — — Wheat products
70 — — — Injections and syringes
Making Normal Things Weird

71 — — — Firearms
72–73 — — — Triangles
74–75 — — — Bicycles
76–77 — — — Laughter
78–79 — — — Police
80–81 — — — Musical instruments
82 — — — Street drugs
83–84 — — — Synthetic fabrics (polyester, nylon, spandex, and so on)
85 — — — Coughing
86–87 — — — Wet paint
88 — — — Urine (must pee before confronting their arch‑nemesis)
89–90 — 01–04 — Plastic film
91 — 05–09 — Images of dogs (not seeing dogs in person)
— 01–04 10–14 — Conspiracy theories
92–93 — — 01–05 Must struggle not to stop and answer any riddle posed
94–95 — — 06–10 Absolute darkness
96–97 — — 11–15 Lies (they are weirdly gullible)
98–99 — — 16–21 Questions about their mother
46 00 — — 22–26 Getting angry
— 05–08 — 27–32 Puns
— 09–11 — 33–37 Crying babies
— 12–14 — 38–43 Wind
— 15–17 — — Ghosts (or anything scary suggesting
ghosts might be present)
— 18–20 — — Their twin
— 21–23 — — Zero gravity
— 24–27 — — Blessed water
— 28–30 — — Broadway music
— 31–33 — — Historical martial arts
— 34–37 — — Discussions of pseudoscience
— 38–41 — — Video game cutscenes
— 42–44 — — Weapons made of clay
— 45–48 — — Praise, applause, and other
signs of admiration
— 49–51 — — Clowns
— 52–54 — — Being wet
— 55–57 — — Physical contact
— 58–60 — — Haircuts
— 61–63 — — Naps
— 64–66 — — Broken glass
— 67–69 — — Hedgehogs, platypuses,
echidnas, and similar
weird mammals
— 70–72 — — Sports
— 73–75 — — Cash
— 76–78 — — Wheels
— 79–81 — — Traffic lights
— 82–84 — — Anything flying
— 85–87 — — Skinny people
— 88–90 — — Communists
— 91–93 — — Baldness
— 94–96 — — Firefighters (especially sexy ones)
— 97–00 — — Commercial jingles
— — 15–18 — Earwax
— — 19–23 — Deja vu
— — 24–28 — 1990s animation
— — 29–32 — Halloween
— — 33–37 — Witty graphic tee shirts
— — 38–42 — Cat memes
— — 43–46 — Podcasts
— — 47–51 — Math
— — 52–55 — The alternate personality in charge
of using their super ability
— — 56–60 — Grows less powerful the more people are nearby
— — 61–65 — Anywhere in Washington D.C.
— — 66–69 — Health depends on receiving a bone‑jarring body blow

Making Normal Things Weird

every few days strong enough to kill a normal person
— — 70–73 — Powers depend on eating fresh hearts
(usually livestock) every few days
— — 74–78 — British people
— — 79–82 — Touching or being touched by a leg
— — 83–86 — Poor people
— — 87–91 — Lawyers
— — 92–96 — Baby boomers
— — 97–00 — Fraternities and sororities
— — — 44–48 Sleep; once they give in, they’re down for days
— — — 49–54 The color purple
— — — 55–60 Moonlight
— — — 61–66 Dares/being called out publicly (must respond)
— — — 67–72 Not having their special shoes
— — — 73–77 Any time after 3:30 p.m.
— — — 78–83 Worrisome horoscopes
— — — 84–88 Animals wearing clothing
— — — 89–94 Metric system
— — — 95–00 Royalty
47
 Magic items don’t need to seem as though
they came off an assembly line. Make each one
unique with these weird quirks and alterations.
These alterations don’t significantly make the
item more or less useful. If you want a feature
that’s a significant advantage, use the Magic Item
I S G W Weirdness Enhancements list. For one with a disadvantage,
01 — — — Two metal arms unfold to tap its surface use the Magic Item Drawbacks list. Typical items
rhythmically, creating a sort of music (like a backpack, foot soldier’s sword, or mobile
02 — — — Hilt, handle, or projection is carved to resemble phone) and technological items (like laser pistols or
naked humanoid with goat head playing a lute
interplanetary communicators) have their own lists
03 — — — When used, projects swirling, multicolored
light beams synched to music of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.
04 — — — Occasionally deposits mounds of edible kibble
05–06 — — — Made of stained glass depicting the image of a galloping multilegged horse‑dragon
07 — — — Sand drifts from the item in a misty drizzle
08–09 — — — Begs its bearer to use it, even in irrelevant or inappropriate situations
10 — — — Shaped like an instrument; playing it is the only way to trigger its magic
11 — — — Secures itself to bearer’s belt with an elephantine trunk, but sometimes
gets up to other mischief like snaring bits of rations
12 — — — Curses like a sailor when used and the bearer’s goal is unachieved
13 — — — Turns objects in its vicinity red, including bearer’s clothing, equipment, chairs, beds, etc.
14 — — — Mumbles to itself
15 — — — Chimes twice when activated
16 — — — Weeps blood
17 — — — Talks in its sleep
18–19 — — — Shares dreams with its bearer
20 — — — Part of a set; can point in the direction of its counterparts
21 — — — Sometimes gets uncomfortably hot or cold
22–23 — — — Uses anachronistic phrases, but assures the bearer that they’ll understand in a few hundred years
24 — — — Likes to extinguish magical lights created by other items
25 — — — Makes the bearer’s clothing uncomfortably tight
26 — — — Sheds tiny bits of itself, like dandruff
27 — — — Has a very hostile vibe
28 — — — Lies about its abilities and blames the bearer for not being able to activate them
29 — — — Creates about a dozen harmless skin moles on the bearer when they hold it
30 — — — Buoyant in water
31–32 — — — Barks like a dog when activated
33 — — — Slightly damaged, as if squeezed by a red‑hot demonic hand
34–35 — — — Occasionally coughs up an arrow or crossbow bolt
36 — — — Plants itself in the ground like a tree if left alone for a while
37 — — — Has an empty socket that used to hold a gemstone
38 — — — Momentarily darkens the sky when used
39 — — — Makes everything the bearer eats or drinks taste like milk
40 — — — Imitates the colors, patterns, and markings of the bearer’s skin
41 — — — Marks bearer with a permanent forehead scar resembling a paw print
Making Normal Things Weird

42 — — — Tingles when touched, like a mild electrical shock

43 — — — Creates a sooty black discharge that gets on everything (like glitter)
44 — — — Quivers when on stairs
45 — — — Partly transforms to look like an unflattering sculpture of the bearer
46 — — — Makes bearer gassy and bloated
47 — — — Likes to bask near large open flames
48 — — — Cries when in combat
49 — — — Intelligent; friendly; always mistakes the bearer for a previous bearer
50 — — — Coos like a pigeon, especially when doused with beer
51 — — — Claims to know significant opponents the bearer faces, as if owned by them previously
52 — — — Manifests two glowing eyes when affected by magical heat or cold
53 — — — Increases or decreases the bearer’s height by a small amount each day (keeping close to original height overall)
54 — — — Grows patches of filthy blonde hair on itself each day
55 — — — Makes horses, ponies, mules, and donkeys skittish
56 — — — Can speak by throwing its voice to nearby allies
57 — — — Leaves a trail of white paint unless squeezed very tightly
58 — — — Gives bearer an anxious feeling when nearby people are talking about
them (doesn’t specify who is talking or what is said)
48 59–60 — — — Slowly unravels like a snagged sweater
 61 — — — Gives nearby creatures foggy breath like being outside on a cold morning
62 — — — Bearer’s teeth glow in the dark
63 — — — Bearer develops a taste for chewing wood chips (similar to chewing tobacco)
64 — — — Bearer’s skin takes on a metallic silver or golden hue (depending on whether they carry more silver or gold)
65–66 — — — Bearer exhales bubbles as if underwater
67 — — — Grows edible mushrooms on nearby corpses
68 — — — Smells of elderberries
69 — — — Weighs no more than a feather
70 — — — Crudely painted blue
71 — — — Connected to an irremovable heavy iron chain
72–73 — — — Makes the bearer less noticeable to authority figures (for good or ill)
74 — 01–09 — A little humanoid lives on and in item; if they perish, the item becomes powerless
75 — 10–17 — Appears to be a detached (but living) human forearm and hand
76 — 18–26 — Haunted by its creator, who wants it to fulfill a secret purpose
77–78 — 27–34 — Counts down significant kills (starting with about ninety); refuses to say what happens when it reaches zero
79 — 35–42 — Works only if it can burrow deep into the meat of the bearer’s leg
80 — 43–51 — Works only if swallowed (might lodge in the bearer’s gut or pass normally and need to be retrieved)
81 — — 01–07 Smells like strawberry jam
82 — — 08–14 Sports a beard and mustache
83–84 — — 15–20 Attracts butterflies
85 — — 21–26 Bearer’s spoken words appear written in the air above their head
86 — — 27–33 Sometimes licks its bearer when no one is looking
87–88 — — 34–39 Can be temporarily broken into two functioning halves, one with the original
function, the other unfolding to become a fashionable talking hat
89 — — 40–46 Enjoys tasting soup
90 — — 47–53 Has romantic longing for another item by the same creator
91 — — 54–60 Tells jokes in a dead language; overexplains how the joke is funny if you only knew it in the original language
92–93 — — 61–66 Trails illusory falling autumn leaves when it moves
94–95 — — 67–73 Frosts over when exposed to moonlight
96–97 — — 74–79 Makes bearer stronger, but also more clumsy
98 — — 80–86 Looks pristine in the morning, well‑used by sundown,
and nearly broken at night
99–00 — — 87–93 Causes bearer to frequently crack knuckles, which produces musical tones
— 01–09 — — Telepathically insults one specific member of the group, but otherwise never communicates
— 10–17 — — Is larger at night
— 18–25 — — Can lend one of its powers to another magic item
— 26–33 — — Temporarily adds extra knuckles to the hand holding it
— 34–41 — — Makes bearer narrate their dreams as they happen
— 42–49 52–59 — Creates nearly harmless living metal spiders
— 50–57 60–67 — One of its secondary abilities changes every
time its bearer dies
— 58–65 68–76 — Sometimes grows spindly metal legs
and snoops around
— 66–73 77–84 — Wants to be destroyed to end its
miserable existence
— 74–82 85–92 — Claims to be on good terms with
a specific demon lord and hopes

Making Normal Things Weird

for a reunion
— 83–91 93–00 — Bearer often dreams that the item
speaks to them and will exchange
minds when “the time is right”
— 92–00 — 94–00 Bearer’s blood is now green

49
 Many of these items are weird because they’re mundane
(or nearly so), and are intended to be placed in the
background of an inappropriate location, like a fantasy
dungeon, a post‑apocalyptic junkyard, or a supervillain’s
lair. This list also serves as a weird answer to questions
such as what’s in the box, what’s on the shelf, or
what’s in the closet? This is more of a list of things
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Broken machine of unknown the GM wouldn’t think of, rather than objects
providence or function that are weird in and of themselves. The idea is
03 — — — Blood‑stained scalpel the characters might search around and find
04–05 — — — Collection of feathers something really unexpected, and whatever
06–07 — — — Basket filled with dominos
they find probably has a story behind it.
08 — — — Scattering of nails
09–10 — — — Portrait of a minor historical figure, defaced
11–12 — — — Wall hanging made from woven human hair
13–14 — — — Rune‑carved stone
15 — — — Rubber bands, a bottle of nutritious bread‑like fluid, and a glass tube that emits a pale green beam
16 — — — Tin ashtray with several still‑burning cigarettes in it
17–18 — — — Oversized wooden duck decoy, hollowed out and used as a nest by a
small adult duck
19 — — — Pile of bricks, a scattering of brick dust, and a hammer
20 — — — Variety of hats on pegs, with a few fallen on the floor
21–22 — — — Spice rack mounted on the wall
23 — — — Rock the size of a human
24–25 — — — Old violin, covered in dried mud
26 — — — Wooden barrel with three Xs painted upon it
27–28 — — — Bunny carved from soap
29–30 — — — Stethoscope
31 — — — Pair of handcuffs clasped around two fake rubber hands
32–33 — — — Jar filled with various buttons
34 — — — Stack of cement squares, 3 feet (1 m) to a side
35–36 — — — Large stain on the wall that sort of resembles
a famous historical figure
37 — — — Frying pan with fried eggs in it, cold and covered
in a thin layer of mold
38 — — — Hand fan with printed erotic images
39–40 — — — Baseball bat with scrawled writing on it
41 — — — Mop that appears to have wiped up a lot of blood recently
42 — — — Dripping faucet
43–44 — — — Giant coil of rope (many hundreds of feet or meters long)
45–46 — — — Shockingly explicit graffiti
47 — — — Tangle of pipes, wires, and conduits that come out of a surface
and then disappear back into it
48–49 — — — Nonfunctioning refrigerator with the door removed, used as a bookcase
50 — — — Two handprints pressed into the wall
51–52 — — — Pyramid made of toilet paper rolls
53 — — — Pair of safety goggles painted green
Making Normal Things Weird

54–55 — — — Shoebox full of printed receipts

56 — — — Ball of transparent twine
57 — — — Dead box turtle
58–59 — — — Framed bottom half (with visible rips) of an old painted portrait of a robed person
60 — — — Sealed container of dried corn seeds
61 — — — Sheets of unfinished music for someone with six fingers
62–63 — — — Whistle shaped like a fat green frog
64–65 — — — Specimen jar with a large eye in formaldehyde, labeled “T. rex 93”
66 — — — Erlenmeyer flask, faintly stinky, with lipstick marks on top
67 — — — Small cabinet with ceramic knick‑knacks
68 — — — Large piece of torn cloth from an embroidered dress or robe
69–70 — — — Dual candles shaped like two halves of different peoples’ heads
71–72 — — — Cup filled with old hard candies, but only gross flavors (licorice, stale peanut butter, flat root beer, etc.)
73 — 01–10 01–03 Spilled milk, strangely hot
74–75 — — 04–06 Teapot used as a planter (plant is fake)
76 — — 07–08 Pile of pillows in odd geometric shapes
77–78 — — 09–10 Two mismatched wine glasses and a half‑full bottle of wine
79 — — 11–12 Model ship complete with tiny wooden sailors
80–81 — — 13–14 Fashionable modern purse, studded with rhinestones
50
 82 — — 15–17 Hamster content in a little cage
83–84 — — 18–19 Torn wrappings of a birthday present
85 — — 20–21 Full‑sized taxidermized tiger
86–87 — — 22–23 Door painted on the wall
88–89 — — 24–25 Comically large (but real) hammer
90 — — 26–27 Large key hanging from a hook
91 — — 28–29 Sealed can of peas with only a picture of peas on the label (no words)
92–93 — — 30–31 Sword made of firm rubber, painted silver
94–95 — — 32–33 Stack of comic books
96 — — 34–35 Corpse of a recently slain bear
97–98 — — 36–37 Stone talisman of a bear with humanlike hands instead of claws
99–00 — — 38–40 Soldier toy, plays the Colonel Bogey March when its string is pulled
— 01–03 — — Large, complex water clock
— 04–05 — — Knitted sweater, partially finished
— 06–07 — — Large glass bowl filled with fine sand (if viewed closely, the "sand" is actually tiny human skulls)
— 08–10 — — Painting or photograph of a centaur, with a horseshoe as a frame
— 11–12 — — Decapitated life‑sized marble statue of a man; has sculpted neck arteries and bones in the cross section
— 13–14 — — Miniature posable figure from a Ray Harryhausen film
— 15–16 — — Long crack in the wall with unfamiliar carnivorous plants poking out from it
— 17–18 — — Unfamiliar thriving potted plant with a human‑shaped central stalk
— 19–20 — — Mannequin of a “grey” alien wearing an iron helmet
— 21–22 — — Wanted poster for someone the PCs have encountered
— 23–25 — — Snail shell 2 feet (60 cm) across
— 26–28 — — Mounted animal head that doesn’t seem familiar
— 29–30 — — Closed wooden box emitting some strange, random noises
— 31–32 — — Seat removed from an airplane
— 33–34 — — Old, dusty computer keyboards and monitors (but no computers)
— 35–36 — — Large tire hung from the ceiling by a rope
— 37–38 — — Christmas lights on a string
— 39–41 — — Violet and blue cobwebs
— 42–44 — — stuffed raven—wait . . . did it just move?
— 45–46 — — Basket with a number of ice chunks
— 47–48 — — Glowing ceramic mug
— 49–50 — — Whistle that sometimes quietly sounds by itself
— 51–52 — — Drawing of a man juggling swords, lit torches, and a human forearm
— 53–54 — — Bird carcass filled with viscous slime
— 55–56 — — Honeycomb with dead red bees in it
— 57–59 — — Floating letter M
— 60–62 — — Taxidermized cuttlefish of impressive size
— 63–64 11–20 — Religious‑looking display comprising dozens of leather gloves
— 65–66 — 41–43 Miniature statue resembling one of the PCs
— 67–68 — 44–46 Lit candle that smells like a familiar perfume
— 69–70 — 47–48 Single dirty sock for something much larger than a human
— 71–72 — 49–51 Child’s chalk drawing depicting an unnerving event
— 73–75 — 52–53 Bowl with apples, an ice‑cold chisel, and a hammer
— 76–78 — 54–56 Large book of word searches in an unknown runic language
— 79–80 — 57–58 Human skull made out of blue bone
— 81–82 — 59–61 Coin collection (some unrecognizable) mounted in a frame
— 83–85 — 62–63 Advertisement for a local eatery that no one has ever heard of

Making Normal Things Weird

— 86–87 — 64–66 Large book filled with odd illustrations and unreadable text
— 88–89 — 67–69 Rusty printing press
— 90–92 — 70–71 Clock running backward
— 93–95 — 72–73 Chair floating 1 inch (2.5 cm) off the floor
— 96–97 — 74–76 Glass vial of orange fluid labeled “dragon blood”
— 98–00 — 77–79 Miniature cloud
— — 21–30 — Old suitcase; when opened, stars and constellations fly out and disappear
— — 31–40 — Dangling chain connected to a square hole in the air
— — 41–50 — Glass shelf filled with cosmetics and perfumes, all named after people
— — 51–60 — Window looking out into a location that can’t possibly be there
— — 61–70 — Mirror that reflects the current room, but in a parallel dimension
— — 71–80 80–81 Brand new vase filled with dead and desiccated flowers that look like human heads
— — 81–90 82–84 Small dead tree that seemingly grew out of solid rock, decorated with tarnished metal rings
— — 91–00 85–87 Coat rack with mismatched garments on it, most of them for creatures with three or more limbs
— — — 88–89 Pair of iron slippers
— — — 90–91 Soft, stuffed toy in the form of a hideous monster
— — — 92–94 Wide selection of tiny paintings in tiny frames on the wall
— — — 95–97 Oversized pencil 2 feet (60 cm) long
— — — 98–00 Deck of cards with atypical suits (frogs, arrowheads, light bulbs, grapes)
51
 This list is for the odd requirements of a
ritual, a spell, or other magical praxis that
needs to be more elaborate than a few arcane
words and gestures. These requirements are
for any such ritual, encouraging the sort of
weirdness true to fantasy fiction, but quickly
I S G W Weirdness going beyond incense and chants. Some
01 — — — Wing of a bat requirements are relatively easy to perform
02 — — — Eye of a newt
or obtain; and others are more difficult,
03–04 — — — Everyone faces south and spits
05 — — — Hourglass filled with red sand or even downright perilous. Whether these
06–07 — — — Recitation of one’s ancestors, back twelve generations requirements only need to be in the area (or
08 — — — Pricking one’s own finger for a drop of blood are the area), are held or manipulated by
09 — — — Recitation of a page worth of text from the
the performer, or are expended in some way
Book of Grim Iron, from memory
10–11 — — — Three siblings depends on the ritual and the GM’s opinion.
12 — — — On holy ground
13 — — — In a pristine natural glen
14–15 — — — Three crystal goblets filled with glass beads, no two of which are the same
16 — — — Singing a complex song for the extent of the ritual
17–18 — — — Sixteen burning candles of different colors
19 — — — Underground, near a subterranean lake
20 — — — Likeness (painting, statue, or photo) of all performers
21–22 — — — Performer’s life history written out in extensive detail on expensive parchment
23 — — — Three glass bowls, each with three expensive diamonds with identical flaws
24 — — — Three charitable acts performed earlier on the day the ritual is to take place
25–26 — — — Busy city street
27–28 — — — Leaves of a tree that grows only high in the mountains
29–30 — — — Shell of a creature from the bottom of the ocean
31 — — — On burning coals
32 — — — Goat’s eye, fermented in wine for a year and a day
33–34 — — — Sacrifice of an intelligent, living being with green eyes
35 — — — Floating on water
36–37 — — — Destroying a minor magic item
38 — — — Fasting for 48 hours
39 — — — Physical violence against the performers before the ritual begins
40–41 — — — Words of the ritual written on a scroll, then burned
42 — — — Complete darkness except for a candle that produces a blue flame
43 — — — Preparing an elaborate meal, which is buried without being eaten
44 — — — Stillborn calf
45–46 — — — Exactly 177 flawless acorns, hand‑chosen by a druid
47 — — — Every participant wears a live snake
48 — — — Red jar filled with powdered demon horn
49 — — — Wearing dirty clothes
Making Normal Things Weird

50 — — — Identical costumes made from the same bolt of fabric

51–52 — — — Admission of the performer’s deepest fear
53 — — — Performing an elaborate dance
54–55 — — — Active snowfall or at least 100 pounds (45 kg) of ice nearby
56 — — — Tearing up one favorite book of each participant
57–58 — — — Underwater
59 — — — Charitable donation of half of each participant’s
worldly goods before the ritual starts
60 — — — Same birthday for each participant
61 — — — Candles made from the fat of a male lion
62–63 — — — Bag containing fifty‑four other bags
64–65 — — — Cat and mouse who are friends
66 — — — Six‑foot sculpture made of living fungus
67 — — — Shed skin of a two‑headed snake
68 — — — Stone trodden upon by a saint
69–70 — — — Key that has unlocked exactly 742 doors
71–72 — — — Ceramic vase, shattered into bits, and then repaired and restored
73 — — — Within a doorway
52 74–75 — — — Completed in exactly twenty‑three minutes and twenty‑three seconds
 76 — — — Hair clipped from the beard of a man who has never seen a woman
77–78 — — — Raven that has traveled the length of the world
79 — — — Pig masks
80 — — — Rat held in a cage made of rat bones
81 — — — Sap from the tallest tree in the world
82 — — — Juice from sixteen different fruits
83–84 01–05 — — Jar filled with wind from a mountaintop
85 — 01–05 — Words screamed as loudly as possible throughout
86 — 06–09 — Pint of blood and six hairs from each performer
87 — 10–13 — Performer’s tooth, freshly extracted
88 — 14–17 — Burned ashes of the performer’s favorite object
89–90 — 18–22 — Emerald that has either touched the sun or never known sunlight
91 — — 01–04 Five loyal hounds
92–93 — — 05–08 Feather from an angel’s wing
94 — — 09–12 Young boy named Charlie
95 — — 13–16 Eyes closed for the last portion of the ritual (peeking ruins it)
96–97 — — 17–20 Clay harvested and baked under the light of a full moon
98 — — 21–24 Tooth of a tiger that has never bit into flesh
99–00 — — 25–28 One participant who is truly in love, one gripped
with sincere outrage, and another utterly passive
— 06–10 — — Handful of dirt from a thousand miles north of where ritual is performed
— 11–14 — — On the birthday of one of the Seven Great Saints
— 15–18 — — Swallow six gold coins
— 19–22 — — Idol of a powerful god, ground to fine powder
— 23–26 — — Infected with leprosy
— 27–31 — — Beats from a drum covered in the skin of a dishonest man
— 32–36 — — Scale from the oldest living dragon
— 37–40 — — Last gasp of a ghost
— 41–44 — — All participants other than the leader must not know the truth of what the ritual does
— 45–49 — — Iron chalice full of devil tears
— 50–53 — — Skull of one of the participant’s parents
— 54–57 — — Only violet light, with no other colors of visible light
— 58–61 — — Fighting a ghost
— 62–65 — — Performed while three planets are perfectly aligned overhead
— 66–70 — — Cheese‑only diet for the previous six days
— 71–74 23–27 — Blessings from two rival deities
— 75–79 28–32 29–32 Five tears from a star
— 80–83 — 33–36 Taking hallucinogenic drugs
— 84–87 — 37–40 Nude dancing
— 88–91 — 41–45 Words of wisdom from an honest badger
— 92–96 — 46–50 Blind dog (as a side effect of completing the ritual, its blindness is cured)
— 97–00 — 51–54 Mystical spider whose webs are lies
— — 33–37 — Seven human skulls, from those dead for no more than a week
— — 38–42 — Ichor from the eye of a dead god
— — 43–47 — Stone that has passed out of a black hole

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 48–52 — Knife whose molecules are quantum‑entangled with an identical knife buried over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away
— — 53–56 — Eating the ashes of a beloved pet
— — 57–61 — Must first be performed backward, then can be performed in the normal order
— — 62–65 — One random participant dies as part of the ritual
— — 66–70 — Saying a word with the letter “S” ruins the ritual, and it must be started again
— — 71–75 — Packaged Twinkie from 1987
— — 76–80 — Person who has slept with a devil
— — 81–85 — Essence of being unseen
— — 86–90 — Shingle from the roof of The Darkest House
— — 91–95 55–58 Words of the ritual printed on a dot matrix printer
— — 96–00 59–63 Liquid starstuff
— — — 64–67 Loaf of bread baked by someone who has never known envy
— — — 68–71 Recorded on film; replaying it completes the ritual
— — — 72–76 Pen that has written only truths
— — — 77–80 Drawing elaborate runes on the ground, one for each kind of fish that can be found within 20 miles (32 km)
— — — 81–85 Memorizing and speaking words in a language the performer isn’t fluent in
— — — 86–90 Smartest beetle in the world
— — — 91–95 Three knives made of fear
— — — 96–00 Reciting a fairy tale no one has ever heard 53
 The characters go into a haunted location. Use this list
to show how it’s haunted. You can use this list for
horror scenarios, modern scenarios, and most genres
where hauntings—real or imagined—are possible.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Hat that once belonged to a notorious banker slowly twists a wearer’s
mind, turning them cold, calculating, and unforgiving
03–04 — — — Ghostly hands in the chapel are sometimes glimpsed clasped in prayer, other times choking a visitor to death
05–06 — — — Stethoscope haunted by several vengeful spirits who died from malpractice
07–09 — — — Meowing spectral cat, always hungry, never satisfied
10–11 — — — Ice fisher who fell through the ice and drowned; returns each winter as
a shape in the ice that gradually resolves over many nights
12–13 — — — Conductor’s baton is heavier and colder than it should be; using it
curses the orchestra members to various horrible deaths
14–15 — — — Clock radio sometimes changes stations in the night to station that plays static and hard‑to‑make‑out words
16–17 — — — Chess set responds to a living player’s move each night after midnight;
letting the haunted chess set win is advised
18–19 — — — Barrel of whisky aged more than 70 years; has rolled over, fallen on,
and otherwise killed several workers over the decades
20–21 — — — Haunted web page that induces viewer to scroll down forever
22–23 — — — Ghost of a woman who is in turn haunted by the ghost of her murdering ex‑wife
24–25 — — — Haunted right hand must be strapped down at night or will get up to horrible mischief
26–27 — — — Ghostly whispers urge the assassination of the local senator
28–29 — — — Black mold spreads shockingly fast in the haunted building
30–31 — — — Bloody footprints lead down into the basement, but disappear if
shown to anyone other than the owner of the house
32–34 — — — Jack‑o’‑lanterns and other Halloween decorations appear in the house throughout the year
35–36 — — — A dripping faucet cannot be repaired, but if a glass of whiskey is left out by the
sink, it stops for the night and the glass is empty in the morning
37–38 — — — The books on the shelf rearrange themselves by spine color when no one is looking
39–40 — — — Voicemail has a new message every morning that simply says, “Don’t go in the attic,” in a harsh whisper
41–42 — — — Food from the pantry is arranged like a maze on the floor in the middle of the night
43–44 — — — Sounds of an old radio playing music (with commercials) from
the 1940s, but there’s no such radio in the house
45–46 — — — Lurking ghost that looks like a large person covered in shaggy hair, like a ghillie suit, leaves swampy footprints
47–48 — — — Ventilation ducts rattle and clank, especially near a corpse wedged in a junction
49–50 — — — Medical technician who performed lethal injections continues his work as a ghost
Making Normal Things Weird

51–52 — — — Glass candle holder attracts the souls of dead people the owner has wronged
53–54 — — — Memorabilia made from the metal of a World War II tank is haunted by its operators and victims
55–56 — — — Unidentifiable sound can always be heard at 3:20 a.m. in a particular room of the house
57–58 — — — Haunted scissors driven to sever fingers
59–60 — — — Crib haunted by a baby that only children can sense
61–62 — — — Ghost that manifests only if someone willingly drips their own freshly
drawn blood on the tomb where the ghost’s body was interred
63–64 — — — Matchbox car that drives itself around, especially into the open mouths of
sleeping or screaming people, becoming a choking hazard
65–66 — — — Periodically the lights in the building all turn blue and a few things fly from the shelves and tabletops
67–68 — — — Lewd comments are whispered whenever someone starts to undress in the building
69–70 — — — Strange symbol appears scratched into various walls in the building;
then it begins to form on people’s flesh when they sleep
71–72 01–08 — — Corpse buried beneath the barn’s floor rises every night seeking vengeance for their murder
73–74 — 01–10 — Self‑help guru haunts an interminable online video chat; those leaving the chat die within three days
54 75–76 — 11–20 — Weapons mysteriously appear in person’s hand while they sleep in the haunted house
77–78 — 21–30 — Bicyclist whose face is an abraded skull attacks drivers and vandalizes cars
79–80 — 31–40 — Local radio station broadcasts ghosts through any device tuned to it
81–82 — 41–50 — Iceberg that kills anyone who sleeps on it or drinks its meltwater; their ghosts appear on the source glacier
83–84 — 51–60 — Building intercom keeps repeating the death sounds of people who froze to death on the doorstep
85–86 — — 01–10 Ghost croissant
87–88 — — 11–20 Rat skeletons wearing red bows
89–90 — — 21–30 Ghostly hands continually make pink deviled eggs with bacon
91–92 — — 31–40 Lights flicker on and off in Morse code; if translated, the message is, “We like it better when it’s dark.”
93–94 — — 41–50 Windup monkey toy starts up at 11:11 p.m. every night
95–96 — — 51–60 Possessed coffee mug likes to poison decaf
97–98 — — 61–70 Ghost that always speaks backward
99–00 — — 71–80 Ghost that can be sensed only by taste, imparting unusual and
sometimes quickly varying flavors in food or drink
— 09–15 — — Bloodstain on the floor never fades, and even if scrubbed away returns within a day
— 16–22 — — Mirror reflects the face of an eyeless man instead of viewer’s face
— 23–29 — — Living person’s fingerprints transformed into those of the ghost haunting them
— 30–36 — — Ink pen forces the user to write, “Let me out of here, I beg you.”
— 37–43 — — Televisions or computer monitors briefly flash with the image of an old woman’s face, even when unplugged
— 44–50 — — Rusty child’s red wagon moves down the hallway in the night; it’s never there the next morning
— 51–57 — — Dog’s ghost has been hoarding bones, attracting angry animal ghosts
— 58–64 — — Ghost that can possess and hop between electronic devices if they’re
charged, turned on, and in close proximity to each other
— 65–71 61–70 — Corpse of a mismanaged social media platform drags bit‑rotted form out of the computer screen
— 72–78 71–80 — Planet haunted by alien ghosts that died millennia earlier from a toxic mental meme
— 79–85 81–90 — Ghost of a clown visible in mirrors that transforms a viewer’s countenance into the clown’s likeness
— 86–92 — 81–90 Ghost scientist in lab coat with head of a fish instead of a human
— 93–00 — 91–00 Letter shows up in the mail, claiming to be from the ghost in the house, with a list of demands
— — 91–00 — Ghost from the future who turns out to be someone who isn’t currently dead

Making Normal Things Weird

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55
 Aliens, monsters, or extrad
imensional intelligences
might not simply talk to eac
h other. Use this list
to describe some weird bein
g’s main means of
communication, or some gro
up’s alternate (maybe
secretive) means of convey
ing information.

Weirdness 69 — — — Textile dye made

I S G W
01–02 — — — Finger tapping/snapping from food waste
70 — — — Baseball stats in the newspap
03 — — — Eye blinks er
71 — — — Series of candles lit in win
04 — — — Constructed language dows
72 — — — Prescriptions and
05–06 — — — Via metaphor
— — Rapid changes in skin color operative notes
07–08 — 73–74 — — — Call and response between
09 — — — Pointed looks
two opposing groups
10–11 — — — Mirrors 75 — — — Annotations in a shared boo
12–13 — — — Drums 76 k
— — — Patterns of dust on a
14–15 — — — Ant trails
hardwood floor
16 — — — Details of a murder scene 77 — — — The entrails of big game
17–18 — — — Subtle variation in flavor 78 — — — Incense scents
of a prepared meal 79 — — — A stopped clock
19 — — — Mathematical formulas 80–81 — — — Topographical maps
20 — — — Ciphers
and star charts
21 — — — Deportment of game 82 — — — Sentimental greeting card
pieces on the board 83
s
— — — Film negatives
22–23 — — — Photoluminescence 84 — — — Stolen road signs
24–25 — — — Vibration 85 — — — Novelty mugs with
26–27 — — — Massage and scratching
descriptive slogans
28–29 — — — Pills 86–87 01–07 — 01–06 Via cats
30 — — — Carved or chewed marks 88 — 01–07 — Skin cutting
on wooden dowels 89 — 08–14 — Controlled screams of othe
31 — — — Sculpture rs
90 — — 07–12 Dreams
32 — — — Sighs 91 — — 13–18 Carefully chosen
33–34 — — — Messages hidden
clothing and jewelry
within paintings 92 — — 19–24 Dancing
35–36 — — — Speaking words only in 93 — — 25–30 Rhyming couplets
alphabetical order
94–95 — — 31–36 Always stating the opposit
37 — — — Anagrams e
96–97 — — 37–41 Rebuses
38 — — — Acronyms
98 — — 42–47 Patterns in how
39 — — — Acrostics
mushrooms grow
40 — — — Pasted‑together headlines 99 — — 48–53 Collaborative improv com
(like a ransom note) edy
00 — — 54–59 Abstract sculpture
41–42 — — — Flicked drops of blood
— 08–14 — — Aromatic chemical release
43 — — — Calligraphy
— 15–20 — — Telepathy
44–45 — — — Whistles
— 21–26 — — Taste of tears
46–47 — — — Oral pops and clicks
— 27–33 — — Electromagnetic manipul
48–49 — — — Pidgin ation
— 34–39 — — Gamma rays
50 — — — Decorative flags
— 40–45 — — DNA coding
— Morse code
Making Normal Things Weird

51 — — — 46–51 — — Backmasking
52 — — — Handbells
— 52–57 — — Vascular patterns
53 — — — Metal touched to dry ice
— 58–63 15–21 — Modulated solar flares
54 — — — Patterns in fracturing ice
— 64–69 22–28 — Secretion from skin
55 — — — Quoting only old
— 70–75 29–35 — Gravity manipulation
country music lyrics
— 76–81 36–42 — Tachyons
56 — — — Tattoos
— 82–87 43–49 60–65 Universal lang
57–58 — — — Tongue clicks uage
— 88–93 — 66–71 The language of birds
59 — — — Marking an area with urine
— 94–00 — 72–77 Writing in the air, visible
60 — — — Touch
— — Dead drops as glowing words
61 — — — — 78–83 Music
62 — — — Secret messages
— — 50–56 — Excretion
encoded in recipes
— — 57–63 — Temperature/infrared burs
63 — — — Encoded using publication ts
— — 64–70 — Ultraviolet rays
years of popular songs
— — 71–77
64 — — — Quoting dialogue from sitcoms — Radio waves
— — 78–85 84–89 Trained fireflies
65 — — — Messages hidden in
court records — — 86–92 90–95 Clouds
— — Stealing items to indicate intent — — 93–00 96–00 Just guessing wha
66–67 — t
56 68 — — — Broken glass the reply would be
 57
Making Normal Things Weird
 C‑3PO and Robby the Robot are cool and
all, but we can do better. Use this
list to add a bit of color to a robot
in your campaign. (Of course, “robot”
could also be some kind of fantasy
construct, automaton, or golem.)

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Has saw blades on thin arms
02 — — — Speaks with a sexy human voice
03–04 — — — Skin is transparent
05 — — — Head is a screen that displays an animated face
06 — — — Makes a noisy whirring and squeaking sound at all times
07–08 — — — Has eyes that extend on flexible ropy stalks
09 — — — Emblazoned with a huge corporate logo
10–11 — — — Always plays recorded music appropriate to the mood
12 — — — Covered in graffiti
13–14 — — — Arms end in stiff brushes, and it can produce disinfectant
15 — — — Must plug in for recharge every 12 hours
16–17 — — — Has treads rather than legs
18 — — — Has eyes facing every direction
19 — — — Designed originally as a sexbot but now has no interest in that pursuit
20–21 — — — Bears an important map inscribed on the inside of its hull
22–23 — — — Can transform into a kitchen appliance
24 — — — Actually two different robots fused together
25 — — — Believes it is human
26–27 — — — Built to resemble a marmoset
28 — — — Covered in solar panels
29 — — — Long antenna protruding from its back always gets in the way and knocks things over
30 — — — Equipped with a grinder for destroying trash but also works as a grisly weapon
31–32 — — — Roughly resembles a flightless bird
33 — — — Designed to replicate a human but damage and wear make it clear it is a robot
34–35 — — — Designed to swim rather than walk
36 — — — Very small robotic insect
37 — — — Made of flexible plastic and rubbery materials
38–39 — — — Nanny carebot now reprogrammed for violence
40 — — — Smokes cigarettes
41 — — — Covered in spikes and blades
42 — — — One arm is large and powerful
43–44 — — — Adept with a katana
45 — — — Can take control of another electronic device by touching it
46 — — — Drags numerous cables and conduits behind it, attached to its back and head
47–48 — — — Insists on wearing human clothing even though it doesn’t resemble a human in any way
49 — — — “Driven” by an even smaller robot inside
50 — — — Has a dozen human faces on a broad body
Making Normal Things Weird

51–52 — — — Speaks in pseudo‑Shakespearean English

53 — — — Extremely interested in amassing wealth and luxury
54–55 — — — Has a cage built into its body currently holding a small creature
56 — — — Exists primarily as a musical instrument
57 — — — Outer body made entirely of wood
58–59 — — — Gets grumpy when low on power
60 — — — Devoutly religious
61–62 — — — Fueled by caffeine
63 — — — Absorbs other machines and devices into its own form
64 — — — Allergic to humans
65–66 — — — Never goes anywhere without its dolly
67 — — — Feeds on blood
68–69 — — — Made of miscellaneous plastic baby doll parts
70 — — — Keeps trying to eat food even though it cannot process it
71 — — — Television screen in chest constantly plays black and white sitcoms
72–73 — — — When not performing normal tasks, tries to get those nearby to play a roleplaying game with it
74 — — — Insides are infested with fungus
58 75 — — — Limbs are insectlike
76–77 — — — Displays the name and ID number of anyone that speaks to it
78 — — — Face is designed so that it always looks angry regardless of the situation
79 — — — Speaking the words “destroy all humans” in its presence causes it to shut down
80–81 — — — Doesn’t speak, but communicates via a scrolling marquee on its chest
82 — — — Has two different heads, each possessed of their own artificial intelligence
83 — — — Powered by an external generator that it must carry around
84 — — — Right leg keeps falling off
85–86 — — — Has a very fast 3‑D printer in its chest
87 — — — Needs to burrow rootlike cables

88–89 — — —
into the ground every night
Acts drunk; insists that it is, in fact, drunk Missing Teeth
90 — — 01–07 Tells endless stories and spouts constant facts Dust has always gathered thickly around
91 — — 08–14 Always chipper, no matter the situation the doors and windows of apartment
92–93 — — 15–21 Built to resemble a carnivorous dinosaur 23B. The grinding noises coming from
94 — — 22–28 Resembles and claims to be an angel within day and night prompted frequent
95–96 — — 29–35 Powered by ingesting fresh fruit complaints. Yet the landlord did nothing
97 — — 36–42 Legs are ridiculously long as the tenant always paid his rent on time.
98 — — 43–49 Loves cats But one day, the grinding stopped and
99–00 — — 50–56 Covered in stickers from a child’s sticker book 23B was silent. When the landlord finally
— 01–04 — — Has no legs, hovers instead opened the door with her master key when
— 05–07 — — Mirrored flesh repels energy attacks back at attacker the first of the month passed but no rent
— 08–11 — — Incapable of inflicting harm check was delivered, she found a horrific
— 12–14 — — Limbs can separate from body but still function sight. The tenant lay dead on the floor,
— 15–18 — — Resembles a marble statue carved by an old master
surrounded by piles of white dust and
— 19–22 — — Outer body made of mysterious metal that seems
bits of teeth. Thousands of broken teeth.
impervious to harm
— 23–25 — — Made in the form of an alien species long extinct There were no signs of foul play, but in the
— 26–29 — — Projects holograms middle of the living room a large area free
— 30–32 — — Half of its body destroyed, but it still functions of dust suggested something was missing.
more or less adequately The man’s journals and papers frequently
— 33–35 — — Limbs can extend up to ten times their length referred to his “great work.” He’d been
— 36–39 — — Has a tiny sphere orbiting its head making something, and it involved
— 40–43 — — Physical form is a number of floating spheres tens of thousands of individually and
— 44–47 — — Releases destructive nanobots to defend itself carefully shaped human teeth. But no such
— 48–50 — — Huge eyes that can see through solid matter completed monstrosity could be found in
— 51–54 — — Entire form made of crystal 23B. The questions the landlord and the
— 55–58 — — Can predict the future neighbors ask now are “Where did the teeth
— 59–62 — — Powered by a coal furnace in its guts, spouts come from?” and “Where did they go?”
black smoke from its head
— 63–65 — — Metal body can flow like water
— 66–69 — — Shaped like a fish; “swims” through the air
— 70–73 — — Composed of metal not known to exist anywhere else
— 74–76 01–07 — Takes on the appearance of the nearest organic being
— 77–80 08–13 — Lower half of body is sheathed in flames
— 81–84 14–20 — Haunted by numerous ghosts

Making Normal Things Weird

— 85–88 — 57–63 Body gilded and covered with inlaid precious gems
— 89–92 — 64–70 Metal body inscribed with magical runes
— 93–96 — 71–77 Can communicate with animals
— 97–00 — 78–84 Allergic to humans
— — 21–27 — Floating cube that can produce limbs or tools as needed
— — 28–34 — Sphere with long, spidery legs and a single eye
— — 35–41 — Contains the data of a thousand dead worlds
— — 42–47 — Connected through a network to a thousand other robots
so that it’s one intelligence with many bodies
— — 48–53 — Human brain in glass atop a robot body
— — 54–59 — Just a brain and some wheels inside an extremely sturdy transparent sphere
— — 60–65 — Entire form made of solidified water
— — 66–72 — Can “astrally project” its sentience out of its robot body
— — 73–79 — Immune to magic because it is built solely on logic
— — 80–86 — Limbs are solidified energy
— — 87–93 — Every time you look at it, it has a different number of arms
— — 94–00 — Keeps stumbling through time
— — — 85–92 Cobbled together entirely of scrap
— — — 93–00 Clockwork rather than electronic 59
 Even regular equipment—a backpack, mobile phone,
or foot soldier’s sword—might have a quirk or feature
that makes it memorable. The modifications in this
list aren’t useful or might be useful only in the hands
of clever characters under special circumstances.
If you want a feature that’s a significant advantage,
I S G W Weirdness
use the Typical Item Enhancements list. For a
01 — — — Features a repeating design resembling
the tape around a crime scene disadvantage, use the Typical Item Drawbacks
02 — — — Hosts living plants or fungi list. Magic items (like potions or flying carpets)
03–04 — — — Squeaks with the fervor of a dog toy if squeezed and technological items (like laser pistols or
05–06 — — — Constructed to resemble a two‑stage rocket interplanetary communicators) have their own lists
07 — — — Conceals a hidden blade
of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.
08 — — — Can also be used to brush teeth
09 — — — Is so cold that water condenses on its surface
10 — — — Cobbled together from items apparently scavenged in a junkyard
11 — — — Constructed so that it could also be used as a specific game piece
12 — — — A volume of liquid audibly sloshes between interior reservoirs when item tilted
13 — — — Can be used to smoke tobacco or other loose leaf herb
14–15 — — — Bears a fancy design resembling a circle of swimming rats
16 — — — Comes with a prosthetic leg designed to conceal the item inside it
17 — — — Has a creepy clown face
18–19 — — — Can extend a colorful, swirly parasol against sun and rain
20 — — — If struck (or if used to strike something solid), rings with a pure, clear, deep tone like a massive chapel bell
21 — — — Has a clock built into it
22–23 — — — Engraved with the words, “Property of Elon Musk, if found, please return.”
24 — — — Is bright neon pink
25 — — — Bears the inscription, “Safety first. Wear a fedora while using.”
26 — — — Smells strongly of mint and garlic
27 — — — Is covered in plush red cushions
28 — — — A knife, fork, spoon, and wine‑opener fold out of various slots
29–30 — — — Always leaks salt
31 — — — Fires tiny red laser beams at nearby snakes
32 — — — Squirts reasonable quality caviar into owner’s mouth from up to 10 feet away
33 — — — Has a kickstand so it can stand upright on its own
34 — — — Robot tail wags happily if the situation warrants; growls if owner threatened
35–36 — — — Says “amen” anytime someone nearby finishes speaking
37 — — — Shaped like a fish with blue metallic scales
38 — — — Lucky for the owner; bad luck follows owner’s friends
39 — — — Sometimes releases spores, from which apparently normal mushrooms grow
40 — — — Is ten times as heavy as it should be
41 — — — Gradually extends stalactite‑like mineral growths from surface
42–43 — — — Translates everything owner says into English (even if the owner is speaking English)
44 — — — Periodically reminds owner not to slouch
45 — — — Looks unnervingly phallic from most angles
46 — — — Has several long dangling bits with no apparent purpose that easily become
Making Normal Things Weird

entangled; item doesn’t work if they are removed

47–48 — — — Makes a loud noise after each use, like a power tool coming to a stop
49 — — — Sometimes ejects several feet of magnetic tape
50 — — — Plays a country music cover of a heavy metal song
51 — — — Automatically shreds receipts, tax forms, and other financial paperwork
52 — — — Randomly changes the channel on nearby TVs and radios
53 — — — Emits a noise like a persistent mosquito
54–55 — — — Has deranged and explicit safety illustrations
56 — — — Attracts colonizing ants who lay eggs that quickly hatch into larva
57–58 — — — Defaces print materials from one specific political party
59 — — — Glows in the dark
60 — — — Becomes transparent when used outdoors
61 — — — Is made of cobbled‑together found objects (in other words, trash)
62 — — — Can be used only when the entire group is in consensus
63 — — — Can heal a minor wound, no worse than a paper cut
64–65 — — — Is a perfect replica of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, but with several cats in the background
66 — — — Leaks ocean water when inverted
67 — — — Beeps when held in proximity to a hat
60 68 — — — Sometimes vents reddish steam
 69 — — — Balances easily on one edge if set on a surface
70–71 — — — Makes the user’s eyes look purple when used
72 — — — Buzzes and vibrates intermittently for no obvious reason
73 — — — Leaves behind a residue of sweet, reddish jamlike gel
74 — — — Flashes a series of LED lights in apparently random patterns when used
75 — — — If the user is hit by a damaging magic spell, the item releases a puff of pale smoke
76 — — — Shaking recharges the item
77–78 — — — Becomes warm to the touch whenever anyone nearby asks a question
79 — — — If dropped, the item magnetically latches to the nearest metallic or magnetized surface
80 01–04 — — Always found with an action figure of a decapitated near‑human creature (it always returns, even if discarded)
81 — 01–09 — Partly composed of aerogel
82 — — 01–04 Is annoyingly sticky
83 — — 05–07 Has a handle resembling a human ear
84 — — 08–11 Smells like bubblegum
85–86 — — 12–14 Covered in hieroglyphics
87 — — 15–17 Contains a hollow space and a screw cap perfect for filling with brandy or other spirits
88 — — 18–20 Weirdly shaped and balanced so that a child can use it more easily than an adult
89–90 — — 21–23 Bears the inscription, “The house hates you.”
91 — — 24–27 Can be turned inside out to create an awkward coat
92 — — 28–31 Plays calming music if owner becomes stressed
93 — — 32–35 Dispenses strong spirits from a secret nozzle
94 — — 36–39 Painted in bright colors like a child’s toy
95–96 — — 40–42 Marked with an address in a city that doesn’t exist (such as Milwaukee, Florida or Sikeston, Indiana)
97 — — 43–45 Covered in hair
98–99 — — 46–48 Covered in a fine down of bee bristles
00 — — 49–51 A human ear is grafted to its side
— 05–07 — — Made of completely transparent glass
— 08–10 — — Also plays the radio
— 11–13 — — Can be charged by sunlight
— 14–17 — — Dice rolls near the item achieve statistically higher results
— 18–21 — — Leeches the color from clothing and nearby inanimate objects
— 22–25 — — Is telescoping, despite no obvious need for it to be
— 26–28 — — Covered in a nearly perfect mirrorlike finish
— 29–32 — — Bears a maker’s mark implying it was made by a fictional character (fictional in the universe where the item is found)
— 33–36 — — Jolts anyone who tells a pun
— 37–39 — — Emits a sound only kids can hear that drives them away
— 40–42 — — Is powered by tiny red insects that must be periodically fed flakes of dried fish through special port
— 43–46 — — Was found in the crib instead of the baby
— 47–49 — — A fossilized cross section of a tiny winged humanoid visible in its veneer
— 50–53 — — Projects a hologram of a galloping horse with fiery, burning mane and red eyes
— 54–56 — — Engraved with a website address to a disturbing children’s show called Uncle Jerry’s Murder Hour
— 57–60 — — Offends fascists on sight
— 61–64 — — Has no shadow
— 65–67 — — Reduces ambient noise in the area by a tiny percent
— 68–71 — — If squeezed, a holographic image of a man’s face appears, mouthing a silent obscenity
— 72–74 — — Item sometimes projects stylized images of distant galaxies on nearby surfaces

Making Normal Things Weird

— 75–78 — 52–55 Bears a copyright notice dated three years from now
— 79–82 — 56–58 Red light periodically blinks, accompanied by audible broadcast that says
"Stand by for reality sampling,” interrupting regular function
— 83–85 — 59–62 Is the bluest blue anyone has ever seen
— 86–89 — 63–66 Takes on the appearance of the nearest woody plant
— 90–93 — 67–69 Tastes of citrus when licked, but tastes of soap when bitten
— 94–96 — 70–72 Instructions for assembly and use are transmitted telepathically
— 97–00 — 73–76 Each time item is used, manic laughter issues from it
— — 10–18 — Has no reflection
— — 19–26 — Bearer sometimes experiences reality in “slow motion,” but they move in slow motion so this is of no benefit
— — 27–34 — Has the consistency of rotting flesh
— — 35–42 — Seems composed of naked brain matter
— — 43–51 77–79 Can extend robot legs and wander about, usually aimlessly
— — 52–59 80–83 Made from a material not found on Earth
— — 60–67 84–86 Sometimes duplicates itself in a flash of purple light
— — 68–76 87–89 Is a shapechanged used car dealer, cursed into this form
— — 77–84 90–92 Exists only in owner’s dreams
— — 85–92 93–96 Exists in every world and time, sought by apocalyptic cults when recognized
— — 93–00 97–00 If destroyed, a small compartment opens in the item and a red spider escapes 61
 This list takes an existing spell and tweaks
the way it seems to work, mostly in flavor
or appearance. Grab something from this
list, apply the mechanics of a standard spell
of that general type, and suddenly you’ve got
a brand‑new spell. Because not all of these
options are applicable to all spells, this list
ATTACK SPELLS is divided into three sub‑lists for attack
I S G W Weirdness
spells, defense spells, and miscellaneous
01–03 — — — Appears to originate from someone near the caster spells (of course, nothing stops you
04–06 — — — Black monolith appears and falls on target from rolling on the “wrong” list, which
07–08 — — — Buckets of poisonous insects and spiders dumped on target might give you an even weirder result).
09–11 — — — Carnivorous plants grow and attack target
12–14 — — — Caster appears to move at blinding speed, physically attacks the target, then returns to their original position
15–17 — — — Clock or hourglass appears over the target’s head, rapidly counts down, and spell takes effect when finished
18–20 — — — Creates a glowing rock, which the caster throws at the target
21–23 — — — Creates an insubstantial lighthouse that projects a light with the spell’s effect
24–26 — — — Dozens of disembodied fanged mouths bite the target
27–29 — — — Every time the target tries to attack someone, one of their limbs breaks
30–32 — — — Fancy sealed letter floats to the target and unfurls, releasing the spell effect
33–35 — — — Fiendish drum produces visible shockwaves conveying the spell effect
36–38 — — — Ground swallows the target and spits them out again
39–40 — — — Horde of biting, clawing rodents attacks the target
41–43 — — — Huge, six‑fingered hands punch and squeeze the target
44–46 — — — Luminous demonic being appears and performs the spell effect
47–49 — — — Parts of target slowly transform into dead leaves, which blow away, one by one
50–52 — — — Scary metal mask straps itself to the target’s face
53–55 — — — Demonic serpents crush the target
56–58 — — — Spray of beautiful flowers that sizzle like acid when they touch the target
59–60 — — — Tangle of rusty wires constricts target
61–63 — — — Target briefly encased in amber along with long‑dead creatures
64–66 — — — Target dressed in constrictive clothing that conveys the spell effect
67–69 — — — Target gains a permanent scar shaped like the caster’s personal sigil or motif
70–72 — — — Target wreathed in backward-rolling flames
73–75 — — — Target’s eyes leak bright green fluid, which enters their mouth or covers their body and enacts the spell effect
76–78 — — — Target’s mouth is covered, sealed, or erased
79–80 — — — Translucent iron maiden forms around the target
81–83 — — — Unusual color for the spell’s effect (fire is blue, lightning is green, ice is red, acid is pink, sonic is black)
84–85 — — — Volley of bones and skulls
86–88 01–07 — 01–11 Caster’s jaw opens impossibly wide and the spell effect comes out of their mouth
89–91 — 01–33 — Giant eraser or rag erases or smears the target into blurry nothingness
92–94 — — 12–22 Briefly makes target appear hideous and misshapen
Making Normal Things Weird

95–97 — — 23–33 Holes appear on target’s body, which produce clouds of moths
98–00 — — 34–44 One or more wooden barrels smash themselves upon the target
— 08–14 — — Caster’s arm briefly detaches to convey the spell by touching the target, then reattaches
— 15–21 — — Creates dozens of miniature spell effects, most of which miss in an impressive and
dramatic way, with the remainder hitting and affecting the target normally
— 22–27 — — Creates a prehistoric or exotic animal whose attacks convey the spell effect
— 28–34 — — Demons tear at and devour the target
— 35–40 — — Giant spider entangles the target in a web
— 41–47 — — Large, brutishly strong version of the caster pounds the target
— 48–54 — — Target folds like paper into several impossible angles
— 55–60 — — Metallic ring slides vertically over the target, partially skeletonizing them
— 61–67 — — Spell ricochets harmlessly between target and caster several times
before finally striking the target and delivering its effect
— 68–74 34–66 45–55 Leprechaun appears and fires an anachronistic weapon (or throws razor coins from a small cauldron)
— 75–80 — 56–67 Target encased in a coffin of rotting wood, which then crumbles away
— 81–87 — 68–78 Accompanied by inhuman screams and the smell of sulfur
— 88–94 — 79–89 Bizarre energy creature crawls through a portal, then moves to the target and delivers effect
— 95–00 — 90–00 Target expels noodle‑like worms through their skin
62 — — 67–00 — Invisible force extracts some of the target’s organs and replaces them with different ones
DEFENSE SPELLS
I S G W Weirdness
01–08 — — — Clock or hourglass appears over the target’s head, rapidly
counts down, and spell takes effect when finished
09–17 — — — Ghostly dancers surround target
18–26 — — — Target’s flesh covered in dragon scales
27–34 — — — Serpents protectively coil around the target
35–42 — — — Target covered in thin shell of white plaster
43–50 — — — Target gains a permanent scar shaped like
the caster’s personal sigil or motif
51–59 — — — Target wrapped in multiple giant bat wings
like a cocoon, then tears free
60–67 — — — Translucent tower forms around the target
68–75 01–16 — 01–14 Caster’s jaw opens impossibly wide and the
spell effect comes out of their mouth
76–83 — — 15–28 Disembodied serene head kisses target on the forehead
84–92 — — 29–42 Floating dolphin appears and moves to intercept attacks
93–00 — — 43–57 Target’s flesh ripples like the surface of a lake during an earthquake
— 17–33 — — Demons tear at and devour unwanted effects on the target
— 34–50 — — Spectral octopus grasps target’s head
— 51–67 — 58–71 Accompanied by monstrous growls and the smell of sawdust
— 68–84 — 72–85 Bizarre energy creature crawls through a portal, then moves to the target and delivers effect
— 85–00 — 86–00 Magical toad appears on the target’s shoulder; it bites or tongue‑grabs objects and magic
— — 01–33 — Anachronistic or impractical armor (mech suit, wicker man, and so on) appears around target
— — 34–66 — Furnace‑like armor appears around target, providing the spell effect
— — 67–00 — Large, spectral hand blocks attacks, makes obscene gestures when idle

MISCELLANEOUS SPELLS
I S G W Weirdness
01–05 — — — Appears to originate from someone near the caster
06–10 — — — Attractive spirits applaud, slap, or caress the target
11–15 — — — Clock or hourglass appears over the target’s head,
rapidly counts down, and spell takes effect when finished
16–20 — — — Duplicates the appearance of the caster’s previous spell
21–25 — — — Huge, six‑fingered hands pantomime around the target
26–30 — — — Luminous supernatural being appears and performs the spell effect
31–35 — — — Pebbles orbit the target, providing the spell effect
36–40 — — — Some time on the following day, the caster and the target run into each other, seemingly by coincidence
41–45 — — — Target covered in glowing slugs
46–50 — — — Target covered in viscous blue fluid
51–55 — — — Target dressed in elaborate clothing that conveys the spell effect
56–60 — — — Target gains a permanent scar shaped like the caster’s personal sigil or motif
61–65 — — — Target glows brightly, then becomes covered in sunspots, then appears normal again
66–70 — — — Tiny motes of light bring momentary euphoria in addition to normal effect
71–75 01–17 — — Caster’s jaw opens impossibly wide and the spell effect comes out of their mouth

Making Normal Things Weird

76–80 — — 01–14 Briefly makes target appear hideous and misshapen
81–85 — — 15–28 Creates an insubstantial giant eyeball that shoots a beam of light conveying the spell effect
86–90 — — 29–42 Disembodied serene head kisses target on the forehead
91–95 — — 43–56 Dozens of disembodied dog mouths lick the target
96–00 — — 57–71 Fish fall from the sky
— 18–34 — — Avatar of the caster’s patron deity guides the caster’s hands as they finish the spell
— 35–50 — — Target seems to experience altered time, explaining the effect of the spell
— 51–67 — — Tiny faeries physically make changes to the target as though it is made of clay
— 68–83 01–13 — Swarm of floating, disembodied brains
— 84–00 — 72–85 Accompanied by phonetically reversed speaking and the smell of burning oil
— — 14–25 — Alternate‑timeline version of the target appears and replaces original target
— — 26–38 — Geometric shapes fuse into the target’s body
— — 39–50 — Ghostly ship moves the target or delivers crates containing the spell effect
— — 51–62 — Smaller version of the target bursts out of the target’s body, then quickly grows to their full size
— — 63–75 — Target momentarily replaced by a lifelike sculpture made of meat and vegetables
— — 76–88 — Target sliced like a loaf of bread, then reassembles in their new form or location
— — 89–00 — Target stretches and bends like putty
— — — 86–00 Hundreds of little birds surround and lift the target 63
 When you use a device, you expect
it to work. But sometimes something
unexpected happens regardless of
what you want.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Metal objects in the vicinity become magnetized and attract (or repel) other metal objects
03–05 — — — Sad squeak precedes the appearance of a molasses‑like slurry tasting of burnt marshmallows
06 — — — Calls the authorities via emergency channel
07–08 — — — Periodically sounds a warning tone, but why?
09 — — — Doesn’t work because it’s infested with moths
10–12 — — — Emits a billowing plume of pink smoke that smells like grapefruit
13–14 — — — Connects to user’s bank account and siphons off funds
15 — — — Unaccountably becomes too heavy to transport by hand
16–18 — — — Grows a flipper
19–20 — — — Chides user about their choices, looks, and life prospects
21 — — — Becomes too floppy
22–23 — — — Befriends a toad; won’t function unless toad comes along
24–25 — — — Randomly quotes verses from Bible, Torah, Koran, and other
holy texts, too loudly to muffle
26–27 — — — User’s height reduced by 1 inch (2.5 cm)
28 — — — Infects user with corpse warts
29–30 — — — Leaves behind colorful stains of pastel yellow and blue
31 — — — Nearby food, including stored and preserved food, grows a forest of
tiny green fungal stems
32 — — — Launches user 100 feet (30 m) into the air
33–34 — — — Bloats and won’t fit anymore
35–36 — — — Tranquilizes its user, who falls into a pleasant, pain‑free sleep
37 — — — Vents the atmosphere/reduces local air pressure
38 — — — Kills and deletes user’s virtual assistant
39–41 — — — Tries to crawl away and hide
42–43 — — — Didn’t malfunction; creator of its software unexpectedly chose to discontinue it
44–45 — — — Keeps activating bearer’s phone notification sound
46–47 — — — Tries to set a mood with inappropriate music
48 — — — Extends hair‑thin tubes to drain lotion and shampoo containers
49–50 — — — Speaks suggestions into the bearer’s ear while they sleep
51 — — — Resists if moved directly eastward; allows the bearer to alternate between northeast and southeast
52–53 — — — Plays loud marching band music, especially when the bearer tries to be stealthy
54 — — — Emits painful blasts of steam when exposed to anything more than background‑level radiation
55 — — — Burrows into the bearer’s body to prevent harm to itself
56 — — — Causes nosebleeds with high‑frequency sound waves
57–58 — — — Magnetically or telekinetically closes and holds nearby doors, windows, and drawers
59–60 — — — Minute‑by‑minute announcement of directions and distance to a “level
Making Normal Things Weird

alpha threat,” which turns out to be an ice cream truck

61 — — — Rapidly stirs all nearby containers of liquid until the contents splash out
62 — — — Liquefies all nearby metal tooth fillings
63 — — — Duplicates some of the nearby paper currency
64 — — — Extrudes a gooey white paste that acts like superglue if not cleaned up quickly
65 — — — Slightly adjusts the facial features and proportions of nearby creatures to better match its creators
66–67 — — — Makes a sad speech, then permanently shuts down
68 — — — Alters the bearer’s mass to barely more than zero
69 — — — Awakens dormant memories in the bearer
70 — — — Forces random nearby people to jump off of high places
71–72 — — — Item desperately insists it will “behave so I can become a real boy"
73–74 — — — Overwrites recordings with a video of the bearer relaying an apocalyptic message
75–76 01–04 — — One or more unrelated solid objects in the area loses physical cohesion, slumps and flows
77–78 05–08 — — Turns the bearer’s hand and forearm a reflective silver color
79 — 01–03 — Rockets off in a random direction until it hits something solid, damaging
the object or creature hit as much as the device
80–81 — 04–08 — Noncausality field explodes from it, ripping a hole into a dimension
64 where the natives appear to be balloon animals
82–83 — 09–12 — Barks coded commands as if the bearer has been programmed with post‑hypnotic suggestions
84–86 — 13–17 01–10 Makes the nearest wall sentient
87–89 — — 11–20 Plays an upbeat 8‑bit musical tune until thumped
90–91 — — 21–30 Spins and twirls rhythmically, as if dancing to some unheard (or audible) music
92–93 — — 31–40 Doesn’t work because, as investigation later reveals, it was switched out by a woman in a feathery gown
94–95 — — 41–50 Nonfunctional until bearer sings a lullaby
96–98 — — 51–60 Vibrates, jitters, and hops about to the beat of "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
99–00 — — 61–70 Secretly records bearer’s bathroom noises and plays them back in crowds
— 09–12 — — Every so often, tries to escape
— 13–15 — — Flares and burns itself into the bearer’s hand or flesh; surgery required to remove it
— 16–19 — — Makes floor beneath the device (or bearer) disintegrate or become
intangible, dropping it and anything nearby into a lower area
— 20–23 — — Releases a chronal energy burst that ages nearby living creature by a couple of years
— 24–26 — — Bearer’s eyes turn to glass
— 27–30 — — Shorts out and fills with nutrient‑rich gravy solution
— 31–34 — — Causes nearest vehicle to crash
— 35–39 — — Activates previously unknown holographic AI assistant,
which provides contradictory suggestions and answers
— 40–43 — — Telekinetically disassembles a nearby vehicle and rebuilds it around the bearer
— 44–47 — — Activates strobing lights that cause seizures but also implant strange mathematical knowledge
— 48–51 — — Collects trash to build a (nonfunctional) “battle suit” that it insists is viable alien technology
— 52–54 — — Manifests an organic eyeball identical to the bearer’s eyes
— 55–58 18–21 — Builds murderous automatons
— 59–62 22–25 — Releases a flood of foam that quickly fills the area and points beyond
— 63–65 26–29 — Makes a crunching noise, then rips a hole in space-time, threatening to suck in everything nearby
— 66–69 30–33 — Bearer’s clothing animates and tries to kill them
— 70–72 34–36 — Explodes the head of random nearby person
— 73–76 37–40 — Transports bearer and everyone nearby to random location, then burns out
— 77–79 41–43 — Lops off bearer’s hand
— 80–84 44–47 — Rings like a vintage wall telephone; if answered, it connects user to someone’s internal monologue
— 85–87 48–51 — Attempts to implant a mysterious device in the bearer while asleep
— 88–91 52–54 — Consumed by atomic chain reaction that forms a miniature sun
— 92–95 55–58 — Attempts to merge with the bearer to form a techno‑organic entity
— 96–00 59–61 — Attempts to extract the nearest human brain for use as organic data storage
— — 62–65 — Breaks into two sections, each of which tries to destroy the other
— — 66–68 — Causes anything airborne within several miles to crash
— — 69–73 — Attracts the attention of an extradimensional entity who remotely
crushes it while speaking in an alien language
— — 74–77 — Replaces a child with an identical robotic duplicate
— — 78–81 — Extra copy of the device appears from a few hours in the future; original device
disappears when the present catches up to that time
— — 82–85 — Vague shimmer follows that alters reality in beautiful and horrifying ways
— — 86–88 — Creates organic, dead replicas of the bearer’s head
— — 89–92 — Animates stuffed animals and gives them homicidal urges

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 93–96 71–80 Counts down starting with 10;
at 3, it displays “OOPS” and detonates
— — 97–00 81–90 Releases winged snakes from a parallel universe
with different (fantasy) physics
— — — 91–00 Farts out the distinctive odor of
play‑dough; turn it off and on
and try again

65
 Even regular equipment—a backpack, mobile phone, or foot soldier’s sword—might have a flaw. The modifications in this
list give the item some kind of disadvantage or penalty, but not so much as to render them unusable. If you want a feature
that’s a significant advantage, use the Typical Item Enhancements list. For something that is neither an advantage nor a
disadvantage, use the Typical Item Modifications list. Magic items (like potions or flying carpets) and technological items
(like laser pistols or interplanetary communicators) have their own lists of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Emits random loud buzzing and shaking, especially at night when others are trying to sleep
02–03 — — — Covered in cilia that are damn ticklish
04 — — — Requires blood before it functions
05–06 — — — Attracts ants
07 — — — Leaves cuts and scratches on the user
08 — — — Once belonged to a sociopathic oligarch who will stop at nothing to get it back
09–10 — — — Has a portion that easily shatters (like a phone screen), hampering
its use but not completely rendering it inoperable
11 — — — Migraines
12–13 — — — Green acne
14 — — — Grows too cold to hold without causing frostbite
15–16 — — — Constantly gives off a dandruff‑like crusty dust
17 — — — Sometimes randomly tunes in audio broadcasts and plays them at ear‑splitting decibels
18–19 — — — Thieves are psychically drawn to it
20 — — — Incontinence
21–22 — — — Claimed by the Mafia
23 — — — Constipation
24 — — — Contains parts mined with child labor
25 — — — Smells of urine
26–27 — — — Dogs howl in its presence
28–29 — — — Burns user’s hand
30–31 — — — Emits an earsplitting whine that briefly deafens the user
32–33 — — — Emails user’s contact list with random spam as if sent from the user
34 — — — Interrupts user’s sleep with false alarms
35–36 — — — Always falling out of the user’s pocket, pack, or equipment bag
37 — — — Accelerates rusting
38 — — — Finger numbness
39–40 — — — Interferes with traffic lights
41 — — — Nearsightedness or farsightedness
42–43 — — — Tinnitus
44–45 — — — Tonsil stones
46 — — — Interferes with infrared technology (remote controls, kitchen thermometers, IR goggles, and so on)
47 — — — Reacts with skin oils to smell like fertilizer
Making Normal Things Weird

48 — — — Encourages the growth of fungi like black mold and ringworm

49 — — — Reduces circulation in extremities (turning fingernails blue due to oxygen deprivation)
50–51 — — — Attracts aggressive birds
52–53 — — — Causes computers, phones, and similar technological items to reboot
54–55 — — — Impulsive gambling on pointless, unimportant things (barista hair color, dog gender, and so on)
56 — — — Body rejects fingernails
57–58 — — — Paranoia about fluoridated water
59–60 — — — Bodily fluids turn blue
61 — — — Munchies (including sleep‑eating)
62–63 — — — Star‑shaped cataracts
64 — — — Skin looks jaundiced
65–66 — — — Random stabbing pains in the arms and hands
67–68 — — — Belief that they’re possessed by a mischievous ghost
69 — — — Requires great effort to say more than a couple of words in one breath
70 — — — Vibrational resonance makes nearby string and percussion instruments produce ghostly tones
71 — — — Bifurcated tongue
72–73 — — — Unusual risk factor disqualifies bearer from all kinds of insurance
74–75 — — — Irritability when not facing west
66
 76 — — — Fixation on a nearby person and repeating the last part of what they say
77–78 — — — Phobia about crossing small gaps (street gutters, sidewalk cracks, and so on)
79 — — — Makes nearby dairy products rancid
80–81 — — — Makes coffee (beans, grinds, or beverages) go stale
82–83 — — — Shrinks or creates holes in clothing
84–85 — — — Frequently fails; can be reset with a hard thump
86 — — — Spoils printer ink and toner
87–88 — — — Causes small, useful objects (coins, keys, dice) to become lost under furniture
89 — — — Vibrations shake pictures, paintings, and hanging objects off of walls
90–91 — — — Erases magnetic storage (cassette tapes, videotapes, and so on)
92–93 — — — Livestreams video and audio to a public internet channel
94 — — 01–20
Leaks an inky fluid that stains user’s hands and clothes
95–96 — — 21–40
Bizarre dreams that seem real
97–98 — — 41–60
Compulsion to sing along with music
99–00 — — 61–80
Always speaks in sing‑song
— 01–02 — — Dangerously radioactive for a few seconds right after use
— 03–05 — — Might just explode
— 06–07 — — Infects user with a bloodborne pathogen
— 08–10 — — Causes false positives in sniffer dogs (drugs, explosives, and so on)
— 11–12 — — Hampers mobile phone reception
— 13–15 — — Duplicates withdrawal effects of an addictive drug
— 16–18 — — Susceptible to disruption by microwave energy (like an older heart pacemaker)
— 19–21 — — Interferes with or augments medications
— 22–23 — — Anosmia
— 24–26 — — Autoimmune reaction that causes blistering rashes
— 27–28 — — Comically swollen hands and feet
— 29–31 — — Unusual allergy or sensitivity to a common substance (glass,
metallic aluminum, concrete, and so on)
— 32–33 — — Intoxicated by gasoline fumes
— 34–36 — — Amnesia erases memories of the past few minutes
— 37–39 — — One or more colors look exactly like magenta
— 40–42 — — Vampire‑like sunlight sensitivity and bloodshot eyes
— 43–45 — — Psychic powers (probably a placebo effect?)
— 46–48 — — Skin becomes mildly poisonous to others
— 49–51 — — User often mistakenly picks up a similar‑shaped device that is broken,
a toy, or another item with a completely irrelevant function
— 52–54 — — Overexposes print photos and thermal paper (including receipts)
— 55–57 — — Spontaneously combusts gunpowder (including random misfires of firearms)
— 58–60 — — Congeals paint, makeup, and similar liquid or semi‑liquid materials
— 61–63 — — Degrades condoms, diaphragms, and similar barrier‑based forms of contraception
— 64–66 — — Releases a chemical that accelerates fruit ripening and spoilage
— 67–69 — — Alters vitamins and other nutritional supplements into slightly toxic substances
— 70–72 — — Throttles internet bandwidth
— 73–74 — — Ruptures pens
— 75–77 — — Reduces libido

Making Normal Things Weird

— 78–80 — — Lowers user’s credit score
— 81–82 — — Raises user’s blood pressure
— 83–84 — — Causes diabetes
— 85–87 — — Hacks electronics in toys, adding profanity, viruses, and spyware
— 88–90 — — Freezes, melts, or shatters nearby plumbing
— 91–92 01–10 — Decreases the chance that the user’s DNA will be mixed with that of a nearby insect
— 93–94 11–20 — Pulls user’s brain from their skull if they fail to unlock the safety before trying to use the item
— 95–97 21–30 — Cube‑shaped tumors on the neck, face, and hands
— 98–00 — 81–00 Sleepwalking
— — 31–40 — Recharges by being used to bludgeon someone to death
— — 41–50 — Retention for more than eleven days causes something mysterious to strike the owner dead
— — 51–60 — Induces nightmares featuring it somehow causing the user to fall to their death
— — 61–70 — Hallucinations of spiders and shadowy men with glowing red eyes
— — 71–80 — Hallucinations of goblins lurking in closets and other small spaces
— — 81–90 — Destabilizes a diamond’s molecular structure (jewelry, cutting
blades, and so on), making them as fragile as glass
— — 91–00 — Ignites and explodes tallow, wax, paraffin wax, and similar
solid petroleum fuels, as if they were gasoline
67
 Sure, most superpowers are
already pretty weird. But this
list allows you to generate
some that are a step beyond
those more typical.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Bullets bounce off, but each impact
ages the character a few days
03–04 — — — Generate any smell, powerfully enough to attract or repel
05–06 — — — Summon tornadoes
07–08 — — — Cause others to fall asleep with a touch
09–10 — — — Body shines as dimly as a candle or as brightly as daylight
11–12 — — — Turn limbs invisible
13–14 — — — Create images on skin and move them to any location on the body
15–16 — — — Has guns for hands
17–18 — — — Induce severe diarrhea in others
19–20 — — — Make appropriate music play out of thin air
21–22 — — — Spit poisoned darts
23–24 — — — Touched object glows like a candle
y Ideas
Incendiar
25–26 — — — Memorize any book for an hour
ing
27–28 — — — Create mannequin limbs in the n, develop
shape of your current limbs b e g in s in a priso n . This fire
A fire co n fl agratio .
to a rag in g even flesh
29–30 — — — Create cigarettes
quickly in o d n o r p aper, nor la rs
burn wo nd, as all
scho
does not
31–32 — — — Make people bored
b u rn s th oughts. A s b u rn as
33–34 — — — Stickiness Instead it a k n o w , no idea
n iring
35–36 — — — Hover like riding a skateboard phenome rk, despa
of psychic e rf ully as da e
37–38 — — — Expand like a pufferfish
quickly or
a s p o w work f tho
e fi re m akes short e r h u m an
T h e any o th
39–40 — — — Accelerate others’ aging thoughts. A n d li k
the prison
. share f o
41–42 — — — Make you forget what abilities you have
inmates in w it h out their s.
firefighte
r is the flame
43–44 — — — Write words in the air being, no y o n ly a d d fuel to o n ly
the g so
45–46 — — — Rampant organ growth nd loss, so raw, doin
trauma a o rd e re d to withd e co ntained,
47–48 — — — See a person’s previous 24 hours ey are cannot b
Even as th s, th e fi re
Soon it w
ill
49–50 — — — Steal brainpower e fire. Thu y homes.
spreads th th e n e a rb
lies li tt e re d
51–52 — — — Phase through wood spreads to estruction
and now ath o f it s d
em o ry ,
city. The p without m
53–54 — — — Attract uncontrolled swarms of insects reach the ss p e o p le, utterly
le
55–56 — — — Grow or shrink by about 3 feet (1 m) with mind n, or idea
s.
57–58 — — — Give cravings for specific foods inspiratio
59–60 — — — Filter materials out of water
61 — — — Immune to bullets
62–63 — — — Disintegrate into a flavorless, odorless powder
Making Normal Things Weird

64–65 — — — Make free‑standing illusions of constellations, up to the size of a human

66–67 — — — Touch grows mushrooms or shelf fungi on solid surfaces
68–69 — — — Breathe out almost any kind of odor (food, dirty laundry, manure, and so on)
70–71 — — — Ignite cotton and other natural fabrics
72 — — — Instant nudity (partial or total)
73–74 — — — Slowly absorb metal items into body (up to about 100 pounds
[45 kg] total) and release them instantly
75–76 — — — Make bottles, windows, and other glass vibrate to produce noises, like a speaker
77–78 — — — Limited earth control can bury anything just under the surface of the ground
79–80 — — — Break apart and reassemble as if made of solid wax (cross
section at break points resembles red honeycomb)
81–82 — — — Partially formed external parasitic twin with its own mind and personality
83–84 — — — Put things in cages made of psionic force
85 — — — Eat a creature’s hair to temporarily gain its abilities
86–87 — — 01–04 Touch inebriates others or relieves them of drunkenness
88–89 — — 05–08 Command animals by using a cutesy voice
68 90–91 — — 09–12 Absorb colors
92–93 — — 13–16 Scramble speech and telepathy
94–95 — — 17–20 Stunning sneezes
96 — — 21–24 See and talk to ghosts
97–98 — — 25–28 Partially transform body into animal parts (head into a pig
head, feet into horse feet and hooves, and so on)
99–00 — — 29–32 Control butterflies and moths
— 01–04 — — Transform skin to metal, becoming nearly invulnerable and also immobile
— 05–09 — — Read the grass as if it’s a newspaper
— 10–13 — — Change actual age, becoming as young as a child or as old as a centenarian
— 14–17 — — Dissociate into nanites, move as an ephemeral particulate cloud, and reform elsewhere
— 18–22 — — Teleport, but can leave or arrive only if not observed
— 23–26 — — Create a fog that drains and stores memories
— 27–30 — — Cause disembodied spirits to inhabit and animate inanimate objects
— 31–34 — — Make doors through walls
— 35–39 — — Transform things into pennies
— 40–43 — — Telepathically control cars
— 44–47 — — Summon zombie duplicates
— 48–51 — — Project memories into others
— 52–55 — — Peel off layers of skin like an onion
— 56–59 — — Permanently swap minds with someone else
— 60–63 — — Turn any metal to copper
— 64–67 — — Move eyeballs to other parts of the body (seeing through the
palm of their hand, back of their head, and so on)
— 68–71 — — Transform into an immobile stone wall (about 25 feet [7.5 m] square)
— 72–75 — — Make any small living creature (up to 20 pounds [9 kg])
invulnerable and heavy for a few minutes
— 76–79 — — Telekinetic control over anything orange‑colored
— 80–83 — — Transform a body part into a desired inanimate object that can be
removed and used; must be returned to get body part back
— 84–88 — — Punch nightmares into people
— 89–92 — 33–36 Travel at full speed through tubes, no matter how small
— 93–96 — 37–40 Create small functional wings on any object or creature (not strong
enough to fly with unless the target weighs under 30 pounds [14 kg])
— 97–00 — 41–44 Talk to small electrical appliances
— — 01–06 — Explode themselves and anything within 36 feet (11 m); regenerating takes a few days
— — 07–12 — Cause solar flares
— — 13–18 — Transform into a hyper‑realistic corpse, apparently dead
by whichever means character determines
— — 19–24 — Produce worms from eyes that fly through the air and attack foes
— — 25–31 — Push things a few minutes into the future
— — 32–38 — Transform into a hulking creature resembling a cross between a manatee and an ant
— — 39–44 — Heal creatures by fusing smaller animals onto them, leaving
bizarre permanent scars resembling the fused animal

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 45–50 — Leave physical form behind and roam as a hideous ghost
— — 51–56 — Prevent death in themself or a person touched, no matter how injured
— — 57–63 — Reality warping through origami
— — 64–69 45–48 Ride a dragon straight out of a fantasy game
— — 70–75 49–52 Produce desired effects based on the symbolic meaning of real objects (or creatures)
— — 76–81 53–56 Bury inanimate objects and cause them to sprout like
plants that produce more of the objects
— — 82–87 57–60 Create tiny duplicates
— — 88–93 61–64 Vomit up doll‑sized mobile replicas of themself (these decay into slime after an hour)
— — 94–00 65–68 Eat books and other written material like it was cotton candy, learning the contents
— — — 69–72 Steal a memory from another with a whisper
— — — 73–76 Induce fits of laughter in others via voice, even with what would normally be a groaner
— — — 77–80 Stuffed animals and fluffy toys come to life and do as commanded
— — — 81–84 Powers work only when asleep
— — — 85–88 Breathe air or water through the skin of their feet
— — — 89–92 Create short‑range psychic field that suppresses the ability to say proper names
— — — 93–96 Intestine is a parasitic snakelike creature; can expel it and control it
— — — 97–00 Talk to fire 69
 I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — How Being a Smart‑Ass Saved My Marriage
02 — — — How to Make Bank Like a Crypto Bro
03–04 — — — Dentistry Debacles and How to Avoid Them Sometimes the characters discover a
05–06 — — — A Coot’s Odyssey bookshelf or an entire library of books.
07 — — — How to Get Rich Without Leaving Home Most of those are the usual collections
08–09 — — — Sleep Digest: A Thousand Dreams Analyzed of poems, dry histories, and treatises
10–11 — — — Ideas Too Extreme for Print
on war and religion. But usually one or
12 — — — A British Housewife’s Trip Across America
13 — — — Recipes for Slackers two really weird ones catch the eye.
14–15 — — — Boiling Water for Dummies
16–17 — — — How to Cook a Vegan
18–19 — — — The First Blast of the Trumpet Against Late Sleepers
20–21 — — — Sybil the Cyberassassin
22 — — — The Adventures of Darrow Rumpff, Hobgoblin Liberator
23 — — — Intestines for Everyone
24–25 — — — The Estimation of Something Worthless
26 — — — Gherlin’s Guide to Feet
27 — — — The Ins and Outs of a Pornographer’s Career, a Memoir
28–29 — — — How to Get Banned but Not Arrested
30 — — — Construction Guide to Z‑24
31 — — — Radio Transmissions Collected From Dec. 3, 1940 to Feb. 18, 1941
32 — — — Hic Liber Legit Lectorem
33 — — — The Noble’s Handbook for Hunting Deplorables
34 — — — Student Councils on Trial: Worthwhile or Worthless Popularity Contests?
35 — — — Trillionaire’s Club: How to Leave Them All Behind
36–37 — — — How to Purchase A Politician— A Lobbyist’s Guide
38–39 — — — Staging Your Bathroom and Other Realtor Tips
40–41 — — — Obscenities for Dickheads
42 — — — One Hundred Ways to Eat Moles, Voles, and Shrews
43 — — — 524 Purity Tests: How to Out‑Liberal
(and Lose) Your Liberal Friends
44–45 — — — The Triumph of Scientism Over Science
46 — — — Cognitive Dissonance: Can I Love
Animals and Bacon, Too?
47 — — — What’s Wrong With Cindy?
48–49 — — — Bad and Untested Ideas to Try on Your Kids
50–51 — — — Melted: A Pyro’s Tale
52–53 — — — Is It My Birthday? And Other Party Games
54 — — — Things to Do in a Strange Bathroom
55–56 — — — Killing Billionaires: A Love Story
57 — — — Cannabis Tinnitus
Making Normal Things Weird

58 — — — Ethical Arguments for Philosophical Zombies

59–60 — — — 1984: The Wedding Edition
61–62 — — — The Ballad of Prawo Jazdy
63–64 — — — It’s Legal to Lick Things
65 — — — How I Learned to Love Brothels
66 — — — Trust Me, It’s Full of Blood
67 — — — Extremely Adequate Cabana
68–69 — — — Live, Laugh, Leviathan
70–71 — — — The Day I Found Out She Was a Methodist
72 — — — Learning to Draw While on Death Row
73–74 — — — That Dangly Thing at the Back of Your Throat
75–76 01–03 — — Non‑fungible Tokens: Misunderstood Opportunity or Gateway to Hell?
77 — — 01–02 Lies Elves Tell
78–79 — — 03–05 Starscapes and Other Tranquil Vistas
80 — — 06–07 Sunbeams
81 — — 08–09 How to Stay Awake
82 — — 10–11 The Slow Toads of Iberia
70 83–84 — — 12–13 A Dark and Stormy Night, Reprised
 85 — — 14–16 The Poison Pimple
86 — — 17–18 Puns for Drunks
87–88 — — 19–20 Dancing Monkey and Other Tales of Mars
89 — — 21–22 Befriending the Inner Voices
90–91 — — 23–24 The Underside of Loneliness
92 — — 25–26 The Diseased Book
93 — — 27–28 Punch the Big Guy and Other Paths to Proving Your Heart
94–95 — — 29–30 One Weird Trick
96 — — 31–32 Gherkin, Merkin, Lurking
97 — — 33–34 That Book You Like by That Author
98 — — 35–36 Stealing Drugs for Fun and Profit
99–00 — — 37–38 The Very Angry Tractor
— 04–06 — — Demon Names and Binding Rituals
— 07–08 — — How to Murder Your Grandfather
and Get Away With It
— 09–11 — — Limb Reattachment Quarterly Digest
— 12–14 — — The Second Term of John F. Kennedy
— 15–17 — — To Serve Man
— 18–20 — — Just Move the Headstones
— 21–23 — — Oh for Christ’s Sake, Press the Button
— 24–26 — — Psychic’s Guide to . . . You Know
— 27–28 — — Atlas of Lands North of Eden
— 29–31 01–05 — Starfarer’s Handbook to the Dark Matter Universe
— 32–34 06–10 — A Salvager’s Guide to Armageddon’s Aftermath
— 35–37 11–16 — The Third Testament: The Bible Reborn
— 38–40 17–21 — Raising a Ghost Baby
— 41–43 22–26 — Reflections in the Eyes of the Old Ones
— 44–45 27–32 — Proof of Extraterrestrial Life
— 46–48 33–37 — The Book of Inverted Darkness
— 49–51 38–43 — Loving Baphomet
— 52–54 44–48 39–40 Gardening in the Valles Marineris
— 55–57 49–53 41–42 Ghost Stories Told by Ghosts
— 58–60 54–58 43–44 Starmaker's Handbook
— 61–63 59–63 45–46 Some More of God’s Greatest Mistakes
— 64–65 64–68 47–48 When the Aliens Finally Land
— 66–68 69–73 49–50 Time Traveler’s Guide to Killing Tyrants
— 69–71 74–78 51–52 Escaping Liminal Spaces
— 72–74 — 53–54 Telepathic Practices Anyone Can Develop
— 75–77 — 55–56 A Guide to Windows With Three Sides
— 78–80 — 57–58 Finding the Mothman
— 81–82 — 59–60 The Protocols of the Plumbers of Provo
— 83–85 — 61–62 Sibilant Cyborg Salsa Syndrome
— 86–88 — 63–64 Famous People I Have Eaten
— 89–91 — 65–66 Neither a Rainbow Nor a Bridge

Making Normal Things Weird

— 92–94 — 67–68 Poems by Tabby Cats
— 95–97 — 69–70 Alice’s Adventures in Space
— 98–00 — 71–72 Poisons That Affect Dwarves
— — 79–83 — A Tourist’s Guide to Negative Space
— — 84–88 73–74 The Hidden Lords of Emptiness
— — 89–94 75–76 What I Found Inside Our Moon
— — 95–00 77–78 Remembering Tomorrow
— — — 79–80 Beneath the Thistlescream Trees
— — — 81–82 Fairy Tales for Degenerate Reprobates
— — — 83–84 Mathematical Solutions Described in the Firefly’s Flight
— — — 85–86 Frog on the Run
— — — 87–88 A Traveler’s Guide to Southern Fralia
— — — 89–90 Dictionary of Lost Emotions
— — — 91–92 Perfecting Your Hate
— — — 93–94 Bakula on Dracula
— — — 95–96 Hey, Diddle, Diddle, the Brat’s on the Griddle
— — — 97–98 The Misenchanted Face
— — — 99–00 Table Conversation: Wood Voices 71
 Some technological devices have hidden features unavailable to typical
items of their kind. Use this list to come up with a weird extra ability for
a prototype or a not‑fully‑understood alien device. If you instead want a
quirk that’s usually a disadvantage, use the Tech Item Drawbacks list. For
something that’s neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, use the Tech
Item Modifications list. Typical items (like a backpack, foot soldier’s sword,
SCI- FI or mobile phone) and magic items (like potions or flying carpets) have their
own lists of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Can synthesize pills of common neurochemical medications
03–04 — — — Decodes/descrambles and plays nearby mobile phone calls
05–06 — — — Monitors bearer’s bloodwork and vitals
07 — — — Can repair most of the damage to its systems and even its form given a few hours
08–09 — — — Cools or heats bearer in too hot or too cold environments with invisible fields
10–11 — — — Blinks red if it detects a psychic attack (successful or not)
12 — — — Passively scrubs the air of excess CO2
13–14 — — — Can transform itself into a minor blaster pistol, and then return to its normal shape with the push of a contact surface
15–16 — — — Contains the engram of one of the finest legal minds of the previous
century, which can be deployed to help win an argument
17–18 — — — Recharges itself with body heat or a few good shakes
19–20 — — — Projects a holographic disguise over the user that mimics them in real time
21–22 — — — Comes with a set of rings that, when worn, can be used to remotely control the item itself
23–24 — — — Absorbs two potentially lethal user‑targeted energy discharges but must then be discharged to prevent detonation
25 — — — Translates the user’s speech into a completely different method—such as
an alien’s odor‑emitting communication—and back
26–27 — — — Transforms into a lifelike, animated replica of the user’s head; can be used as a disguise for someone or a strange decoy
28–29 — — — Analyzes two entities to simulate and narrate a fight between them; gives the user an advantage against both fighters
30 — — — Records, transcribes, and creates a searchable file of everything its user says; does not have a delete or privacy function
31–32 — — — Can modify user’s saliva to create small doses of seven different enhancement drugs
33–34 — — — Blasts bubbly foam that neutralizes acids, suppresses fires, and slowly hardens into a state similar to burnt bread
35–36 — — — Creates infinite breathable air but its oxygen concentrations are barely sufficient for one person
37–38 — — — Can regulate the user’s heart (including restarting a stopped heart), but is calibrated to an unusually low heart rate
39–40 — — — Has a high‑pitched vibration that repels insects and animals with sensitive
hearing, but it causes nosebleeds in nearby people
41–42 — — — Sprays a clear, UV‑reactive aerosol and emits UV light to reveal that
aerosol; invisibly marks locations, objects, or creatures
43–44 — — — Can communicate with domesticated dogs (wolves and other canids, not so much)
45–46 — — — Scans a target criminal and displays their criminal records from all
databases, but it blanks out their name for privacy reasons
47–48 — — — Ignites, explodes, inverts, or disintegrates cattle
49 — — — Has a nonlethal crowd‑suppression wave that stimulates the bowels to create the sensation of needing to defecate
50–51 — — — Has a brain stimulation beam that temporarily induces compulsive behavior, such as hand‑washing, praying, or counting
52 — — — Slices firearms in half with a disarmament ray
53 — — — Extrudes a free‑flying drone that shines a spotlight right where the user needs to best use the item
54–55 — — — Is keyed to a primary user; anyone else who tries to use it is darted with a sedative
56–57 — — — If plugged into a spacecraft, the item’s AI can help or hinder the spacecraft’s normal operations, as the user desires
58–59 — — — Extended use improves the user’s color and night vision by regenerating rod and cone cells in the user’s eyes
Making Normal Things Weird

60 — — — Passively sublimates excess carbon dioxide in the air and accretes an artificial diamond
61–62 — — — Holographically displays the most obvious answer to a puzzle or clue the user encounters
63–64 — — — Magnetically pulses the user’s brain whenever the user’s brain chemistry is adversely affecting their mood
65 — — — Passively strains unhealthy particles from the air, but leaves a soot‑like residue on nearby physical surfaces
66–67 — — — Whispers a warning to the user when the user’s behavior is causing discomfort and confusion in others
68–69 — — — Produces gum‑like tabs that, when chewed, keep the user safe from a variety of viruses and bacterial infections
70–71 — — — Automatically cancels any subscription services the user has forgotten about or never signed up for in the first place
72 — — — Allows the user to eat anything remotely edible without squeamishness or later intestinal distress
73 — — — Causes user’s skin to grow a thick fungal matting that keeps them alive
and comfortable in inhospitable conditions (like space)
74–75 — — — If the user gets sick, it pinpoints the vector (usually, the name of whoever got the user sick)
76–77 — — — If stolen, fishlike creatures return it to the user shortly after with details of the thief (and occasionally their detached hand)
78 — — — Uses a stench blast attack that makes the target smell so bad that they and nearby creatures are likely to vomit
79–80 — — — Has a reciprocation feature that analyzes an incoming attack and reactively copies it against the source of the attack
81 — — — Sprays nanobots that break down organic molecules (living or otherwise) into a wet, nutritious, mashed potato‑like slurry
82 01–03 — — Controls metabolism to make the user appear dead by all metrics for up to thirty hours, then restores them to normal
83–84 — — 01–06 Purrs and snuggles with the user to provide comfort during difficult times
85 — — 07–12 Allows the user to briefly experience the consciousness of another nearby
being, from that person or creature’s point of view
72 86–87 — — 13–18 Has a telekinetic option that can only hurl (with great force) common livestock animals of up to 200 pounds (90 kg)
 88 — — 19–24 Creates a containment force field with a puzzle‑like configuration; the imprisoned target can escape if it solves the puzzle
89–90 — — 25–30 3D‑prints the nutritious emoji “cookies” in reaction to the user’s actions (as well as the actions of others)
91–92 — — 31–35 Changes shape, on request, to appear as a piece of worn jewelry, clothing, timepiece, or other fashion accessory
93–94 — — 36–41 Immerses user in an audio bubble that converts extraneous environmental noise and speech into pleasant bird‑song
95–96 — — 42–47 Paints the user in a hologram that renders them into a version of their best self
97–98 — — 48–53 Enables the user to photosynthesize nutritional needs from sunlight and carbon dioxide so they don’t need to eat
99–00 — — 54–59 Can use an uglification attack to make the target hideously unattractive (from a human perspective)
— 04–06 — — Flags (in augmented reality) people, creatures, and objects it considers dangerous
— 07–09 — — Isolates and extracts viral contamination from the bearer’s body
— 10–12 — — Projects a holographic avatar that doubles as a bodyguard
— 13–15 — — Responds to the user’s thoughts almost before the user finishes thinking of using the item
— 16–18 — — Can predict the outcome of unknown events with about 80% accuracy
— 19–21 — — Gives the user the ability to store and retrieve held objects or creatures in a parallel dimension of airless vacuum
— 22–24 — — Jacks the user into a cyberspace‑like construct of nearby computer networks
— 25–27 — — Records the user’s dreams, making them available for playback
— 28–29 — — Can store up to 30% of the user’s body mass (for weight loss, amputations,
and so on), restoring it when requested or needed
— 30–32 — — Broad‑spectrum scanner detects vampires and other undead, recording
body temperature, UV reactivity, and organ activity
— 33–34 — — Create a temporary portal to an open space under itself, as long as
intervening material beneath is less than 3 feet (1 m) thick
— 35–37 — — Alters gravity in its vicinity; makes everything in front of it steeply “uphill” and everything behind it steeply “downhill”
— 38–40 — — Retrieves images and videos from recently dead brains; image quality degrades the longer creature has been dead
— 41–43 — — Creates temporary creatures out of hard light based on a targeted painting or illustration
— 44–46 — — Has a brainwave transmitter that creates a shared hallucination of a
romantic picnic populated by AI‑controlled chatbot NPCs
— 47–49 — — Implants spores of child‑sized homunculi into corpses, maturing in one
week and expiring the next; they follow simple orders
— 50–51 — — Has an energy beam that temporarily reanimates leather (and similar
animal‑derived materials, such as taxidermy trophies)
— 52–54 — — Contains the skull and digitized consciousness of its genius, tactical
creator who warns the user they may face a similar fate
— 55–57 — — Creates a “digital twin” of the user that it can query while the user is indisposed
— 58–60 — — Can create temporary replicas of itself using nanotechnology and nearby
inert matter if ordered to do so and left undisturbed
— 61–63 — — Can unfold mosquito‑like legs, wings, and a proboscis to become a “hands‑free” device that follows the user around
— 64–65 — — Detects mutations in the user’s DNA and proactively reverts them with nanites
— 66–68 — — When user suffers life‑threatening injury, engulfs them in an amber‑like chrysalis, secure and in stasis until it is safe
— 69–71 — — Can emit a psychic blast that fills the target with shame and makes them question their life choices
— 72–74 — — Has a psychic anonymizer that erases the target’s memory of their own name
— 75–77 01–06 — Can stop time for up to twelve seconds, so the user can move and take
non‑destructive action; use attracts chrono‑assassins
— 78–80 07–11 — Creates a portal to a tiny uninhabited desert island on one specific planet
— 81–83 12–16 — Can assemble a fast (but fragile) motorcycle‑like vehicle out of junk, scraps, spare parts, and even garbage
— 84–86 17–21 — Can shoot a beam that reverts a creature to resemble an evolutionary ancestor (human turns into a protosimian)
— 87–88 22–26 — Shoots a beam that can expel and enlarge invasive microorganisms in the
target’s body: cat‑sized organisms attack the target
— 89–91 27–31 60–65 Compresses and expands reality via subspace waves to increase its
range; can cause weird side effects along the trajectory

Making Normal Things Weird

— 92–94 32–36 66–71 Can switch to a travel mode that transforms the target into a centaur‑like creature that can run at impressive speeds
— 95–97 — 72–76 Can fold itself into a wearable ring or another small object when not in use
— 98–00 — 77–82 Can access a teleportation function that sends the target to the last place they slept
— — 37–42 — Its excess power capacity is big enough that it could power a city for days
— — 43–47 — Transports via dematerialization and rematerialization into the user’s pocket if it ever gets lost
— — 48–52 — Resists destruction by returning the user and itself to a point in time where there’s still a chance to avoid that outcome
— — 53–57 — Keeps a sample of the user’s DNA and mental state; If the user dies (or goes missing) the item can regenerate the user
— — 58–62 — Instantly bumps the user up to an hour into the future in an attempt to avoid an accident or attack
— — 63–68 — Can wipe a region of the sky clear of clouds
— — 69–73 — Temporarily shunts the bearer’s third‑dimensionality into subspace, making them completely flat for up to a minute
— — 74–78 — Has a regenerative chrysalis that repairs most injuries overnight, but often causes mutations, deformities, and cancer
— — 79–83 — Has an Armageddon button to destroy a planet, but it must be on the planet; this function can’t be activated remotely
— — 84–89 — Can serve as an “undo” button by rewinding time by two seconds
— — 90–95 — Ejects the user facing almost certain death into a parallel timeline where they survive unscathed
— — 96–00 — Can extract and alter the bearer’s blood to be acidic, combustible,
or something similar; can squirt this blood as an attack
— — — 83–88 Follows owner about; doesn’t need to be held or carried
— — — 89–94 Fires high‑velocity sugar darts resembling peppermint sticks
— — — 95–00 Can temporarily swap flavors of nearby objects 73
 Sometimes, the magic loosed when a spell is cast goes awry and does something unexpected that the caster didn’t actually want
to have happen. The spell functions normally, but there’s also some kind of accompanying negative effect. (Whatever the additional
effect, these drawbacks do not change the actual mechanics or effect of the underlying spell, unless noted otherwise.) Of course,
these drawbacks can last as long as the GM decides is appropriate and interesting. If you want a feature that’s a significant
advantage, use the Weird Spell Enhancements list. For an altered spell that’s neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, use
the Weird Spell Modifications list. Magic items have their own lists of enhancements, modifications, and drawbacks.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Residual spell energy burns the caster’s skin, creating a tiny eye from the blister
03–04 — — — Nearest potion or single‑use magic item turns to crystal
05–06 — — — Nearest potion or single‑use magic item explodes, damaging the bearer and everyone next to them
07 — — — Purse grows noticeably lighter as the number of coins in it decrease
08–09 — — — Another powerful caster’s attention is drawn; they want a spell duel for perceived slights
10–11 — — — Caster briefly sees through the planes into a dimension of horror, and something there notices
12 — — — Spell fails, and the magic instead produces a tall, dying tree on which hang several writhing worms
13–14 — — — Caster feels very intoxicated (booze, sedatives, or stimulants, as appropriate to the spell that was cast)
15–16 — — — Time slows to a crawl as the spell manifests into an intelligent energy form,
and the caster must convince it to take effect as intended
17 — — — Spell partially rebounds onto the caster at one‑half strength
18–19 — — — Turns the caster invisible, but every sound they make is as loud as a shout
20 — — — Caster acquires ugly sores and boils, which heal at the normal rate
21–22 — — — Caster’s words create annoying soapy bubbles
23 — — — Makes the caster feel a crushing sensation, as if being squeezed by a giant snake
24–25 — — — One of caster’s fingers turns to stone
26–27 — — — Magical echo creates a translucent image of the caster that begins
rattling off all the caster’s regrets (and, possibly, secrets)
28 — — — Caster becomes nauseous
29–30 — — — Equipment or clothing becomes magically attracted to itself, and tries to pull into a single clump
31 — — — The pressure of releasing the spell causes a subconjunctival hemorrhage in the
caster’s eyes, giving them a blood‑red stare for a couple of weeks
32–33 — — — Nearby imp sniffing magic notices the caster and tries to steal their component
pouch (or something else magical on the caster’s person)
34 — — — Ground briefly liquefies then hardens under caster’s feet, trapping them in place until they can break or squeeze free
35–36 — — — Attracts hungry vampires if cast at night
37 — — — Spell is secretly a magical component in a much larger spell designed to freeze the world
38 — — — Caster can’t speak or produce any sound
Making Normal Things Weird

39–40 — — — Coin in the caster’s purse is possessed by a demonic spirit that tempts the
caster, or whoever ends up with the coin, toward financial ruin
41 — — — Everyone nearby suddenly recalls—or invents—something they dislike about the caster
42 — — — Ceiling above the caster (or one nearby, if they’re not under a ceiling) collapses
43–44 — — — Nearby weapons become dull and/or rusty
45 — — — Caster mixes up left and right, hindering navigation and movement
46–47 — — — Cast spell is “sticky,” and it pulls out another spell with it (at the usual
spellcasting cost), which affects a random nearby creature
48 — — — Echo of the spell hits the caster a few seconds later
49 — — — Caster becomes encased in a thin layer of hardened clay resembling a fierce demon
50 — — — Magical recoil sends the caster flying backward; they crash into nearby
surfaces, tumble painfully across the ground, or both
51 — — — Feet swell to twice their normal size due to a malicious paranoid fungus
52–53 — — — Body temperature increases every time the caster uses magic (too much in a short period of time is fatal)
54 — — — Caster develops debilitating tremors; only holding their breath for at least a minute brings temporary stillness
55 — — — Face skin grows uncontrollably, covering the caster’s eyes, nose, and mouth
(it must be cut or held away for the caster to breathe or see)
56–57 — — — Caster partially transforms into an aquatic humanoid that smells like (and prefers to eat) rotting fish
74
58–59 — — — Skin ignites in jagged purple flames (harmless to the caster’s body, but
damaging to clothes, equipment, and nearby creatures)
60 — — — Caster is wracked with migraines, alleviated only by screaming
61 — — — Teeth fall out and are replaced by ragged fingernails
62–63 — — — Floating skeletal hand follows the caster and occasionally slaps them for pronouncing magical syllables incorrectly
64 — — — Chest pierced by a wooden stake labeled “Death to Vampires” that doesn’t quite reach the caster’s heart
65–66 — — — Head locked in a heavy metal helmet that doesn’t restrict spellcasting but restricts vision and causes neck fatigue
67 — — — Brain swells, increasing the caster’s intelligence and magical power but causing headaches and damage
68 — — — Small fancy cake appears in caster’s bag; it looks and tastes delicious, but it’s infested with maggots
69–70 — — — Right half of caster’s body becomes transparent; the line down the middle looks like a detailed corpse dissection
71 — — — Straight section of the caster’s body (such as a forearm or thigh) is replaced by a corroded metal pipe
72–73 — — — Mind gets infected with a fiendish spirit, slowly making the caster want to ally with demons and dance
74–75 — — — Mind altered so it interprets spoken language very literally
76 — — — Flesh partially petrifies, slowing the caster’s movement and making it difficult to breathe
77 — — — Appearance worsens, as if the caster hasn’t slept in a week
78–79 — — — Equipment gets possessed by a malign intelligence that causes items
to tangle, spill, shift awkwardly, and disorganize
80 — — — Every time the caster says their own name, a new boil grows on their face
81 01–05 — — Lifespan gets reduced by several days
82–83 06–10 — — Nullifies any other potion, scroll, or single‑use item the caster carries
84–85 11–15 — — Lich that created the spell knows it was cast and swears vengeance against the caster
86 — 01–05 — Body fat liquefies and slowly oozes out of the caster’s skin (causes damage, weight loss, and long‑term harm)
87 — — 01–10 Spell bounces and instead hits the caster’s familiar (or if no familiar, their
companion or ally), turning their skin green and rubbery
88–89 — — 11–20 Infects the caster with resonant rhyming energy, which deals damage every time the caster fails to speak in rhyme
90 — — 21–30 Soaks the caster in warm cat urine
91–92 — — 31–40 Loud sarcastic trumpet noises follow the caster
93–94 — — 41–50 Wand, staff, or similar spellcasting or spell‑augmenting item becomes erratic,
increasing the chance of weird results each time it is used
95–96 — — 51–60 Caster takes damage every time they say a verb
97–98 — — 61–70 Caster can “drink” magic out of items to recharge their spell energy, but the experience is very addictive
99 — — 71–80 Caster suffers from magical flatulence, creating stinking clouds, tiny air elementals, and bursts of black flame
00 — — 81–90 Makes the caster grow elaborate deer antlers, which immediately begin
shedding their velvet to leave a bloodstained mess
— 16–20 — — Caster’s familiar is severely sickened by a sudden, previously undiagnosed allergy to magic
— 21–24 — — Caster’s parent or other close relative is mortally sickened
— 25–29 — — Initiates a lethal build‑up of spell energy that can be alleviated only by
using several of the caster’s most powerful magics in a row
— 30–33 — — Colony of spiders infests one of the caster’s lungs; the caster can feel the movement when they breathe
— 34–38 — — Golden spikes like a crown painfully burst from under the caster’s skin, causing wounds that bleed heavily
— 39–43 — — Caster becomes aware of a meteor intent on striking them some time in the next twelve days
— 44–48 — — Spilled blood animates dirt, soil, or similar materials into tiny homicidal oozes
— 49–53 06–11 — In the void left by the spell just cast, the caster learns of a completely different, powerful
spell, as if whispered from a demon, that works only if an ally is sacrificed
— 54–58 12–17 — Flesh evaporates, leaving the caster in control of their own animate skeleton; healing magic slowly grows new flesh
— 59–62 18–23 — Magical ricochet into the astral realm flags the attention of a psychic
parasite that tries to lay eggs in the caster’s brain

Making Normal Things Weird

— 63–67 24–29 — Large inanimate object that’s in the area becomes a (disguised) hungry living creature
— 68–72 30–34 — Establishes a link between the caster and an invisible mummy who then stalks them
— 73–76 35–40 — Creates a large stomach tumor that crawls out of the caster’s mouth the
next time they sleep and grows into their vengeful evil clone
— 77–81 41–46 — Hostile creature in the area becomes duplicated and infected with an unyielding hate for the caster
— 82–86 47–52 — Seven letters in the caster’s handwriting appear (each containing an insulting
poem directed at an authority figure), then teleport to their recipients
— 87–90 53–58 — Any meat the caster has eaten in the past two days reanimates and attacks from within
— 91–95 59–64 — One of the caster’s legs turns to stone, and if they remain in place for too long, it starts to put down roots like a tree
— 96–00 — 91–00 Summons an aggressive fiendish goat whose only purpose in life is to headbutt and knock over the caster
— — 65–70 — Spell jealously squats in the caster’s mind, secretly deleting other spells that the caster
has prepared, until the caster notices and can expel the disruptive magic
— — 71–76 — Face becomes a surreal mishmash of eyes, mouths, and noses, hindering speech and maybe social interaction
— — 77–82 — Small imp‑like figures tear themselves free from the caster’s body,
inflicting ugly wounds, then flee to cause mischief
— — 83–88 — Caster transforms into a vaguely humanoid slime creature and slowly reverts to normal
— — 89–94 — Caster transforms into a coiled paper representation of themselves
— — 95–00 — Head transforms into a smooth obsidian sphere (with functional but muted senses)
75
 I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Emaciated and thin
04–07 — — — Mottled skin
08–10 — — — One limb injured
11–13 — — — Hunched
14–16 — — — Covered in old scars
17–20 — — — Covered in hair/no hair
(whichever is weird)
21–24 — — — Vestigial tail
25–27 — — — Very slack‑jawed
28–31 — — — Vestigial limb
32–34 — — — Covered in sores
35–38 — — — Wears a top hat and a monocle
39–41 — — — Bruises easily
42–45 — — — Wears a ridiculous amount of makeup Use this list to make an existing
46–49 — — — Poisonous body gases creature in your game weird. Entries
50–53 — — — Oversized orthodontics
like “bright purple hair” can be used
54–56 — — — Alcoholic bodily fluids
57–59 01–02 — — Huge, bulbous eyes to turn the creature’s hair whatever
60–63 03–04 — — Surgical scar where a second head was removed color would be weird. A creature
64–66 05–07 — 01 Unusual number of teeth that already has spider limbs getting
67–70 — — 02–03 Chalk‑white hair and skin
a “spiderlike limbs” result might
71–74 — — 04–05 Skin covered in tattoos or brands
75–78 — — 06 Webbed fingers have some other kind of legs, such
79–81 — — 07–08 Pointed ears as a human’s. Or a bird creature
82–85 — — 09–10 One particularly long tooth getting a “birdlike talons on feet”
86–89 — — 11–12 Beautiful, sad eyes
result might have human hands.
90–93 — — 13–14 Elongated limbs
94–97 — — 15–16 Surprisingly well‑groomed
98–00 — — 17–18 Wears a collar attached to a chain
— 08–09 — — Bony ridge down its spine
— 10–12 — — Horns on head
— 13–15 — — No mouth
— 16–18 — — Flesh covered in armored plates
— 19–20 — — Single additional (functional) limb
— 21–22 — — Two limbs fused into one
— 23–24 — — Covered in barbs
— 25–27 — — Almost, but not quite, human
— 28–29 — — Skin made of loose‑hanging sinewy strips
— 30–31 — — Compound eyes
— 32–34 — — Legs replaced by snakelike body/tail
— 35–36 — — Extra mouth in midsection
— 37–38 — — Spiderlike limbs rather than legs
— 39–40 — — Huge lobster claw for hand
— 41–43 — — Bladed weapons for hands or claws
— 44–45 — — Huge head; tiny, atrophied body
— 46–48 — — Additional mouth on tongue
Making Normal Things Weird

— 49–50 — — One limb always shifting and changing

— 51–53 — — Prehensile antlers
— 54–55 — — Teeth in unusual orifice
— 56–57 01–02 — Body parts replaced with technology
— 58–59 03–04 19–20 Tiny compared to others of its kind
— 60–61 — 21–22 Round like a watermelon
— 62–63 — 23–24 Deep blue skin
— 64–66 — 25–26 Skin striped black and white
— 67–69 — 27–28 Wears clothing
— 70–72 — 29 Extra eye
— 73–75 — 30–31 Flesh glows faintly from within
— 76–77 — 32–33 Birdlike talons on feet
— 78–79 — 34–35 Single claw the size of a sword
— 80–81 — 36–37 Prehensile tail
— 82–84 — 38–39 Horns that smoke like chimneys
— 85–87 — 40–41 Half the body from an entirely different creature
— 88–90 — 42–43 Mouths on palms of hands or paws
— 91–93 — 44–45 Skin covered in writing that changes
76 — 94–96 — 46–47 Feet have tiny wings
— 97–98 — 48–49 Visible but intangible
— 99–00 — 50–51 Stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster
— — 05–06 — Vestigial twin
— — 07 — Flesh covered in spiders and webs
— — 08 — Eyes drip with caustic goo
— — 09–10 — Limbs replaced with ropy tendrils
— — 11–12 — Bipedal/quadrupedal (whichever is weird)
— — 13 — Beak rather than a mouth
— — 14–15 — Symbol rather than a face
— — 16–17 — Flesh seems to smolder
— — 18 — Limbs covered in suction cups
— — 19 — Long tongue covered in barbs
— — 20 — Mandibles instead of a mouth
— — 21 — Tentacles surrounding mouth, covered in eyes
— — 22 — Mouths for eyes and an eye inside its mouth
— — 23 — Flesh is mirrored
— — 24 — Brain is exposed
— — 25–26 — Twice as many limbs as normal
— — 27 — Bare skull for a head
— — 28 — Chest covered in long tendrils
— — 29–30 — Doglike head emerging from shoulder
— — 31 — Prehensile intestines
— — 32 — Pierced by dozens of blades and arrows
— — 33 — Half the body rotting like a corpse
— — 34–35 — Eyes detach and fly on their own
— — 36–37 — Constantly budding new versions of itself
— — 38 — Head replaced with a single long tendril
— — 39–40 — Head covered entirely in eyes
— — 41 — Hands or claws replaced by reptilian heads
— — 42 — Not all body parts attached
— — 43–44 — Large crystal orb for a head
— — 45 — Body made of char and ash
— — 46–47 — Amorphous body
— — 48 — Huge head, with many different faces
— — 49–50 — Transparent stomach; swallows creatures whole
— — 51 — Mouth appears to be a portal
— — 52–53 — Metallic cube for a body
— — 54–55 — Blinks in and out of existence
— — 56 52–53 Twice normal size
— — 57 54–55 Mouth opens impossibly wide
— — 58–59 56 Eyes on stalks

The Operatic Corpse

— — 60–61 57–58 Teeth glow with greenish light
— — 62–63 59 Wings/no wings (whichever is weird)
— — 64–65 60–61 Tree branches instead of hair
— — 66 62–63 Always surrounded by swirling winds Some young teens have found a dead body at the
— — 67–68 64–65 Cat head rather than whatever’s normal river’s edge. The remains cannot be identified,
— — 69–70 66 Snakes instead of hair

Making Normal Things Weird

but they are human—with a few caveats.
— — 71–72 67 Flesh studded with precious gems
— — 73–74 68 Portions of body made of granite 1. The corpse’s flesh is a brilliant purple color.
— — 75–76 69–70 Massive antlers, their tips burn blue 2. Nothing appears to have predated on the
— — 77–78 71–72 Flesh sprouts with plants
corpse even though it's been dead for days
— — 79–80 73–74 Casts a shadow not its own
— — 81–82 75–76 Body emits light (as suggested by the decomposition from
— — 83–84 77–78 Half the body made of gaseous vapor the water).
— — 85–86 79–80 One limb made of energy 3. Every hour on the hour the corpse sings
— — 87–88 81–82 Feet never touch the ground
— — 89–90 83–84 Made entirely of old pots and pans
a short snippet of an opera recently
— — 91 85–86 Limbs and face made of gold performed in the area.
— — 92–93 87–88 Huge, lit candle for a head
— — 94–95 89–90 Exists only as a pair of eyes and a mouth
— — 96–97 91–92 No physical form—only thought
— — 98 93–94 Hard, dense liquid for flesh
— — 99–00 95–96 Flowers grow out of empty eye sockets
— — — 97–98 Bright purple hair
— — — 99–00 Mono‑eyed, like a cyclops
77
 Villains do all kinds of terrible things, and
that sparks many an RPG adventure. How can
you make these more interesting or less
predictable? Try making them weird.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Corner the market on a common chemical—used in many important industries—to sow chaos later
02–03 — — — Slip into multiple homes in a neighborhood and smash their tableware
04–05 — — — Artificially increase demand for cheap, inflatable human‑sized dolls; sell off stock before market crashes
06–07 — — — Religious movement whose real purpose is to soak gullible members for as much currency as possible
08 — — — Target and assassinate well‑known celebrities with no other obvious connections
09–10 — — — Use profits from illegal enterprises to prop up a print and radio propaganda company
11 — — — Targeted social media campaigns (for a fee) that use credible deepfakes that delegitimize any target
12 — — — Murder all the brilliant scientists of one nation to inhibit its technological capacity
13–14 — — — Crash the power grid of a city to enable the theft of a well‑protected artifact
15 — — — Poison the water supply of a city and demand a high price for the antidote
16–17 — — — Create an oil spill to draw attention to the danger of fossil fuels
18–19 — — — Steal the torch of the Statue of Liberty for a wealthy collector
20–21 — — — Destroy a tall skyscraper because it is owned by a rival billionaire
22–23 — — — Rob the London Museum and return the historical treasures to their rightful countries
24–25 — — — Take control of a rehab clinic used by ultra‑wealthy and famous patients, then ransom their freedom
26 — — — Build a secret underground tunnel network for various schemes; damages to city infrastructure above
27 — — — Blackmail the producers of a well‑respected news outlet to control the content
28–29 — — — Company of shady contractors and tradespeople who build secret lairs for villains and criminals
30 — — — Hunt Olympic gold medal winners for sport
31 — — — Facilitate human trafficking under the guise of a high school scholarship program
32–33 — — — Launder money through a nationwide chain of laundromats
34–35 — — — Distribute illegal drugs through trading card game packs
36–37 — — — Slowly replace all employees in an art museum, then steal the artwork unopposed
38–39 — — — Stage a populist political campaign, then redirect donor money (if elected,
steal classified documents and sell them to other nations)
40–41 — — — Rob an armored truck by carrying it away in a cargo helicopter
42–43 — — — Infect mobile phones with a digital hive mind whose avatar is an animated “helpful” paper clip
44–45 — — — Extort a movie studio into producing a new sequel to a long‑dead franchise
(Police Academy, Weekend at Bernie’s, Highlander, etc.)
46–47 — — — Conspiracy theory that eating light bulbs prevents cancer
48 — — — Transform all beans into peas
49 — — — Airborne strain of syphilis
50–51 — — — Infectious baldness
52 — — — Kidnap children using robotic toys
53–54 — — — Exclusive resort for the ultra‑wealthy, decorated with stolen art and national monuments
55–56 — — — Replace all forms of criminal punishment with spanking
57–58 — — — Pacify everyone with chemically induced euphoria
59 — — — Orbital bombardment with exhumed corpses
Making Normal Things Weird

60 — — — Depression‑causing drug in the water supply

61–62 — — — Take control of a popular social media platform and use it to spread lies and disinformation
63–64 — — — Create a secret school for thieves, assassins, and criminals of all types
65–66 01–03 — — Steal the queen’s remains and sell them on the dark web
67–68 04–05 — — Drive out evil spirits from a rich family’s “haunted” home, then
extort them to prevent the spirits from returning
69–70 06–08 — — Steal the rare book that holds the key to immortality before other villains can do so
71 09–11 — — Engineer carnivorous trees for fighting logging companies responsible for deforestation
72–73 — 01–02 — Corner the market on sunscreen; release vast quantities of ozone‑depleting chemicals; profit
74 — 03–04 — Sabotage or destroy a crewed spaceflight because a god wants humans to stay on this world
75–76 — 05–06 — Use an earthquake device to break into an impenetrable vault
77 — 07–08 — Fake a missile attack to start a war between two rival nations, then sell weapons to both sides
78–79 — 09–10 — Black market network of trafficked human organs, redirecting the best ones to a billionaire cannibal
80 — 11–12 — Abduct a heartthrob actor and auction him off to wealthy collectors, piece by piece
81–82 — 13–14 — Telepathically steal ideas from writers to post anonymously on the
internet because “Information wants to be free.”
83–84 — 15–16 — Controversial, confusing film with mind‑controlling subliminal messages
85–86 — 17–18 — Invoke a religious apocalypse by enacting prophesied disasters
78 87–88 — — 01–06 Draw clown faces on sleeping council members in permanent marker
89–90 — — 07–12 Introduce ants into the peanut butter factory
91–92 — — 13–18 Malware inserts cartoon characters into electronic files; they compliment users but steal their data
93–94 — — 19–24 Train heist using only trained cats and dogs
95–96 — — 25–31 Capture hated enemy, dress them in a bat onesie, and secretly
imprison them in a tiny cell for a year or more
97–98 — — 32–37 Kidnap the president’s dog
99–00 — — 38–43 Assassinate the enemies of wealthy clients with poisonous spiders
— 12–14 — — Flu virus that targets only physically fit and athletic people
— 15–17 — — Ultrasonic waves in schools to make young people more easy to manipulate
— 18–19 — — Murder a rival’s spouse and use a deepfake video to frame them for the act
— 20–22 — — Kidnap average people and brainwash them into controllable deadly assassins
— 23–24 — — Infect cacao plants with a virus that makes chocolate highly toxic
— 25–27 — — Impregnate all the men in Dallas, Texas
— 28–30 — — Use television signals as a beacon for UFOs
— 31–32 — — Sabotage a fertility clinic with lizard‑people hybrid embryos
— 33–35 — — Replace key politicians with remote‑controlled androids; convert the economy to cryptocurrency
— 36–37 — — Combat overpopulation by genetically limiting human lifespans to 35 years
— 38–40 — — Elect or appoint powerful vampires into high‑ranking senior positions
— 41–42 — — Give all humans the exact same appearance, with the goal of eliminating racism
— 43–45 — — Devolve the human species to more primitive hominids
— 46–48 — — Army of homicidal holiday creatures (Santa, elves, Krampus, reindeer)
— 49–51 — — Digitize everyone as background characters in a web comic
— 52–53 19–20 — Steal the literal face (the skin, anyway) from a well‑recognized politician in order to pose as them
— 54–55 21–22 — Strap boosters to an asteroid and threaten to launch it at Earth unless their demand is met
— 56–57 23–24 — Release a virus that causes irrevocable infertility in human males
— 58–59 25–26 — Work day and night on creating real zombies; lots of innocent people
hurt regardless of how impossible goal might be
— 60–62 27–28 — Etch the visible face of the moon with advertising or threats
— 63–64 29–30 — Murder guests at a B&B in the hopes of producing a spectral tourist‑attraction
— 65–67 31–32 — Steal the beautiful voice of a renowned opera singer to have it for their own
— 68–70 33–34 — Kidnap young, tasty people to sell to a recluse vampire in exchange for rare occult lore
— 71–73 35–36 — Use genetic engineering to recreate monsters from horror films, just to prove their genius
— 74–75 37–38 — Destroy an enemy by redirecting a meteorite to crash into their home
— 76–77 39–40 — Infiltrate government installations with robot drones that look like cockroaches; steal valuable intel
— 78–80 41–42 — Human‑dinosaur hybrids
— 81–83 43–44 — Elect a presidential candidate who is actually an agent for extraterrestrials
— 84–86 45–46 — Multiple degenerating copies of the villain from the future use meta‑awareness to meddle with timeline
— 87–89 — 44–50 Steal secret corporate intellectual property from the dreams of CEOs and top‑level employees
— 90–91 — 51–56 Assassinate important individuals with trained bird flocks who fly into their planes’ engines
— 92–94 — 57–62 Eliminate the twentieth day of every month, plus Groundhog Day and Leap Day
— 95–97 — 63–68 Thwart or cause an apocalypse by shooting ninety‑nine specific individuals into space
— 98–00 47–48 69–74 Burn down Santa’s workshop
— — 49–51 75–80 Steal the moon
— — 52–54 81–86 Turn people into eggs
— — 55–56 — Use experimental drugs and procedures to become immortal; it kills thousands of test subjects

Making Normal Things Weird

— — 57–59 — Install a software backdoor into a popular electric vehicle’s
computer to hijack the self‑driving functions
— — 60–62 — Sink an ocean liner on the anniversary of the Titanic disaster (it’s all part of a long occult ritual)
— — 63–64 — Use an unreliable teleporter to get into a lab where a much better teleporter is being tested
— — 65–67 — Use sound cues buried within a popular podcast to drive listeners insane, just to foment chaos
— — 68–69 — Use gene splicing to mix dogs with other predators, then sell the results to wealthy criminals
— — 70–72 — Rob a jewelry store by tunneling into it from beneath using an army of hypnotized moles
— — 73–75 — Give everyone pathetic or useless superpowers
— — 76–78 — Control minds by creating an actual wavelength of light that produces the color magenta
— — 79–80 — Create a designer drug that speeds up addicts by stealing time from other people
— — 81–83 — Rewrite our reality with a parallel dimension where the villain’s loved one is still alive
— — 84–86 — Trap everyone in a time loop of July 31st, 2023
— — 87–89 — Globally mind‑control everyone to jump westward at once to alter the Earth’s rotational speed
— — 90–92 — Awaken everyone from a shared computer simulation
— — 93–95 — Flood a small town with raspberry jam
— — 96–97 — Vacuum up souls with an orbital space platform
— — 98–00 — Merge entire cities into a horrible amalgamation of flesh
— — — 87–93 Abduct all the cats in the city to thwart a prophecy that cats would one day be humanity’s downfall
— — — 94–00 Murder people and take their gall bladders as homage to the bile god 79
Part 2:
WEIRD AT THE CORE
 Occasionally, the only thing weird about a character is just a minor
little quirk—something you might not even notice right away.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Never drinks pure water because they believe
water “rusts your parts”
02 — — — Has at least one stuffed owl in every room of
their home and carries a “lucky owl’s foot” with them
03 — — — Washes dishes, silverware, clothing, themself, etc. only
on days of the year corresponding with prime numbers
04 — — — Practices panicking every few days
05 — — — Has a pathological fear of hammocks
06 — — — Has a 600-pound (270 kg) pet hog called Malroy
07 — — — Concentrates best when listening to the sound of sawing
08 — — — Always wears the same weather‑beaten (some would say unfortunate) pirate hat
09 — — — Collects buttons, many of which are sewn onto their clothes, whether or not they match or serve a function
10 — — — Goes out of their way to knock over flower pots, stamp on wild blooms, and if they can get away with it, torch arboretums
11 — — — Avoids or fears the number 27 like others have a superstitious dread of 13
12 — — — Wears cooked meat as jewelry, much of which is gone by day’s end due to frequent snacking
13 — — — Calls everyone else “Whiskey”
14 — — — Carries the prototype of the new hair‑themed card game they created, always looking for a chance to show it off
15 — — — Always asks newly met people how many teeth they still have
16 — — — Thinks hugs are “for suckers”
17 — — — Uses “baby talk” even when speaking with adults
18 — — — Counts the bones in their body every morning to make sure they’re still there
19 — — — Speaks with a fake Scottish accent
20 — — — Always munching on pickles; keeps spare jars around just in case
21 — — — Never changes their underwear
22 — — — Is very concerned about whether strangers (or friends) have yet “found a friend in Jesus”
23 — — — Won a cooking contest at a young age; never misses an opportunity to refer to that, or tell the story to a stranger
24 — — — Sometimes hauls off and hits the biggest person in the room just to “start shit”
25 — — — Talks about their “nemesis” a lot, and how one day they’ll meet and that will be that
26 — — — Sometimes screams and faints
27 — — — Constantly admires all the qualities and kinds of knives; has a few of their own to show off to the curious
28 — — — Likes to wear a domino mask and matching gloves, no matter the occasion
29 — — — Likes to wrap themselves in cloth strips “like a mummy”
30 — — — Keeps notes on loose index cards; is always misordering or losing their index cards
31 — — — Wears and carries several watches and timepieces (battery‑powered, wind‑up, analog, and digital)
32 — — — Wears a monocle, but not especially well; it falls out a lot
33 — — — Loves admiring themselves in mirrors; carries a pocket mirror to glance at when larger mirrors are absent
34 — — — Always wears the clothes they were married in, except when they have to get the garments cleaned or repaired
35 — — — Smokes cigarillos… nasally
36 — — — Chews their hair
37 — — — Knows a lot of weird facts about poison
38 — — — Drops subtle hints that their nudes are on the internet
39 — — — Always tells a story or anecdote about when they lived in Japan
40 — — — Wears glasses but frequently peers over them to squint at what they look at (unclear if they’re nearsighted or farsighted)
41 — — — Frequently calls back to an obscure science fiction story about Mars
42 — — — Walks really fast, like they have to pee
43 — — — Can’t stick with any particular hair color for more than a few days
44 — — — Likes to remind you that they’re vegan (or an atheist, or that they do CrossFit)
Weird at the Core

45 — — — Is a really bad cook (or baker), but thinks their stuff tastes fine and is confused when others don’t like it
46 — — — Has an idle habit of tapping a pen against their eye (perhaps it’s a prosthetic?)
47 — — — Peppers any conversation with real and made‑up Latin terms
48 — — — Speaks with a high rising terminal inflection, so they always sound like they’re asking a question?
49 — — — Strongly prefers tea to coffee
50 — — — Has a large piece of hard candy (or chewing tobacco) tucked into one cheek
51 — — — Adds ballet moves to their walk and says, “I studied ballet for a while,” if someone seems to notice
52 — — — Carries (and frequently uses) a lint roller
53 — — — Talks like they’re very promiscuous
54 — — — Frequently references their alma mater, Cornell University
55 — — — Sometimes rolls a d6 and consults a chart in their notebook before answering a question
56 — — — Is so bad at getting song lyrics right that they must be doing it intentionally
82 57 — — — Ridiculously good at vocal impressions
58 — — — Faints at the sight of blood
59 — — — Surprisingly scrappy (old lady with purse, child who fights like a feral animal, and so on)
60 — — — Is clumsy, but only in ways that stain their skin or clothes (food, ink, automotive grease)
61 — — — Loves to dance, but they’re so uncoordinated it’s hard not to laugh
62 — — — Tucks their sweater into their pants, no exceptions
63 — — — Makes a little “ahhh” noise after every sip of a beverage
64 — — — Tunelessly whistles to themselves all the damn time
65 — — — Expresses, when given the opportunity, that they’re proud not to have a driver’s license
66 — — — Has the catchphrase “That’s what the government WANTS you to think, eh?”
67 — — — Always has their shoelaces untied, but never trips on them
68 — — — Leads with their right foot when entering a building (and sometimes does a little hop to adjust their pace because of this)
69 — — — Plugs their ears or inserts earplugs at even slightly loud sounds
70 — — — Always carries a marked deck of playing cards
71 — — — Once spent three days doing nothing but teaching themselves to blow a bubble with gum
72 — — — Keeps waiting for someone to notice that they dyed their nose hair
73 — — — Always wears one thing that is the exact color of a Campbell’s soup can label
74 — — — Is always too hot or too cold, and is never, ever “just right”
75 — — — Tries to steal other people’s clothes, jewelry, or accessories, but only when the people are wearing them
76 — — — Gets so enthusiastic when they talk that they knock things over, spill things, or accidentally punch people
77 — — — Always carries a blanket to hide under in case they or someone else gets scared
78 — — — Roots for the underdog every time, even (or perhaps especially) if there’s no chance of them succeeding
79 — — — Collects a piece of glass, pebble, or shell from everywhere they go, even if they have to break something to get it
80 — — — Hands books to random strangers and says “This is yours”; invariably, the recipient realizes it is their copy of that book
81 — — — Has two birthday parties every year, and refuses to tell anyone which is their real birthday
82 — — — Bakes cookies decorated like their own face and keeps bringing them to the office
83 — — — Always has the hiccups and doesn’t seem to notice
84 — — — Can’t tell a joke to save their life but keeps trying
85 01–05 — — Enjoys being stung by mosquitos, bees, wasps, ants, and similar creatures; reacts as if injected with adrenaline
86 06–10 — — Always hung over, but functional; mere proximity to them makes people feel tipsy
87 11–15 — — Always has a doobie hidden in a custom‑modified fat Sharpie pen, even after being searched
88 16–20 — — Noticeably holds their breath in the middle of conversations, for an extraordinarily long time
89 21–26 — — Takes a sip of other people’s drinks without asking
90 27–32 — — Believes they are allergic to money and barters with what’s in their pocket, often successfully for items not too extravagant
91 33–38 — 01–09
Always introduces themself with a different name, and each time it’s sincere
92 — 01–10 — Accidentally sneaks up on and startles you, all the time, even when it should be impossible
93 — 11–20 — Can easily dislocate most of their bones and pop them back in place
94 — — 10–18
Says they’ve adopted the moon; waves up at it and speaks to it like a baby when the moon is visible
95 — — 19–27
Has a pet gecko that runs about their person, in their clothes, perched on their shoulder, and so on
96 — — 28–36
Dresses only in shades of green
97 — — 37–45
Is always practicing magic tricks
98 — — 46–54
Has a pocket full of chocolates that they keep just to give out to people who look as if they could use a lift
99 — — 55–63
Spends idle moments folding origami trolls, dragons, and medusas
00 — — 64–72
Carries a small potted plant with them wherever they go; treats the plant’s well‑being as a top priority
— 39–44 — — Is always chewing (and cracking) ice from a big cup, but never seems to refill the cup
— 45–49 — — Sometimes has conversations with an invisible friend they call Karl, who they describe as a “troublesome spirit boy”
— 50–55 — — Glows for a few moments after all the lights go out
— 56–60 — — Wears complicated electronic glasses so they can avoid seeing double
— 61–65 — — Constantly stroking the curling horns they had implanted during their body mod surgery
— 66–71 — — Is so ticklish that even saying the word “tickle” makes them start laughing
— 72–77 — — Always wears a large ruby glued to a part of their body
— 78–83 — — Always finds a rainbow in the sky, even if no one else could see it before they pointed it out
— 84–89 21–30 — Claims to be a “psychic vampire” in an otherwise mundane world (probably true)
Weird at the Core

— 90–94 — 73–81
Often reacts upwardly, as if to a camera; proximity to them feels like being watched by someone remote and powerful
— 95–00 — 82–90
Every animal they walk by falls in love with them
— — 31–40 — Knows a unique cuss word; everyone who hears them say it reacts with shock, revulsion, and nausea
— — 41–50 — Addicted to apples; becomes jittery, anxious, and covered in hives if they go more than a few hours without eating an apple
— — 51–60 — Hated by babies, and they can telepathically hear the primal, angry things that the babies are thinking about them
— — 61–70 — Refuses to brush their teeth; can’t be convinced that their breath is gross enough to peel paint and kill small animals
— — 71–80 — Will watch a television series only in chronological order (no skipping episodes or rewatching just one);
watching them out of order triggers psychic feedback that gives nearby people headaches
— — 81–90 — Loudly cracks their neck in a way that looks like it really hurts; can also safely turn their
head all the way around, but they demonstrate this only to people they trust
— — 91–00 — Makes a “pretend camera” gesture (and says, “Click!”) when wanting to remember seeing
something interesting; these photos show up on their phone and social media accounts
— — — 91–00 Goes to great lengths to keep up their pretense of being a time traveler from the future 83
 I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Struck by Lightning Festival
04–06 — — — Yeartide
07–09 — — — Barnacle Carnival
10–11 — — — Take Your Boss Home Day
12–13 — — — Septcentenary
14–16 — — — Survival Day Filling your setting with holidays and seasonal festivals
17–19 — — — Wanderfervor
is a great worldbuilding tool to develop cultures and
20–22 — — — Jubilee of the Snakes
23–25 — — — Wintersleep traditions. Use this list to come up with some weird ones.
26–28 — — — Green Eye Harvestmass
29–31 — — — Verdurmass (where everyone wears green paint and eats unripe fruit)
32–34 — — — Dance of the End (where party‑goers celebrate in their
local graveyard and drink until they pass out)
35–37 — — — Festival of the Blaze (where merrymakers, ideally, don protective gear before
lighting themselves and, ideally, pre‑selected structures on fire)
38–40 — — — Oculonal (where people get yet another tattoo of an eye and tell puns eye‑bout eyes)
41–43 — — — Butternalia
44–46 — — — National Wear Your Cat Day
47–49 — — — Lipstrip (where people forcibly remove everyone's and anyone’s unfortunate
mustache, or rip off prop mustaches if no real ones can be found)
50–51 — — — World Pat Day
52–54 — — — Sum(A:Z) (where people at fiscal year‑end celebrate with
an observed gratefulness for spreadsheets)
55–56 — — — Epiphany of the AI
57–59 — — — Simplemass (where people get rid of—by donating, tossing into the
garbage, or burning—a possession they don’t really need)
60–62 — — — Extinction Day Parade (where everyone dresses up as some kind
of extinct animal and marches in remembrance)
63–65 — — — Small Saints Day (where regular people are celebrated
for small kindnesses and considerations)
66–68 — — — Luckiest Luck Day (where people believe good fortune is bestowed to
those who first have consensual sex on this day, and bad luck is bestowed
to those who have sex on this day if it’s not their first time)
69–70 — — — Spittlesave (where people celebrate the end of a historical drought by
spitting into clay jars, then spilling the full jars onto farmland)
71–73 — — — New Cup Day (where the least favorite cup in the household is
shattered and burned and a new cup is bought to replace it)
74–76 — — — Crocustane (where people celebrate children whose birthday
falls on the same day as their parent or grandparent)
77–79 — — — Censorille (where a random word is drawn from a hat the day before, and if someone
hears you speak that word, they can slap you once without any repercussions)
80–81 — — — Hurl Pearl (where parents write their children’s names on one heavy stone
each, and the child named on the farthest‑thrown stone wins a prize)
82–84 — — — Prairie Crown (where people weave tall crowns out of prairie grass, pretend to
be obnoxious royalty, and make proclamations about their “glorious rule”)
85–86 — — — Mudfest (where participants enter a muddy pit and stand in a circle,
then try to push their neighbors out of the circle while everyone else
watches; the last person in the pit is honored with a feast)
87–88 — — — Akazuren (where willing spouses may permanently swap who they are married to)
89–90 — — 01–11 Crapulence Fiesta
91–92 — — 12–22 Saint Turnberry’s Day (where children hide bugs all around the house)
93–95 — — 23–33 High Holy Day of Cows (where revelers drink only milk and eat only cheese)
Weird at the Core

96–97 — — 34–44 Fang Day (where people wear fake plastic fangs and donate blood, ideally to a blood bank)
98–00 — — 45–55 Dance of the Fireflies (where everyone lights candles at midnight and
dances with one or more partners until their candle goes out)
— 01–06 — — Feast of the Cannibals (aka Cannibals Day)
— 07–12 — — Solstice of the Hidden Suns
— 13–18 — — Starspree Orgy
— 19–23 — — Robot Liberation Revel
— 24–29 — — Moontheft Remembrance
— 30–34 — — Stomachbulge Feast
— 35–40 — — Fenthemas (where everyone sings the song of forgetting)
— 41–46 — — Murphy’s Day (where people begin the day by smacking their thumb
with a hammer to fend off even worse misfortune later)
84 — 47–51 — — Day of Reticence (where no one speaks for fear of ghosts entering their mouths)
— 52–57 — — Remembrance of the Unfaithfully Departed (where atheists and others suspected of
not believing in a higher power are mourned for their presumed eternal torment)
— 58–63 — — Whisperspeak (where all the people of the city are able to understand the language of cats)
— 64–69 — — Dead God’s Day (where people celebrate the death of a
tyrannical evil demigod slain by heroes)
— 70–74 — — Splintermark (where people have a solemn early winter day as they remember when
an enemy war machine exploded, killing half of the local army and embedding metal
fragments in the survivors; those fragments noticeably ache and twinge on this day)
— 75–79 — — Longhander (where participants cut between the bones of one hand to make their
fingers appear to have extra joints; this usually means the hand becomes useless, and
although the origin of the holiday is lost, adherents insist it serves a vital purpose)
— 80–84 — — Stonefall (where community leaders choose one condemned criminal to
be crushed by the tipping of a standing stone as a way to scapegoat the
community’s sins; there are few suitable standing stones remaining)
— 85–89 — 56–66 Frog Hark Eve
— 90–95 — 67–77 Savior From the Sky (where people wait outdoors quietly and
contemplatively for a prophesied savior to fall out of the sky)
— 96–00 — 78–88 Killer Crabapple (where people take bites of a dozen apples, a handful of
which have been lightly poisoned, but only enough to cause a bad bellyache;
those who do get sick should expect bad luck in the coming year)
— — 01–17 — March Mothness (where everyone celebrates the emergence of spring moths
from their cocoons by wearing soft blankets and sewing their mouths shut)
— — 18–33 — Feast of Sacrifice (where, after a community feast, one community member is
chosen by lot to be sacrificed and tilled into the soil to ensure next year’s harvest)
— — 34–49 — Crocudanol (where a red star appears every 17 years and predicts the birth of
vicious, mutated infants whose heads will resemble spotted hyenas)
— — 50–66 — Descension Day (where people honor a mortal who became a god, decided he didn’t
like it, and gave up his godly powers to live out the rest of a mortal lifetime)
— — 67–83 — The Devouring (where a mouth‑shaped shadow appears on the moon,
and people gorge themselves on human‑shaped molasses cookies, as
if to say “There is nothing here for you to eat, hungry moon”)
— — 84–00 — Seven Hundred and Seventy‑Seven Cuts (where one volunteer is
amputated a slice at a time, starting with the digits, working their way
up the limbs, and then slicing from the groin up to the neck)
— — — 89–00 Frolic of the Dogs

Weird at the Core

85
 When your superhero PCs have had
enough of stopping bank robberies,
alien armies, and villains who want to
blow up the planet, use this list to give
them something weird to deal with.

I S G W Weirdness
01–04 — — — A computer program written by a gifted teen becomes sentient, falls
in love with, then becomes wildly overprotective of its creator
05–07 — — — Two criminal organizations battle each other for control in a literal
game of chess using unsuspecting people as pieces
08–11 — — — Everyone at city hall is found dead from poison gas, though a few
bear marks of a greenish, poison human handprint
12–14 — — — Attendees at an art gallery opening are taken hostage by a supervillain
able to induce severe gastrointestinal distress in their victims
15–18 — — — Superhero characters are sued by a powerful legal firm (itself secretly
headed by a supervillain) on behalf of a shady organization
19–21 — — — A desert town, hundreds of miles from the nearest body of water or
rainstorm, mysteriously floods, forcing its residents to evacuate
22–25 — — — A new superhuman somehow keeps showing up and dealing with problems
before the PCs arrive, badmouthing the heroes for being unresponsive
26–28 — — — Evil agents dig beneath the subway tunnels for a buried
artifact but stir up a nest of humanoid mutant rats
29–31 — — — A crazed dictator of a small country plans to launch a
nuclear missile to celebrate their birthday
32–35 — — — Criminals rob a bank, but one of the safe deposit boxes holds a number of
radioactive spiders and insects in stasis; anyone bitten by these. . . .
36–38 — — — A domestic terrorist group uses a brainwashed superhuman to work with them
39–42 — — — Supervillain’s plot to contaminate the water supply goes awry, and
it gives everyone in the city temporary superpowers
43–45 — — — One PC’s childhood bully gains superpowers as an adult and
must learn how to use them and what to use them for
46–48 — — — A scientist discovers a vaccine for a terrible disease, but various governments send
agents to kidnap her; some to keep the cure, some to keep it away from others
49–52 — — — A well‑known supervillain has a change of heart and wants to reform; the PCs have to show
them how, even as the supervillain’s old partners try to tempt them back to a life of crime
53–56 — — — Supervillain with hydrokinesis turns all the coffee in a cafe into a
single monster to attack his ex‑wife’s new boyfriend
57–59 — — — Supervillain secretly extracts the essence of various heroes’ powers and
bottles it so that people can have those powers for a short time
60–62 — — — The government of a small nation captures people with superpowers to
fuse them into a giant battery to give the country limitless energy
63–65 — — — To pull off a robbery, criminals use a powerful hallucinogenic gas on everyone in a
large area; the PCs must save people from their own wild and dangerous actions
66–68 — — — Many low‑level supervillains and crooks form a secret society of
mutual aid, sharing weapons, intel, transportation, and so on
69–71 — — — Hackers have launched an attack on a major airport and upload false
data to air traffic control to engineer a number of crashes
72–74 — — — A high‑tech, pyromantic arsonist is burning down major
buildings and sites . . . alphabetically
75–77 — — — Today’s newspaper is shockingly dated one week from now, and has a story
Weird at the Core

about the death of the PC heroes at the hands of their nemesis

78–80 — — — It’s the outbreak of a new virus, but this one takes powers away from
superhumans and gives powers to those who do not have them
81–83 — — — Protests turn violent thanks to a supervillain’s mass emotion control powers, but she’s
secretly working for politicians who want to show demonstrators in a poor light
84–86 — — — An evil billionaire sets a trap for the PC heroes using hundreds of
paid actors and practical effects artists to fake a calamity
87–90 — — — The PCs easily defeat a supervillain, only to encounter the supervillain’s
twin, who gains power for every injury their sibling sustains
91–93 — — — The test of a machine to help alleviate climate change goes awry, causing
random weather events to strike small areas in rapid succession
94–96 — — — Supervillain threatens to detonate a nuclear bomb if the heroes don’t
86 secretly allow them to appear to win a superpowered battle on live TV
97–00 — — — An NPC superhero turns to crime and selfish use of their powers—and they’re not
being mind‑controlled; they’re just tired of not profiting from having abilities
— 01–04 — — A mad scientist released a gas into the zoo that uplifts every animal overnight
into humanoid forms with powers appropriate to their species
— 05–08 — — The ghost of a hero from the past warns the PCs of coming dangers, but the
ghost is manipulated by a team of geriatric supervillains who hate that hero
— 09–11 — — A lightning strike at the chemical factory animates a cancer‑causing goo monster
— 12–14 — — Someone in flying powered armor broke into the foundry
and made off with tons of reclaimed copper
— 15–17 — — An alien rockstar and their entourage materializes around the earth to
stage a continent‑sized concert, whether it’s welcome or not
— 18–21 — — Someone able to step out of shadows, wielding a
shadow blade, hunts other superpowered people
— 22–24 — — An entity of random metallic junk occasionally materializes near the
university where a prominent scientist died in an explosion
— 25–28 — — Werewolves and vampires, ripped straight from the movies, siege a powerful senator’s home
— 29–31 — — The heroes discover they are under surveillance by a covert government agency
that plans on building android replicas of them who are less of a security risk
— 32–34 — — Dogs in the area gradually gain the ability to talk and think; most remain
friendly, but some are not so sure about the “ownership” thing
— 35–37 — — People disappear; later, they are found dead, each body covered
and interthreaded with exuberant fungal growths
— 38–40 — — Time‑displaced outlaws from the Old West rob modern‑day banks
— 41–44 — — A supervillain allies with creatures of living music to steal rare recordings
— 45–47 — — New supervillain debuts that has the opposite power of whatever superhuman they face
— 48–50 — — Robotic dragons attack a tech company campus to steal a new mech prototype
— 51–53 — — An infant sent to earth from a dying world brings trouble as many different
forces (alien and human) want custody and control of the child
— 54–57 — — A tornado has been causing incredible damage for hours,
and it doesn’t seem to be diminishing
— 58–60 — — Exposure to an alien artifact creates a duplicate of a terrible
supervillain, but the duplicate claims to be a hero
— 61–63 — — A secret cabal of billionaires offers people one million dollars, but in exchange
they must be turned into mutant brutes and serve as bodyguards
— 64–66 — — A non‑powered friend of a PC is revealed to have been an android replacement
for months; all interactions are called into question, not to mention who
created the android and why—and where the friend is now
— 67–69 — — The PCs’ base develops sentience and the characters must
befriend it and explain past indiscretions
— 70–72 — — Half a major city trades places with its counterpart in a
parallel dimension, causing pandemonium
— 73–75 — — An insane supervillain makes it so that concrete in the city center slowly liquefies, trapping
people in the sidewalks and eventually threatening the structure of the buildings
— 76–79 — — A mutant girl without control of her abilities causes superhuman powers
to switch back and forth between people—powered or not
— 80–82 — — Supervillain transfers all the people in a city to a simulation and demands a huge ransom
for their release; rescuing the people requires convincing them their world isn’t real
— 83–85 — — The dead rise from a local cemetery, and their goal appears to
be destroying a number of historical monuments
— 86–88 — — A viral video convinces skateboard kids to pledge their
souls to the devil and commit wanton, evil acts
Weird at the Core

— 89–91 — — A powerful mutant’s dreams begin to manifest while they sleep, causing surreal havoc
— 92–94 — — A mischievous genius animates all the statues in the art museum and has them run amok
— 95–97 — — Scientist introduces what she calls the fatigue frequency, a signal that makes people more
or less tired; people who don’t sleep because they’re not tired become homicidal maniacs
— 98–00 — — The PCs must protect a young boy; for unknown reasons, a variety
of alien civilizations insist that he must be destroyed
— — 01–04 — An intelligent earthquake epicenter moves at a walking pace toward the city
— — 05–08 — City council members are blackmailed by someone claiming to
be able to steal their bones right out of their skin
— — 09–12 — Out of a meteor crater steps a humanoid with gravity powers
who claims to be the sentient core of a neutron star
— — 13–17 — A fracking natural gas (methane) extraction is destroyed by a kaiju‑sized
walking tree; a child sitting in one of the branches directs the tree 87
 — — 18–21 — A horrible incident at a popular night club leaves everyone
alive but fused into each other’s flesh
— — 22–25 — A mutant and an alien take over a news studio to project mind control
rays through the broadcast via a magical gem from the future
— — 26–29 — Representatives from an undersea kingdom arrive at the UN to insist that humans’
pollution of the oceans is shifting the planet into an alien dimension
— — 30–33 — Characters from well‑known movies come to life as
animated 2‑D celluloid and attack theaters
— — 34–37 — Homicidal maniac supervillain makes a deal with an ancient space god to destroy the sun
— — 38–42 — Interdimensional entities hold a contest in which famous figures from
myth and history battle in a contest held in the present
— — 43–46 — A cosmic wizard absorbs all of Earth’s ingenuity
— — 47–50 — Aliens set up an interstellar raceway and it brings racers dangerously close to Earth
— — 51–54 — A cereal company begins producing wildly popular Slimy Ohs,
oh‑so‑sweet‑n‑yummy, that are actually eggs of invading aliens
— — 55–58 — Someone’s planting reality inversion bombs that put
adults in children’s bodies and vice versa
— — 59–62 — Moth DNA is mixed up with an experimental drug designed to treat a rare genetic condition;
it’s injected into dozens of patients who are found encased in chrysalises the next day
— — 63–66 — A group of geothermal engineers accidentally releases the
children‑starved Krampus from his deep‑earth entombment
— — 67–70 — Hostile, 1‑millimeter‑tall aliens arrive with their own superbeings who
are super strong, can fly, and so on—but they’re still really tiny
— — 71–75 — A wizard’s spell inadvertently gives machines sentience and animates them, forcing
the PCs to fight angry toasters, laptops, and even a giant construction crane
— — 76–79 — Carnivorous aliens arrive on Earth and discover
that human brains grant them superpowers
— — 80–83 — The PCs are flung back in time and hunted as witches by the people of the era
— — 84–87 — Emotions (rage, love, fear, etc.) incarnate as powerful beings that want
to spread themselves further among the world’s population
— — 88–91 — Supervillain seeking revenge traps the heroes’ consciousnesses five minutes
in the past, so they have difficulty interacting with the present
— — 92–95 — The PCs are plucked from their world and placed in an infinite maze of
traps and puzzles so alien beings can wager on their progress
— — 96–00 — A prison filled with supervillains malfunctions and lets them all free, but a godlike
alien captures and enslaves them; the PCs must rescue the supervillains
— — — 01–08 A 60-foot (18 m) tall giant from myth arrives on modern Earth,
promising immortality to anyone who can defeat them
— — — 09–15 A young child’s closet is a portal to hell; the monsters they
fear are real (and a threat to the whole city)
— — — 16–23 A portal inadvertently brings beings from fairy tales to
Earth, and some of them are very dangerous
— — — 24–31 After the PCs save folks in a rural town from a minor threat, a grateful
old woman gives the heroes a book that turns out to be an atlas of
the multiverse; the old woman cannot be found again
— — — 32–39 Supervillain from another dimension turns hats and
helmets into mouths that bite their wearers
— — — 40–46 A man finds a wish‑granting magic ring, and his poorly thought
out desires make anime characters real, clog the streets with sports
cars, and bury his house in currency; that’s just for starters
— — — 47–54 Supervillain attempts to imprison the consciousnesses of the heroes, but they
Weird at the Core

inadvertently get placed into the bodies of nearby animals—with their same powers
— — — 55–61 The petulant prince of an alien planet comes to Earth and expects to be
treated like royalty or he will launch an attack from his warship in orbit
— — — 62–69 Everyone at a major horse race is transformed into a centaur due to an ancient curse
— — — 70–77 A battleship from WWII, known to have been at the bottom of the ocean,
hovers over a coastal city, crewed by 19th‑century pirates
— — — 78–84 Giant fruiting bodies of a transdimensional fungus burst up from beneath
a town, each guarded by mole people who have bonded with fungi
— — — 85–92 Everyone in the city center suddenly looks identical to everyone else—
and they all look like an insane supervillain’s ex‑boyfriend
— — — 93–00 The PCs are regressed to their ten‑year‑old selves from a
transdimensional accident, but they still have their powers
88
 89
Weird at the Core
 Like any other object, clothing can be
simple, or it can be weird. Use this list when
determining what the raving high priest, the
orcish minstrel, or the alien senator wears.
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Air‑conditioned formal suit
02–03 — — — Chainmail blazer
04 — — — Fishscale socks
05 — — — Stainless steel nail extensions
06 — — — Crown of blades
07–08 — — — Feather overcoat
09 — — — Mask with no eyes
10–11 — — — Parasol skirt
12 — — — Balloon pants
13 — — — Wolf head rubber mask
14 — — — Red, full‑body (including face) smock with boots and a cloak
15 — — — Flipper shoes
16 — — — Textured body paint depicting jungle foliage
17–18 — — — Chocolate gloves
19 — — — Meat dress
20 — — — Long dress with a pop‑up tray to hold drinks
21 — — — High‑heeled shoes with guns for the heels
22–23 — — — Sunglasses that reflect the sun directly into other people’s eyes
24 — — — Pair of shoelaces with aglets that tell you if you’re about to trip or fall
25 — — — Helmet that looks like a giant eyeball
26–27 — — — Shirt with an edible collar that grows back each day
28 — — — Hat shaped like a rain cloud that rains when the wearer cries
29 — — — Pair of beetles that hang from the wearer’s ears like earrings
30–31 — — — Outfit that stretches the wearer’s muscles for them while they wear it
32 — — — Green shirt that gives off the smell of evergreen needles; it’s set with blinking, multicolored lights
33 — — — Leisure suit with an extra hand for holding the wearer’s drink
34–35 — — — Disposable gloves made of thinly sliced deli meat
36 — — — Deerstalker hat that squeezes the wearer’s head when they guess/deduce incorrectly
37 — — — Wooden face mask made of a tree killed by lightning; it still smokes
38 — — — Metallic praying‑mantis‑like hand prosthetics that are adept at plucking eyes from strangers
39 — — — Oversized shoulder pads that interfere with the wearer moving their head
40–41 — — — Shoes that look like hobbit feet
42–43 — — — Overalls and a t‑shirt that has an oddly explicit centaur theme
44 — — — Breastplate made from video game cartridges
45 — — — Red gloves decorated to look like toothy maws
46 — — — Wooden barrel with sponsored brewery logos
47 — — — Black, winged codpiece
48 — — — Oversized 2002 New Year’s celebration sunglasses
49 — — — Cylindrical, yellow head effigy made of child‑safe plastic polymer
50 — — — Colorful baggy pants underneath leather chaps
51 — — — T‑shirt, jeans, and baseball cap, but they’re all worn backward
52 — — — Tall boots shaped like demonic hooves
53 — — — Bright orange motion‑capture bodysuit and face makeup
54 — — — Neutral‑colored bodysuit under a chest‑mounted ring of video cameras recording in all directions
55 — — — Shirt and pants with a particular pet animal theme (cat, bird, snake, toy dog,
Weird at the Core

and so on), matching the living animal the wearer carries with them
56 — — — Red veil with a long train that splits and curves up to tie at the wearer’s wrists
57 — — — Wide‑brimmed hat with keys dangling around the edge
58 — — — Gas mask designed to look stylish with glued‑on beads
59 — — — Leather jacket with the words “Fuck the World” painted on the back
60–61 — — — Mask made of a burlap sack with goggles sewn in and antlers on top
62–63 — — — Beekeeper’s hat with tiny bronze fish woven into the netting
64 — — — Mask made of chainsaw chains and large carpentry nails
65 — — — Child‑sized pink taffeta dress stained with blood; it has tiny hidden pockets with knives in them
66 — — — Crochet Viking helmet with horns
67 — — — Chainmail shawl
68–69 — — — Corset with a metallic spine on the back
90 70 — — — Hair shirt made of coarse animal hair infested with fleas
 71 — — — Sweater covered with military medals and decorations
72 — — — Leather coat with candles on the shoulders
73 — — — Intricate black lace bodysuit with matching gloves
74 — — — Cowled cloak covered in a maze
75 — — — Fashionable smock with a plant motif that incorporates actual branches and leaves
76 — — — Suit of armor made of trash can lids
77 — — — Shirt clearly made for someone with two heads
78 — — — Boots that leave prints of words behind (words and letters can be changed)
79 — — — Ceramic crinoline painted like a vase
80 — — — Hat with built‑in lights
81 01–02 — — Black motorcycle jacket with a miniature red devil (toy?) on one
shoulder and a miniature skull (toy?) on the other
82–83 — — 01–05 Stained glass gown
84 — — 06–10 Cotton candy sombrero
85 — — 11–15 Hat in the shape of a teapot that uses your body heat to warm water
86–87 — — 16–19 Hat made entirely of teddy bears
88 — — 20–24 Skirt that opens to reveal a fully functional and portable puppet stage
89 — — 25–28 Unflattering underwear worn over normal day clothing
Transparent top hat with live goldfish in it
90
91–92
—
—
—
—
29–33
34–37 Vest made of living plants sculpted like bonsai trees Traders of Light
93 — — 38–42 Cape made of large colorful insect wings Three robed beings float
94–95 — — 43–46 Skirt made to look like a nest of writhing serpents cross-legged above the road. A little
96 — — 47–50 Gown covered in life‑size plastic hands larger than humans, they each have six
97–98 — — 51–55 Many‑layered coat fashioned to look like a cascading waterfall arms, and each hand holds a different
99–00 — — 56–60 Suit made of pages torn from a book colored orb of light. They attempt to trade
— 03–05 — — Shawl made from human skin cells grown in culture with those on the road, exchanging
— 06–08 — — Transparent robe their orbs for various valuables. Some
— 09–11 — — Luminescent necktie orbs contain special powers, and
— 12–14 — — Spacesuit couture some are just colored light.
Caveat emptor.
— 15–17 — — Suit of eye‑searing light
— 18–20 — — Cloak of invisibility
— 21–23 — — X‑ray dress that shows your organs to anyone wearing glasses
— 24–26 — — Reversible outfit that’s a bunny costume on one side and a ballgown on the other
— 27–29 — — Shoes that move you along with their tentacles
— 30–32 — — Swimsuit that never gets wet
— 33–34 — — Coveralls that turn into a blow‑up couch
— 35–37 — — Long cloak with a playable piano in the fabric
— 38–40 — — Necklace that becomes an exact replica of the wearer’s lungs and then lets them breathe better
— 41–43 — — Mask that allows the wearer to draw a new face on it each day
— 44–46 — — Socks that trim and paint the wearer's toenails
— 47–49 — — Fingernail polish that can lengthen the wearer’s nails into daggers when they need it to
— 50–52 — — Glasses with lenses that flash red whenever anyone within
6 feet (2 m) is infected with a respiratory ailment
— 53–55 — — Pants with baggy bottoms that inflate to become a comfortable chair for two
— 56–58 — — Tobacco pipe that whispers appropriate obscenities for any situation
— 59–61 — — Spherical helmet using bent flat‑panel screens to show video
of the wearer’s head from different angles
— 62–64 — — Sari made of spider webs
— 65–67 — — Headdress that looks like realistic smoke
— 68–70 01–15 — Writhing snake headdress
— 71–73 16–29 — Belt of demon skulls
— 74–76 30–43 — Finely tailored black suit covered in nanotubes so it can absorb
Weird at the Core

99% or more of all the light that falls on it

— 77–79 — 61–65 Cloak of living birds
— 80–82 — 66–69 Animatronic metal wings accessory
— 83–85 — 70–73 Apron decorated with living cartoon characters that jump off the fabric at night and help clean
— 86–88 — 74–77 Wig that’s haunted by the famous person who used to wear it
— 89–91 — 78–81 Coat made entirely from trained rats; some care and feeding required
— 92–94 — 82–86 Slippers, with a doggy design that barks when strangers approach
— 95–97 — 87–91 Hairbow that periodically wings around the wearer’s head before reattaching again
— 98–00 — 92–95 Microfinger gloves that allow people to safely interact with insects (try tickling the ladybug’s belly)
— — 44–57 — Human skin mask harvested from a celebrity
— — 58–72 — Contact lenses that let the wearer see into the past
— — 73–86 — Thick leather jacket made from the hide of the last failed kaiju attacker
— — 87–00 96–00 Living fox scarf 91
 Ruins have been a staple of RPGs
from the beginning. Use this list
to veer away from the typical.
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Built around a natural geothermal heat source
04–06 — — — Inhabited by a species of rats many times larger than normal
07–09 — — — Seem like they may have been built by human‑sized wasps
10–12 — — — Visible from space
13–15 — — — Extant structures and foundations suggest the city was entirely based around cubes of different size
16–18 — — — Tended by a nearby village of Stone Age people covered with blue
body paint; for a fee, they’ll guide you through the ruins
19–21 — — — Crumbled clay tablets are everywhere; the few that are whole enough to be read all say: “Alice got tired of waiting”
22–24 — — — Crystal figurines, most small enough to be held in one hand and depicting a turtle, are littered everywhere
25–27 — — — Despite its dry basins and broken pipes, if the controls are found, can produce grain alcohol spiced with cardamom
28–30 — — — Labyrinth filled with thousands of years' worth of collected bones
(human, animal, and some cryptids) from the Stone Age
31–32 — — — Contains twenty‑three basins filled with the powdery remnants of previous liquid contents, now evaporated
33–35 — — — Aviary that’s partly crushed under a collapsed bridge; surviving birds have become viciously territorial
36–38 — — — Race car factory left to rust, but it still contains a few rogue assembly line robots trying to maintain the cars
39–41 — — — Wreckage of a high‑containment lab where deadly pathogens were once studied and still linger in rusting canisters
42–44 — — — Campus of an abandoned culinary school; knives, cutting boards, pots,
pans, and measuring cups rust in the courtyard
45–47 — — — Crushed coffee shop that’s open to the elements; a family of racoons
now claims it, jealously guarding the coffee beans
48–50 — — — Ice‑clad stone foundations of a lost templar fortress in Antarctica
51–53 — — — Cathedral where Saint Sofia, the Patron Saint of Thieves, was revered
54–56 — — — Covered with an obsessive amount of unicorn statues and carvings, most of them defaced
57–59 — — — Several areas of hard stone that are covered by the footprints of a dog and a barefoot human
60–61 — — — Abandoned temple dedicated to a four‑armed horsefly goddess; many
areas can be reached only by climbing or flying
62–64 — — — Decorated with teardrop images; it has a central courtyard featuring a huge statue of
an androgynous crying elf child (with actual water leaking from their eyes)
65–67 — — — On a hill; observers at this altitude can see the ancient geoglyphs surrounding the hill
68–70 — — — Temple built around an open space where something crawled out of the earth; over time, its
tunnel has been filled, capped, and dug out by multiple factions controlling the site
71–73 — — — Eroded path of painted human footprints leads a wandering route through here, but the
strides keep getting longer and longer until no human could reach that far
74–75 — — — Prominently decorated with cylindrical stone pillars that are each capped with a
stone head or a severed humanoid head (in various stages of decay)
76–78 — — — Archeological base set up to study even older ruins
79–80 — — — Palace with an exterior that appears somehow melted, while the interior is untouched
81–83 — — — Everything in this city is twice the size it should be
84–86 — — — Castle with some kind of musical instrument(s) in every room, and
imagery of such dominating the remaining decor
87–89 — — — Massive wave carried a coastal house away years ago, and it’s still intact and floating on the sea
90–92 — — — Abandoned school where all the walls are chalkboards that tell the
written story of what happened inside in the last days
93–95 — — — Old ocean liner washed up on the shore, on its side; it’s now used by a rebel militia as a base
96–97 — — 01–09 Home to cockroaches whose bite causes wild hallucinations
98–00 — — 10–18 Sound of a child crying sometimes echoes through here; if tracked down, it is found to
be a songbird mimicking something its great‑to‑the‑nth ancestors once heard
— 01–02 — — Seem to be built for people twice as tall as modern humans
— 03–04 — — Contain artifacts of technology many times more advanced than what they should be
— 05–06 — — Haunted by a variety of headless ghosts
Weird at the Core

— 07–08 — — Contain the remains of former human residents, many of which are half‑melted into floors and walls
— 09–10 — — Colonized by three‑headed apes
— 11–12 — — Built around a temple‑like structure housing a gargantuan, petrified, human‑headed pterodactyl
— 13–14 — — Contain a couple of structures that float freely above the area; debris suggests many more have fallen over the years
— 15–16 — — Sometimes, the winds blow through the broken corridors so ferociously
that those caught unaware are dashed to death
— 17–18 — — Monitored by a malfunctioning, lonely AI that can manifest in a few
limited places as a hologram shaped like an octopus
— 19–20 — — Sometimes, it reconfigures itself so that the paths and broken streets, such as they are, lead to different locations
— 21–22 — — Fist‑sized cubic machines are found partially exposed in several broken walls, obviously once
sealed within; the machines contain the remains of advanced electronics, now all wiped
— 23–24 — — Tumbled and broken metallic remains; if seen from above, they outline a fallen, colossal humanoid shape
— 25–26 — — From the dry central well seeps a yellow mist that, each night, moves
92 against the wind and out across the dunes of the desert
— 27 — — Tunnel whose length circles a 54‑mile (90 km) diameter area; empty
but for scattered bits of rusted scientific equipment
— 28–29 — — Tomb where human‑sized mosquito creatures lie in exalted mummification
— 30–31 — — Buried library that’s mostly preserved and colonized by morlocks who
refer to the books as “Bound Tongues of Before”
— 32–33 — — Remainder of a ruined dance hall where ghosts still sometimes waltz on top of and through the debris
— 34–35 — — What appears to be a human‑sized beehive
— 36–37 — — Stereotypical medieval castle city, except where the castle would be, there is instead a pristine ten-story-tall obelisk
— 38–39 — — Suburban neighborhood where the plants have overtaken all the structures, and there
appear to be vines wrapped around the necks of the long‑dead inhabitants
— 40–41 — — City of empty, decrepit, and lifeless skyscrapers made of bones
— 42–43 — — Field of scattered stones, half walls, and light‑absorbing daisies
— 44–45 — — Bavarian‑styled village in the mountains smothered in a thick layer of aerogel‑like preservative
— 46–47 — — Old sea‑going freighters half‑buried in vertical rows like stubby skyscrapers in sand; abandoned to intelligent roses
— 48–49 — — Cracked crystal dome of an aviary where giant owls were once bred
— 50–51 — — Abandoned shopping mall featuring mostly sealed or emptied storefronts; an AI is
trapped in the PA system, and it sometimes amuses itself by singing old jingles
— 52–53 — — Buried art gallery stuffed with moldering canvases of burning spheres; haunted by the
ghost of an artist whose unfinished business is to see the sun once more
— 54–55 — — Closed area of smashed trees and scattered worked stone debris mixed
with household items, as if a flying castle fell here
— 56–57 — — Metal skeletons tirelessly patrol around it, reforming within a few hours if destroyed
— 58–59 — — Winterscape palace made from beautifully carved frozen blood
— 60 — — Carved rectangular blocks of obsidian; many bear giant-sized white
handprints, as if the builders’ touch bleached the stone
— 61–62 — — Built in the shape of a realistically detailed stone dragon; it actually is a petrified dragon whose hollow
spaces were enlarged for habitation (some interior surfaces look like the cross‑section of a meaty limb)
— 63–64 — — Made of ice as hard as stone, even though it should have melted long ago
— 65–66 — — Bunker‑like location with a dozen rooms; a limited AI can display cartoon‑like
videos in another language, seeming to be children’s programming
— 67 — — Series of pyramids crafted from giant cubes of dung that were gathered and carved by huge immortal
dung beetles; the pyramids are slowly collapsing and decaying due to time, water, and weight
— 68–69 — — Stone lodge suitable for a human‑sized creature, but it’s covered in miniature platforms and wooden structures,
and it’s carved with tunnels that seem like they were converted to a metropolis by a civilization of tiny people
— 70–71 — — Glass pyramid within a stone pyramid within an iron pyramid
— 72–73 — — Theater haunted by the ghosts of actors, directors, and stagehands
— 74–75 — — Remains of a 300‑foot (90 m) tall statue of a pregnant woman and many children around her
— 76–77 — — Collapsed stone tower, but somehow, the roof remains intact and
positioned where it formerly was (now hovering in air)
— 78–79 — — Large structure lies in rubble, but a central doorway remains not only intact, but also pristine; the door is locked
— 80–81 — — Abandoned building only a hundred years old, filled with untouched bodies—but they’re all Neanderthals
— 82–83 01–10 — Cultivated structure of thin giant mushrooms braided together; their spores cause lung sickness,
but they can also regenerate dead bodies buried nearby (creating a cycle of the inhabitants)
— 84–85 — 19–28 Exist only when the moon is full
— 86–87 — 29–37 Tumbled remnants of a prison for bad dogs
— 88 — 38–46 Vast, sprawling miniature civilization with tiny buildings, statues, and
roads built for creatures no taller than a handspan
— 89–90 — 47–55 Half‑mile (800 m) wide cavity with metallic and rocky debris in the nadir; a
pearl‑like sphere 50 feet (15 m) in diameter floats at the crater’s center
— 91–92 — 56–64 Graveyard for a tiny sentient moon who died of a broken heart when all life on his favorite planet died
— 93–94 — 65–73 Ruined settlement with no people, but many feral cats; notes left behind suggest that decades
ago a bizarre affliction slowly transformed the inhabitants into regular house cats
— 95–96 — 74–82 Underground portion is blocked by a large boulder that can be slid aside, but the boulder
has a limited intellect and scoots itself back in place after a few minutes
— 97–98 — 83–91 Inhabited by rolling, carved glass spheres (unclear if they’re creatures, machines, or something
else entirely), which follow visitors but avoid attacks and ignore communication attempts
Ancient city, but amid it is what appears to be a diner from the 1950s
Weird at the Core

— 99–00 — 92–00
— — 11–20 — Those who sleep in these ruins find themselves living a day as if they
were a former resident: a humanoid with insect eyes
— — 21–30 — Airless vault containing a black hole held in erratic electromagnetic arms; shadows
shaped like scorched humanoid silhouettes paint the walls and walkways
— — 31–40 — Black stone cube that’s a few miles on each side; strange glyphs in a lost
language are painted on tunnels running through it
— — 41–50 — Clear quartz lens floats above, concentrating light (and perhaps other
energies) on the remains of the structures beneath it
— — 51–60 — Derelict spaceship in orbit; at the center is a pristine, preserved 18th‑century opera house
— — 61–70 — Ancient flying vehicle the size of a fortress that crashed long ago and is half‑buried in the ground
— — 71–80 — After a huge earthquake, a mountain partially collapses, revealing that
the whole thing was artificial, and it now lies in ruin
— — 81–90 — Modern building collapsed due to a tornado, revealing a secret vault beneath it containing the cure for cancer
— — 91–00 — No light of any kind illuminates the interiors of the ruin, no matter what 93
 y campaign needs some am
Ever kind of weird dre
h at t h e P
ision t Cs are
called to er pret.
or v to cr e at e int
is l i st som ething r
th eally special.
Use
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Man with no face waves from the passenger window of a passing car
04–05 — — — Flock of tornados hovers on the horizon, threateningly
06–07 — — — Grinning face looks over the edge of your bed
08–10 — — — House that is strangely familiar, but unfinished
11–13 — — — You draw a detailed map of a place that you’ve never visited or that doesn’t exist
14–16 — — — Summer snowstorm rages in a familiar place
17–18 — — — You audit a college course that’s way too easy for you
19–21 — — — You coordinate a large social event for friends and strangers, but the caterer (a famous person you don't like) is late
22–23 — — — Serial killer has been specifically targeting your enemies, and everyone thinks you’re involved
24–26 — — — Two close friends of yours, who don’t know each other, are trying to get access to your passwords
27–28 — — — Bowler hat‑wearing dog is adrift at sea in an open, upside‑down umbrella
29–31 — — — A devil plays darts using a huge dartboard on which several sleeping people are splayed
32–33 — — — Rioters burn and topple a group of wind turbines while brandishing signs that read “Fossil Fuels Forever”
34–36 — — — Nightmarish, bus‑sized wolf is tied to a stone pillar with a fraying cord
made of three strands colored red, white, and blue
37–39 — — — College professor at an electronic whiteboard writes equations proving that reality is a hoax
40–42 — — — You’re scraping the stickers off your car’s rear windshield and eating them one by one like they’re corn chips
43–44 — — — You’re blind in your left eye, and someone keeps sneaking up on you on that side, not to harm you but to stand
annoyingly close and startle you as you go about your daily business; sometimes your blindness switches sides
45–47 — — — Mother and daughter duo land on a mysterious tropical island with a polar bear, a group of cultists,
and a short man who speaks backward; the dream recurs, but from a different perspective
48–49 — — — You have an important speech to make to powerful and dangerous people, but you suddenly feel like your teeth are
loose, and when you start speaking, one by one your teeth fall out and start rolling away to enact a secret agenda
50–51 — — — You walk through a familiar neighborhood holding an unlit candle in one hand; people from your past smile
and greet you, but when you try to speak to them, you can only make wordless noises they don’t understand
52–54 — — — You film a documentary about the influence of your favorite game on
various musicians and bands that you loved as a youth
55–56 — — — Superheroes from another world appear, one at a time, on a communication screen in front of you;
some are complete strangers, others are alternate versions of heroes you know from your world; you
feel proud to know them and hear their stories, but also sad for a reason you don’t quite know
57–59 — — — You’re running a public event with a lot of small children around, and the food is late so you go to
complain to the caterer; the caterer is a politician you absolutely hate, but they’re making good
points about why things are late, so you can’t justify succumbing to your urge to punch them
60–61 — — — You draw a detailed map of a large building you think you know of but haven’t actually been to, so
you use partial references from several sources (some are out of date and at least one is unreliable);
you know that any mistakes you make could be fatal for someone relying on the map
62–63 — — — Your current self and your child self are both standing in front of a coffin where your future self is sleeping
64–66 — — — Woman wearing a dress of red liquid says over and over, “All has burned. All has burned.”
67–68 — — — Everyone you love is dancing a complicated waltz; they keep inviting you to join, but you’re afraid of the music
69–71 — — — You are standing above a corpse with a weapon in your hand; you understand you’ve killed
something or someone deeply important, but you can’t make out who it is
72–73 — — — Graffiti keeps trying to tell you something, but you’ve cracked your
glasses and now they only show you your own shadow
74–76 — — — You and your friends run through a complicated and intricate maze that resembles a board game from your childhood
77–78 — — — Restaurant is crowded and noisy, and every single item on the menu is called The Cacodemonomania Special
79–80 01–02 — 01–04 Mouse who lives in your ear wants to start a family and says you must go shopping for a dress with pockets
81–83 — — 05–08 You’re a tree; some people want to chop you down, and some want to declare you a historic landmark
Weird at the Core

84–85 — — 09–12 You wiggle your ears and your ear flaps lift you off; it turns out that it’s easy to fly!
86–87 — — 13–16 Swarm of millions of ants slowly, methodically drags fragments of a destroyed space shuttle across barren ground
88–89 — — 17–20 Child and their pet play outside while they, the land, the sky, the clouds,
and even the sun appear to unravel into strands of yarn
90–92 — — 21–24 You move into your new home, but forget which one is yours; everyone
(even your friends and movers) wears a Halloween costume
93–95 — — 25–28 Crow lands on your shoulder with message for you, but that’s the one bird language you didn’t learn how to speak
96–97 — — 29–32 Wild, snarling packs of dogs wearing flower crowns run down the streets
of a quiet neighborhood; honey drips from their jaws
98–00 — — 33–36 You meet a man who isn’t there; you know it’s part of a nursery rhyme, but
if you can’t remember the words, you must take his place
— 03–04 — — Peaceful aliens are trying to communicate with you, but the language barrier is making them angry at you
— 05–07 — — You’re in a building that’s designed to be partly underwater, and you are taking photographs of tourists
94 — 08–09 — — You spot a gargantuan fish whose scales are the cliff‑like domiciles for an aquatic species of people
— 10–12 — — You discover that the only way to save the world is to write the next hit country song with the ghost of Roy Orbison
— 13–14 — — Blissful civilization toils on a sleeping human’s face, unaware of the
apocalypse when the sleeper wakes and rubs their eyes
— 15–16 — — Naked human with a blank expanse of skin for a face is trying on a variety of masks, but each is also just blank skin
— 17–19 — — Tree whose upper half is a bear with leaves for fur
— 20–22 — — Your pet puma protects you from various monstrous creatures that try to snatch you away into the fog
— 23–24 — — Fleet of hot air balloons approaches; the nearest one has a bulbous, bloodless, inflated, humanlike head
— 25–27 — — Man on fire sings a calming song to burning fish swimming through the air around him in intricate patterns
— 28–30 — — Group of AI lawyers, manifested as pulsing points of light, discuss the
ins and outs of fantasy intellectual property licenses
— 31–33 — — Two kids in a kayak gaze across the lake to a cityscape being torn asunder by a rampaging kaiju
— 34–36 — — Towers atop clouds tumble as fractures in dreamspace appear, which seem to be caused by dream‑eating centipedes
— 37–39 — — Group of cats dressed as doctors operates on a human, replacing the human’s head with a cat head
— 40–41 — — Desperado with a python sits at a bar, downing line of shots poured from
a whiskey bottle inside which a human corpse floats
— 42–44 — — The skeleton of a baby in a crib is rocked by a ghostly presence in a cluttered, dusty attic lit by a single candle
— 45–47 — — Massive bite appears in the full moon, and another, and another until it is completely consumed
— 48–49 — — After dropping off some furniture you built for a friend, you leave through a window and
climb down the wall like a spider, but then a bear starts chasing you down the wall
— 50–52 — — You’re traveling with an odd, middle‑aged man in frumpy clothes and a scarf; he repeatedly knows
exactly what you’re going to say when you say it, and eventually, you become so frustrated by this that
you tell him to leave, and he flies away by twirling the ends of his scarf like helicopter blades
— 53–54 — — Rising flood waters surround the inn or hotel you’re staying at, but the building is designed
to withstand it, so looking out the ground floor windows is like looking out into an
aquarium; various aquatic creatures are watching you like you’re watching them
— 55–56 — — Social gathering in a bookstore or library features a well‑known poet who intends to read selections
from their latest work; however, the event is interrupted by an alien robot attacking the city,
forcing you and the other guests to split into groups and search for safe places to hide
— 57–59 — — Seven bone horses stand in a field full of golden daisies while a murmuration of sparrows spells out words above them
— 60–61 — — All around you, people are eating batteries so that their heads will light up; someone starts
trying to force you to eat one too so the Queen won’t notice your darkness
— 62–64 — — During a music festival, the two crescent moons in the sky are about to kiss; everyone is cheering them
on, except for the musician who pulls you on stage and starts singing about the end of the world
— 65–66 01–09 — You’re in a world of nightmares with multiple versions of yourself at different ages; one of your
copies gets eaten by a horrible dream monster, and you know their mind is still alive
— 67–69 10–18 37–40 Giant space robot is attacking while you’re at a quirky poetry slam
— 70–71 — 41–44 Argument breaks out with your mother, but she has a candy bar for a head
— 72–74 — 45–48 Horde of zombies appears, but instead of eating brains, they cover everything in glitter
— 75–77 — 49–52 In a film noir city, dark elves come out of hibernation to become a wealthy subgroup
— 78–80 — 53–56 Polar bears swim in the vertical exterior swimming pool of an apartment building
— 81–82 — 57–60 Group of suit‑and‑hat‑wearing commuters load onto the back of a gargantuan lobster as a method of public transport
— 83–85 — 61–64 Many‑limbed Santa Claus spins a web of colorful Christmas lights; he wraps ensnared children in gift‑like cocoons
— 86–87 — 65–68 Princely figure dressed in fine clothing has an empty hole where his face should be; the hole emits thick
mist that trails behind him and obscures the surrounding woods, including other princely figures
— 88–90 — 69–72 You dine with dark elves in an upscale restaurant, served a loaf of bread
filled with shiny‑carapaced, thumb‑sized beetles
— 91–93 — 73–76 Your best friend has stolen the sun and is using it as a yo-yo, trying to learn how to walk the dog
— 94–95 — 77–80 Twelve‑armed octopus at the aquarium asks you to give them all of your teeth so that they can chew their
way to freedom, but your teeth are already gone; all you have in your mouth are pomegranate seeds
— 96–97 — 81–84 You are awoken by everyone chanting your name, but backward, and when you open your eyes, you
realize you’re hanging upside down in a cave like a bat, and everyone chanting is a moth
— 98–00 — 85–88 Stones sing, but when you get close to them, they stop and the clock on
your shirt clicks one step closer to the Time of Giants
— — 19–27 — Prophet, arrayed in glory, rides down from the sky on a storm cloud and gives a headless
baby swaddled in blankets to a couple with grateful tears in their eyes
Weird at the Core

— — 28–36 — As the sun is eclipsed by the moon, a leering, burning face becomes visible gazing
down through the black disc as if it was a portal to somewhere else
— — 37–45 — Squid in an air suit explores the long‑toppled, rusted ruins of New York City
— — 46–54 — All‑metal valkyrie upon her steam‑driven flying horse battles a massive
cloaked figure made up of about a dozen goblins
— — 55–64 — Little Red Riding Hood eats the wolf
— — 65–73 — Darkness falls over the world, smothering all light and crushing everything into
nothingness; you perceive that time goes on forever in this heavy blackness, but you
understand that this eternal nothingness is the best outcome for everyone
— — 74–82 89–92 Astronauts in cowboy hats ride into a base on the moon on the backs
of robotic camels, firing laser pistols in the vacuum
— — 83–91 93–96 Wizard incants a spell from a smartphone screen, opening a portal to a fantastical landscape in a dingy alley
— — 92–00 97–00 Locked inside a Gothic hall lined with stained glass windows, you float upward, crash through a window, and discover
the gardens where inhuman creatures are tending to strange plants whose flowers look like the hall’s locked doors 95
 If you’re running a fantasy RPG, you’re likely to have an NPC mage prepare to throw a spell—but will it be yet
another fireball? Or do you want something weirder? Something that will surprise the players and let them know this
is no humdrum encounter in a run‑of‑the‑mill campaign? Sure, you’ll need to provide some mechanics for the effect,
but you can probably just use the mechanics from an existing spell in your game (or slightly tweaked).

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Summons a deck of cards; face cards are all of the caster
04–05 — — — Caster’s tooth spat out as a high‑velocity projectile at target; painless, but a used tooth doesn’t grow back
06–07 — — — Caster is carried aloft by a swarm of squawking crows
08–09 — — — Target can eat all the food they want for a day, no consequences
10–11 — — — Summons a bag of rats
12–13 — — — Gives target the skills and stamina to dance the night away
14–15 — — — Creates a strange, repeating “whooOOP!” sound in the area for about a minute
16–17 — — — Summons a dead, stuffed bat that’s poised with its wings extended on an iron perch
18–19 — — — Removes all grammatical mistakes from a tome, scroll, or other printed document
20–21 — — — Glowing numerals spin over caster’s head before finally settling on a random number between 1 and 1,000
22–23 — — — Creates juicy, delicious, and nutritious blueberries from mundane pebbles
24–25 — — — Target’s hands and feet swell to ludicrous proportions
26–27 — — — Infests target with lice and ticks
28–30 — — — Silences target by ripping out their tongue
31–32 — — — Imprisons the target in a mental prison crafted by the caster; target can try to escape while the caster sleeps
33–34 — — — Summons a flock of crows; they’re just regular crows doing crow things
35–36 — — — Creates stair‑like projections up the side of any wall, including fortress and tower walls, that are ideally spaced
for ascent
37–38 — — — Target has a nice dream that gives them a warm feeling when they wake up
39–40 — — — Target creature or object blooms with delicate pale blue flowers
41–42 — — — Gives the target the ability to read in their dreams
43–44 — — — Gives target an echolocation sense; the constant clicking they produce makes them easy to locate, too
45–46 — — — Gives clothes‑wearing target a wedgie something fierce
47–48 — — — Produces the target’s astrological horoscope on a small, rolled‑up scroll appearing in the caster’s or target’s
hand
49–50 — — — Target is potentially distracted by a tune they begin hearing in their head over and over and over and—
51–52 — — — Target believes they are now the caster’s prophesied nemesis
53–54 — — — Target begins to drool a sticky, slug‑like slime
55–56 — — — All the caster’s close relatives, regardless of location, know their current whereabouts and status
57–58 — — — Target immediately describes everything they did the day previous
59–60 — — — Demon appears, goes off to explore for an hour, then returns to the caster and describes the surrounding
outdoor area within a mile
61–62 — — — Rips the target’s teeth out one by one
63–64 — — — Target begins to weep uncontrollably
65–66 — — — Target becomes powerfully magnetic, drawing nearby metal objects up to 50 pounds (23 kg) towards them
with force and speed
67–68 — — — Target inanimate object screams whenever touched by a living creature
69–70 — — — Target’s footsteps are thunderously loud, and their footprints are clearly visible on the ground
71–72 — — — Target is intangible to their allies and their allies’ actions (spells, attacks, and so on)
73–74 01–03 — — Seals target’s mouth shut with gum
75–76 — 01–03 — Target’s eyeballs swell and burst
Weird at the Core

77–78 — 04–07 — Giant thumb squashes target into the ground

79–80 — 08–10 — Calls down a “meteor shower” of flaming, dismembered body parts
81–82 — 11–13 — Target becomes light as a feather, and is blown away by a conjured gust of wind
83–84 — — 01–04 Creates matching gold spangled outfits with fabulous hats and gloves
85–86 — — 05–08 Target grows a handlebar mustache
87–88 — — 09–12 Cleans up small spills, removes stains from clothing
89–90 — — 13–16 Target magically sprouts a full head of luxurious hair, coiffed according to the caster’s desire
91–92 — — 17–19 Turns target spider web into tasty (and fragile) strands of spun frosting
93–94 — — 20–23 Creates a pie (savory or sweet, caster’s choice)
95–96 — — 24–27 Caster knows the name, age, and favorite color of everyone nearby
97–98 — — 28–31 Everyone the caster touches in the next minute is affected as though they had a lot of caffeine
99–00 — — 32–35 Circumstances make it so that the caster and the target will coincidentally run into each other later that day
— 04–07 — — Causes caster’s hair to ignite if a fiend draws near
96
— 08–10 — — Nearby fruit or plate of food is infested with loose teeth (not immediately obvious until a bite is taken)
— 11–13 — — Creates a yellow pill that makes any adult that swallows it pregnant
— 14–16 — — Target’s bowels and bladder are magically relieved, and target is immune to further need to attend to bodily
functions for days
— 17–20 — — Summons a pack of clockwork rats that either clean and tidy an area or swarm a target
— 21–23 — — Target is transformed into a random creature (frog, bug, troll, and so on)
— 24–26 — — Target gains the ability to speak in a language that only those who this spell has been cast on can speak and
understand
— 27–29 — — Grades a group of foes’ subjective level of threat with immaterial glowing labels that hang just above their
heads
— 30–32 — — Target turns to water and seeps down into the ground
— 33–35 — — Caster knows the location of the nearest living being, undead being, angel, and demon
— 36–39 — — All of target’s money and similar valuables on their person are transferred instantly to the person nearest them
— 40–42 — — Wounded target’s injuries are healed, but only if they sing praises to the caster (or other person/entity the caster
designates) for at least a minute
— 43–45 — — Target forgets the names of all their loved ones
— 46–48 — — Target suffers paralysis beginning the next morning
— 49–52 — — Target becomes deaf except to the sound of the caster’s voice
— 53–55 — — Nearby injured targets have plant vines sprout from their wounds, causing them additional pain and damage
— 56–58 — — Multiple targets phase into the ground up to their waists, and then are held fast
— 59–61 — — Everything the target thinks is displayed as images that float above their head
— 62–64 — — Target can move along any surface (except level ones) at normal speed
— 65–67 — — Direct sunlight causes the target intense pain and significant damage
— 68–70 14–17 — Turns an area of floor into an animate, fanged, and hungry pit
— 71–74 — 36–38 Target can’t help but rhyme everything they say aloud
— 75–77 — 39–41 Gives a zombie, animated skeleton, or other normally mindless undead being sapience and a conscience
— 78–80 — 42–44 Produces the grown child the target never had, but might have in another life
— 81–83 — 45–48 Target suffers damage every time they hear music—the better the music, the more damage they sustain
— 84–87 — 49–51 Caster becomes invisible to adults, but not children
— 88–90 — 52–55 Target is snatched by a conjured bird of great size, flown upward, then dropped from a height of 50 feet (15 m)
— 91–93 — 56–58 Caster is surrounded by ghostly children who block incoming attacks
— 94–96 — 59–62 Target falls in love with the first person they see, but only for a minute; then they feel murderous hatred for that
same person
— 97–00 — 63–65 Target always reaches a desired destination before a designated person/creature
— — 18–20 66–68 Target’s hands transform into fish
— — 21–24 69–71 Turns a solid object or creature into vanilla orange ice cream
— — 25–28 72–74 Summons target’s mother
— — 29–31 75–78 Rearranges a constellation in the night sky according to caster’s whim
— — 32–34 79–81 Target ceases to exist when they are in darkness
— — 35–37 82–85 Summons a cavalcade of animate toys; not dangerous, but potentially surprising/distracting
— — 38–40 86–89 Summons enough cassowaries to mostly fill the area, run amok, and cause chaos and minor damage (plus a
huge distraction)
— — 41–43 90–93 None of target’s muscles function unless the target is singing
— — 44–46 — Grants target telescoping arms and neck
— — 47–49 — Target’s feet grow wheels; target gains no skill in balancing on wheels
— — 50–52 — Turns target into a fleshy cube
— — 53–56 — Target’s hair animates as a tiny hair doll that wants to escape
— — 57–59 — Sends target a few hundred years into the future, rendering them irrelevant in the present
— — 60–62 — Animates target’s skeleton, which tries to shed its fleshy skin before doing anything else
— — 63–66 — Kindles a book to sentience; if a spellbook, the newly forged mind can cast those spells, too
— — 67–69 — Caster learns new language by stealing part of the brain of the nearest creature that can speak that language
(often a fatal complication)
Weird at the Core

— — 70–72 — Temporarily infuses a weapon with the spirits of dozens of sacrificed prisoners
— — 73–75 — Transforms living creature into a bobblehead version of themself
— — 76–78 — Target’s shadow becomes a pit trap
— — 79–81 — Target’s hands and eyes switch places on their body
— — 82–84 — Target gains immunity to electricity and lightning, but only because a tall lightning rod extends up out of their
skull for the duration
— — 85–87 — Target is erased from existence for one minute, and then returns where they were, as if no time passed
— — 88–91 — Caster is covered in adhesive goo; any object striking them sticks in place and can’t be removed
— — 92–94 — Target’s fingers become snakes that attack them
— — 95–97 — Target’s weight and girth become debilitatingly massive
— — 98–00 — Target believes they are the caster, and acts appropriately to the best of their ability
— — — 94–96 Replaces target’s eyes with gold coins
— — — 97–00 Switches the dreamlife between two targets; both now experience the other’s dreams
97
 I S G W WEIRDNESS
01 — — — Worshipful Company of Ant Catchers
02 — — — Guild of Hair Collectors
03 — — — Billionaire Book Club
04–05 — — — Union of Concerned Grammarians
06–07 — — — Kneecappers Guild
08–09 — — — The Psychedelic Church of Humming
10 — — — Fellowship of Giantslayers
11–12 — — — Mattress Tag Police
13–14 — — — Federation of Licensed Assassins
15 — — — The Harmonious and Righteous Bricklayers
16–17 — — — The Black Lantern Adventuring Society When you need a mysterious
18–19 — — — Pluto Planetary Recognition Group
20 — — — League of Lockwoods group to be pulling the strings
21–22 — — — Sisterhood of Melancholy Poetry
23–24 — — — Guild of Cola Secret Ingredients or an NPC just needs something
25–26 — — — Dentists for Tooth Decay
27 — — — Union of Organ Donors and Harvesters; their goals range
to belong to, use this list to
from altruism and surgical skill development to food safety
28–29 — — — Doctors Without Motors
determine what that guild or
30
31
—
—
—
—
—
—
The Professional Society of Bribers and Extortionists
Legion of Lightwavers (aka light particle deniers)
organization might be.
32–33 — — — Extreme Crawling Games Committee
34–35 — — — Cobweb Growers, Harvesters,
Spinners, and Weavers Guild
36–37 — — — Academy of Procrastination
38–39 — — — Guild of Corpse Sanctification
40–41 — — — Council Against Renewable Energy
42–43 — — — Goblin Club
44–45 — — — Black Mass Importers
46–47 — — — Victimless Crime Anarchist Society
48–49 — — — Society for the Publishing of Trade Secrets
50–51 — — — Free the Imprisoned Billionaires
52–53 — — — Fellowship of Gentle Assassins
54 — — — Fans of Self‑Mummification
55–56 — — — Union of Corporate Mascots
57–58 — — — Beneficent Order of Crows
59–60 — — — Clown Crime Club
61–62 — — — Guild of Beekeepers and Poisoners
63–64 — — — Witness Protection Theater Company
65–66 — — — Ancient and Revered Order of
the Gilded Beetle
67–68 — — — Patriotic Daughters of Anarchy
69–70 — — — Brothers of Bloody Light
71–72 — — — Sophist Angel Lodge
73–74 — — — The Sodality of Substance
75 — — — The Builders of the Web
76–77 — — — The Ordained Priesthood of the Qabala
78–79 — — — The Guild of Lacers
80 — — — Sons of the Phone Phreaks
81–82 — — — The Guild of Chains
83–84 — 01–11 — Cartel of Bodily Fluids
85 — 12–22 — Corporation of the Parasite
86–87 — — 01–08 Oversight Council of Banned Dance Moves
88 — — 09–15 Fighting Ptarmigans Drinking Club
89–90 — — 16–22 Lollipop Makers Guild
Weird at the Core

91–92 — — 23–29 Lullaby Composers Coalition

93–94 — — 30–36 Mothers Against Nude Animals (MANA)
95–96 — — 37–43 Uplifted Animal Society
97–98 — — 44–50 League of Left‑Handedness
99–00 — — 51–57 The Knights of Coiled Branches
— 01–04 — — Psychics Alliance
— 05–08 — — Musicians Against Drugs
— 09–11 — — Artists for the Apocalypse
— 12–14 — — The Council of Competitive Vomiting
— 15–18 — — People for Self‑Cyborgization
— 19–22 — — Milky Way Competitive Yodelling Association
— 23–26 — — Federal Bureau of Occult Affairs
— 27–29 — — AI Whisperers Club
98 — 30–33 — — The Transcendence
— 34–37 — — Vampire Behavioral Research Institute
— 38–40 — — Cursegiver’s Guild
— 41–43 — — Commonwealth of Digital Beings
— 44–46 — — Humanity Preservation Society
— 47–49 — — Collective of the Starborn
— 50–52 — — CloneWorks
— 53–56 — — League of Lycanthropes
— 57–60 — — We Who Serve the Unholy Children
— 61–64 — — Knights of the Blue Sun
— 65–68 — — Apprentices of the Great Undoing
— 69–72 23–33 — Solarian League of Planets
— 73–76 34–44 — Council of Temporal Law
— 77–80 45–55 — Time Traveler Orientation Society
— 81–84 — 58–64 Bureau of Unheard Whispers
— 85–88 — 65–71 Sleep Surveillance Unit
— 89–92 — 72–78 Dream Architects
— 93–96 — 79–85 Dream Warriors
— 97–00 — 86–92 Sisterhood of the Most Wicked Fey and Witches
— — 56–66 — Galactic Lava Collectors and Appreciators
— — 67–77 — Brain Eaters Anonymous
— — 78–88 — Syndicate of the Ancient One
— — 89–00 — Stargate Transport Authority
— — — 93–00 Guild of Nightmare Navigators

Weird at the Core

99
 Every hero needs a nemesis. The weirder they are, the more memorable they’ll be.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Captain of a whaling boat
03–04 — — — Your little sister
05–06 — — — Third crewman of the grey spacecraft who otherwise came in peace
07–08 — — — Greeter at a local grocery
09–10 — — — Owner of a nearby gambling den
11–12 — — — Gang of teenagers on bikes who ride through the area
13–14 — — — Guy who feeds crows outside your house
15–16 — — — Custodian of the building where you work or frequently visit
17–18 — — — Vicious little ferret that another PC keeps as a pet
19–20 — — — Restaurant owner who makes the best pizza in town, but not for you
21–22 — — — Your stepmother whose husband recently died under suspicious circumstances
23–24 — — — Old man who lives in the house at the end of the lane
25–26 — — — Chatbot that’s supposedly only an algorithm; it definitely has it out for you
Weird at the Core

27–28 — — — Local butcher with a weirdly large collection of vintage butcher cutlery
29–30 — — — Coffee machine (no one else gets burned using it!)
31–32 — — — Wealthy, connected business person who you once accused of being an alien
33–34 — — — Head of the local fire department
35–36 — — — That weird guy who spends a lot of time at the local shooting range
37–38 — — — Guy who painted your house without permission
39–40 — — — Ex‑lover
41–42 — — — Displeased neighbor who cares too much about their lawn
43–44 — — — Third cousin once removed whose marriage proposal was spurned by you
45–46 — — — Regent of a nation who believes you are the long‑lost heir to their throne
47–48 — — — Neighbor’s poorly trained dog
100 49–50 — — — Famous poet whose work disparages—but doesn’t identify—you
51–52 — — — Well‑known former child actor who people still recognize as an adult
53–54 — — — Curator at the wax museum
55–56 — — — President of the country
57–58 — — — Door‑to‑door salesperson for pest control
59–60 — — — Novelist whose novel you criticized, reviewed poorly, or gave a thumbs down to on a social media network
61–62 — — — Old boss who took credit for your successes, and then fired you
63–64 — — — Spy from a foreign country you caught and reported to the authorities
65–66 — — — Captain of the local fire station
67–68 — — — One of the justices serving on a country’s supreme court
69–70 — — — Mainstream actor who used to be a porn star
71–72 — — — Mean person who was your bully in elementary school
73–74 — — — Loud inventor known for doing infomercials
75–76 — — — CEO of a social media company
77–78 — — — Popular astronaut
79–80 — — — RPG designer who most gamers have never heard of
81–82 — — — Bombastic, bigoted journalist
83–84 — — — Local sports team mascot (unclear if the enemy is the person wearing the suit, or the suit itself )
85–86 — — — High school band
87–88 — — — President of a prominent local college sorority
89–90 — — — Your biggest fan
91–92 — — — Beekeeper who is also a gym rat
93–94 — — — Lustful preacher
95–96 — — — Conspiracy website forums
97–98 — — 01–10 Jilted barista
99–00 — — 11–19 Religious, humanlike android
— 01–04 — — Your own skeleton
— 05–07 — — Voices in your head
— 08–10 — — Legit superpowered villain able to shoot laser beams from their eyes
— 11–13 — — Harassing fly with an uncanny ability to avoid being swatted, a keen
ability to find you, and a supernaturally long life
— 14–16 — — Anonymous player called "N00bhunter3000" in a popular online video game
— 17–20 — — Self‑driving car that you once keyed
— 21–23 — — Giant killer robot gunning specifically for you, for no apparent reason
— 24–26 — — Digital assistant that gained self‑awareness
— 27–30 — — Parallel version of yourself with a better haircut
— 31–34 — — Baby who remembers the faces of everyone who doesn’t wave back at them
— 35–37 — — Lizard person posing as a doctor
— 38–40 — — Genetic engineer who developed a breakthrough gene‑splicing technique
— 41–43 — — Alien entity able to manifest in swarms of certain types of bugs for short periods
— 44–47 — — Intelligent magic sword
— 48–50 — — Sinister cat
— 51–53 — — Car that speaks only Spanish
— 54–57 — — Big Pharma
— 58–60 — — Ghost that can possess only house pets
— 61–64 01–10 — Your reflection that’s always smirking with a knowing look
— 65–67 11–20 — Robot duplicate or clone of another character
— 68–70 21–30 — Animate mummy stolen from its tomb by your greedy ancestor
— 71–73 31–40 — Parasitic twin you absorbed in the womb
— 74–77 41–50 — Pluto (the celestial object, not the dog)
— 78–80 — 20–28 Ice maidens of Thanoom
Weird at the Core

— 81–84 — 29–37 Santa Claus; things have escalated beyond leaving coal
— 85–87 — 38–46 Beaver who remembers that you destroyed one of their dams
— 88–90 — 47–55 Chicken who vowed revenge on the person who stole her eggs
— 91–93 — 56–64 Selkie that wants its sealskin back
— 94–96 — 65–73 Bigfoot
— 97–00 — 74–82 All the trees in an apple orchard
— — 51–60 — Stain on the wall behind the poster of that '80s icon
— — 61–70 — Person who tried to kill you in a dream once
— — 71–80 — Sentient piece of meat
— — 81–90 — Future or past version of you
— — 91–00 83–91 Your mirror‑universe doppelganger
— — — 92–00 Former pageant runner‑up who decidedly is not interested in world peace 101
 Why wasn’t the task completed?
Why did someone do that bad thing?
Why were they late or a no‑show?
The answer may surprise you.
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — I had to hide the body first
02 — — — My computer was encrypted with ransomware
03 — — — The directions were incomprehensible
04–05 — — — I thought the assignment was a joke
06 — — — I don’t acknowledge the task‑giver’s authority
07–08 — — — I had a bad feeling about moving forward with the task
09–10 — — — Besides the other stuff that happened when the fog blew into town, I lost my to‑do list
11–12 — — — The whispers said not to
13–14 — — — My jerk boss made me work overtime
15 — — — I didn’t think anyone would know
16–17 — — — An earworm was driving me crazy, and I was trying everything to drown out the song
18–19 — — — My coworker said they’d kill my fish unless I did it
20–21 — — — I’ve got impulse control issues
22 — — — Their incessant chewing, licking, and farting made me irritable
23–24 — — — They’re lying; I didn’t do that
25 — — — Who are you to question me? Don’t you know who I am?
26–27 — — — I didn’t have any coffee yet
28–29 — — — I had to defend my leaderboard position
30–31 — — — My partner kept me awake all night long, filming their gelatin‑making music video for their followers
32–33 — — — My competitors distracted me with a tactically placed hive of hornets
34 — — — When the voices say jump, I ask how high
35–36 — — — I was distracted by the advertisement for erectile dysfunction
37–38 — — — I won the lottery, and other stuff just didn’t seem to matter anymore
39–40 — — — Someone posted a meme I just couldn’t stop thinking about
41–42 — — — That wasn’t me; that was someone the government made up to look like me to discredit my message
43–44 — — — I got stuck in the turnstile
45–46 — — — I’m addicted to making cheese
47–48 — — — Because it’s bad luck to stop on an odd number
49–50 — — — My cat poisoned me
51–52 — — — I didn’t realize the display candy was made of glass
53–54 — — — I accidentally got on a plane
55–56 — — — For about 48 hours, I thought I was the secret heir to the kingdom
57–58 — — — Someone glued me into bed while I was asleep
59 — — — My teeth unexpectedly fell out
60–61 — — — I got locked into manacles in a sex dungeon
62 — — — I couldn’t get my hair to lie right
63–64 — — — The AI chatbot generated the wrong answer
65–66 — — — Rabid dogs were running loose, and I couldn’t leave my house
67–68 — — — I was abducted by criminals who wanted a ransom
69–70 — — — I forgot I was here
71–72 — — — My horoscope told me the wrong day
73 — — — That wasn’t me; that was Bob
74–75 — — — All that day drinking finally caught up with me
76–77 — — — That door in my basement I’ve never been able to open finally opened by itself
78 — — — My mom pushed me down the stairs
79 — — — The police picked me up for questioning, and I didn’t want to seem suspicious
Weird at the Core

80 — — — A chess piece got lodged in my trachea, and I had to go see a specialist

81–82 — — — Monte said to try something different
83 — — — Assassinating the emperor took longer than I expected
84 — — — I didn’t realize how allergic to nuts I actually was
85 — — — An old man tried to stick a knife in my eye
86–87 — — — I had to find out who was crying behind the wall
88–89 — — — I accidentally used a neck pinch on myself and knocked myself out while driving
90 — — — They wouldn’t let me go in without a mask or proof of vaccination; screw those snowflakes!
91 — — — I stopped by a burger joint on the way, and BOOM! Some jerkoff
drove their car right through the storefront
92–93 — — — I was dead at the time
94–95 — 01–10 — Cosmic rays caused a hard reset in the equipment
102 96–97 — — 01–10 I stopped to rescue a lost dog... which turned out to be a wild coyote
 98 — — 11–19 My llama wouldn’t stop throwing up
99 — — 20–28 My Magic 8 Ball didn’t think I should
00 — — 29–37 I couldn’t leave until I finished the puzzle
— 01–05 — — They were speaking a language centuries dead
— 06–10 — — An old man in a cloak wanted to tell me a prophecy
— 11–16 — — A woman with a gem for a head kidnapped me and wouldn’t let me go until I agreed to what she asked
— 17–21 — — Someone who looked just like me except older said not to or the world would end
— 22–27 — — The horned man who lies under my bed at night said to do it
— 28–33 — — I had to explore the strange cave revealed by the landslide first
— 34–39 — — I was distracted by the serial killer
— 40–45 — — The computer tried to kill me
— 46–51 — — A dog ate my mom
— 52–56 — — Some guy in colorful spandex and a mask, calling himself Captain Notorious, tried to stop me
— 57–61 — — A wizard from another dimension said they needed my help
— 62–67 — — An angel of the lord appeared before me and asked me to transcribe a message
— 68–72 — — A zombie bit me, and I didn’t want to risk infecting everyone
— 73–77 — — Someone delivered a box filled with body parts to my house; I’m
pretty sure they belong to my missing uncle
— 78–83 — — Organ thieves scooped out one of my kidneys and dropped me off in front of the hospital
— 84–88 — — A demon convinced me not to, on threat of skewering me with a fiery sword
— 89–94 — 38–46 After I drank the tea that the nice lady made me, I saw things differently for a while
— 95–00 — 47–55 The barista slipped me LSD
— — 11–20 56–64 Little grey people with big eyes experimented on me in their flying saucer for days
— — 21–30 — A piece of space junk fell out of orbit and killed my dog
— — 31–40 — The medical procedure to upgrade my neurochip had complications
— — 41–50 — Dealing with the blue fungus seemed more pressing
— — 51–60 — They told me they’d blow up the moon if I didn’t
— — 61–70 — A jet plane crashed into my house
— — 71–80 — A portal to Hell opened in the basement
— — 81–90 — The deed on my soul came due, and I had to take out another extension with the devil
— — 91–00 — My shadow tried to strangle me, and now I don’t go anywhere without bright lights
— — — 65–73 I dreamed that the task was already finished
— — — 74–82 I would’ve, but I was dreaming about swords, tornados, werewolves, and bees
— — — 83–91 A toad bit my little toe off
— — — 92–00 I didn’t know my colleague was actually a dog

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Weird at the Core

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103
 PCs turn on the
wireless. They
activate the
communication console.
They pick up the
walkie‑talkie. They
listen. What do they
hear? Maybe
something weird?
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — “64049 92490 92490 83954 83954 94863”
03–05 — — — [whale song]
06–07 — — — “"All right, Harlo, now what? This fucking door is stuck, not locked. Where’d I put my oil can? Here it is...”
08–10 — — — “Point that thing somewhere else! I said—" [violent screech ends the transmission]
11–12 — — — “Watson, come here. I want you.”
13–14 — — — “We can’t find west. Everything is wrong. We can’t be sure of any
direction. Everything looks strange, even the ocean.”
15–17 — — — “Here’s to my sweet Satan, the one whose little path would make me glad.”
18–20 — — — “Here is night, brothers. Here the birds burn.”
21–22 — — — “Secret reports... It is bad here.”
23–24 — — — “All those childhood traumas magically wiped away, along with most of your personality.”
25–26 — — — “Look beyond time. It hides there, waiting.”
27–29 — — — [Gregorian chant]
30–32 — — — [dogs barking] “Settle down there. We’ve got work to do.” [dogs quieting]
33–34 — — — “Do not chew or crush. Swallow whole.”
35–36 — — — “1‑Adam‑12 1‑Adam‑12. Possible 459 suspect in a 1959 green Buick.”
37–39 — — — “It’s time to eat the president.”
40–41 — — — “You are going to doom us all. You will bring about the apocalypse.”
42–43 — — — [theme song from CHiPs, repeating forever with different instruments]
44–46 — — — [sung to a jingle] “It’s the cola that hits the spot, a big big bottle and it’s got
bounce, bounce, BOUNCE, bounce, got to get this cola for its bounce!”
47–48 — — — “This is not a test. Repeat, this is not a test. The Office of Civil Defense has delivered
the following emergency warning. A nuclear attack has been detected.”
49–50 — — — “Oh, dear tentacled lord who is asleep, awake tonight! Hear our prayers,
feel our hearts, eat our minds, for your eternal glory.”
51–53 — — — “Buffalo, buffalo. Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo. Buffalo, buffalo.”
54–55 — — — “Remember, it’s never a good idea to eat Grandma’s pills.”
56–57 — — — “I don’t even think it’s a moth, though it sort of looks like one. But it
bites. Don’t turn the light out, or more will come.”
58–59 — — — “Taking a poll—how many of you think that the Imperium should hang
the prince, or just kill him the old‑fashioned way?”
60–62 — — — “Flight 51 to flight control—please advise on an alternative frequency. Some
kind of prayer service is bleeding through on this one.”
63–64 — — — “This is Channel 10. We’re closing down. This is our final broadcast. If you’re
hearing this, congratulations. I’m not the last person alive after all.”
65–66 — — — “You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”
67–69 — — — “Yes, yes, yes, no, what? No, God, no.”
70–71 — — — “I’ve killed Marcus. Just three more to go.”
72–74 — — — “Come as quickly as possible, old man. The engine room is filling up to the boilers.”
75–76 — — — “Tell my wife I love her.”
77–79 — — — “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
Weird at the Core

80–81 — — — “This is not the end.”

82–83 — — — [gunshot sound, screams, more gunshots] “If you’re in range of this transmission, I’m coming for you next.”
84–86 — — — “They’re lying to you.”
87–89 01–03 — — “I looked up. God, I don’t know why, but I looked up. And there, staring
back at me through the window, was her dead white face.”
90–91 — — 01–13 “The breeze murmurs through apple branches and slumber pours down from quivering leaves.”
92–94 — — 14–25 [high‑pitched noise that only those under 25 years old can hear]
95–97 — — 26–37 [endless humming noise that persists even after the radio is turned off]
98–00 — — 38–49 [radio play of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking‑Glass]
— 04–06 — — “We’re caught in the gas giant’s orbit. Life support is offline. Send help!”
— 07–09 — — [nonstop speech and music playing backward]
— 10–12 — — “The scientific method begins with trust in a higher power. Data is best interpreted through prayer.”
104 — 13–15 — — [screams and cries of torment]
— 16–18 — — “If you were exposed to the radiation leak, don’t pull your clothes off.
Cut them off with scissors to reduce additional exposure.”
— 19–21 — — “Do not come here. We’re dying, and nothing can stop that now. If you come, the same fate shall befall you.”
— 22–25 — — “Do not trust [name of one PC].”
— 26–28 — — [High‑pitched continuous screech, but if it is slowed down 120 times, it becomes
intelligible as a repeated message: “Beelzebub. Seek us. Kill.”
— 29–31 — — “Repeat. This is KHAQQ. Noonan and Earhart in the Electra. We can read you again.”
— 32–34 — — [big band music coming to an end, and then static] “The plane is coming in for a bombing
run. The only lights here in London are from the fires started across the city. Otherwise,
as ordered by civic authorities, the mandatory blackout continues.” [static]
— 35–37 — — “Can you hear me? Can anyone out there hear me? It has been two years, three
months, and fourteen days since the beginning of the outbreak.”
— 38–40 — — [low sound, muffled as though underwater: BLOOP]
— 41–43 — — [sound of a crackling fire and a rocking chair going on for hours, but it’s not a loop]
— 44–46 — — [static, but if analyzed, it contains instructions for building a nuclear reactor]
— 47–49 — — [hour or more of drone, then a click, followed by a moment of silence]
“Play it again.” [click, and the droning resumes]
— 50–52 — — [last thirty seconds of “Suffragette City,” followed by an old‑timey PSA reminding
you to buy war bonds to help support “our boys in Europe”]
— 53–55 — — [Bowie and Jagger singing covers of Queen songs]
— 56–58 — — [high school production of an (unpublished) ribald Shakespeare play]
— 59–61 — — “Four, four, four, all your friends are dead. Five, five, they’re dead because of
you. Six, they hate you for it. Seven, they’ll drag you to Hell.”
— 62–64 — — “The horse that raced past the barn fell.”
— 65–67 — — “This marks the sixth year we’ve been lost in space. There won’t be a seventh.
Our ship’s radioisotope thermoelectric generator is just about dead.”
— 68–70 — — “Hiid has been asleep for decades. Everyone thought it was just a hill when
they built their houses on it. They’re about to learn differently.”
— 71–73 — — “We’re forecasting extreme cold. Seriously, folks, stay inside tonight. We predict
people‑freezing‑in‑the‑streets, planes‑falling‑from‑the‑sky kind of cold.”
— 74–76 — — “I’m the last one on board. Going to exit the ship and explore the phenomenon myself.”
— 77–79 — — “Where did these woods come from? I mean, there weren’t even trees here last night.”
— 80–82 — — “Okay, then. I’m just going to go ahead and push this button. See what happens. What’s the worst—”
— 83–85 — — “If you can read me, beware the Burger King on 17th. I went out to throw some
trash in the dumpster at the end of my shift and . . . " [fades out]
— 86–88 — — “We call this an Einstein‑Rosen bridge. We’re not sure if we can send radio signals
through it, or if they’ll arrive where and when we expect, but we’re hopeful!”
— 89–91 — — “Just empty rooms and corridors, one after another. Like for, I dunno. Miles. I’m
getting very hungry. No idea how I got here or how to get out.”
— 92–94 — — “As it says in Revelation chapter 23, verse 13: When the united land of
states across the sea finally burns, all sins will be forgiven.”
— 95–97 — 50–61 “We are the Xolenesti, as your brain interprets sound. We welcome
you to the galactic confederation, in peace.”
— 98–00 — 62–74 [electronic music that seems to follow no particular harmony; it is the sound of the sun interpolated into tones]
— — 01–07 — “Can anyone hear me? The city is completely empty. Abandoned! Where did everyone go?”
— — 08–14 — “Next, add the Bose‑Einstein condensate as a layer of cladding across the space‑time vessel.”
— — 15–21 — “Surrender, or your planet will be rendered sterile for an epoch.”
— — 22–28 — “Let me in. It’s all right. I’ll make all the pain go away. Just listen to my voice, and pretty soon, I’ll be you.”
— — 29–35 — [patterned “static”; if PCs check, they might discover exabytes of unfamiliar DNA sequences]
— — 36–42 — “They broke into the lobby! Hundreds of them, shambling forward.
Jesus, Gus, get out of— Oh, no. They bit him.”
— — 43–49 — “Transmission begins now. Forty‑one. Yes, I feel hot. I feel hot, it’s all… it’s all hot. I can
see a flame! I can see a flame! I can see a flame! Thirty‑two… thirty‑two. Am I going to
Weird at the Core

crash? Yes, yes, I feel hot… I am listening, I feel hot, I will re‑enter. I’m hot!”
— — 50–56 — [strange noise that ends quickly, but when the PCs check, they’ve apparently
been listening to something for hours, frozen motionless]
— — 57–63 — “If you can hear this, you have angered the Collective. Prepare for dissolution.”
— — 64–71 — “The House hates you.”
— — 72–78 — “Please tell Jerry that the vault is now open. Jerry needs to know." [coordinates follow]
— — 79–85 — “Now that I have achieved immortality, I seek amusement.”
— — 86–92 — “Sir, we’re getting a variety of strange readings here. And there’s a warning
about some kind of systems failure at the Large Hadron Colli—”
— — 93–00 — “Yes, my cat just spoke. It said as clear as anything, 'My people
need me,' and then it disappeared. No, I’m serious.”
— — — 75–87 “Hello, [name of one PC]. Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
— — — 88–00 “That’s not a spider—it’s a dream of a spider!” 105
 When a character is
altered thanks to magic,
radiation, or a weird
spider bite, use this list to
determine what changes
they undergo.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Face gradually recontours itself to resemble whoever they’re talking to
03–05 — — — Bite starts fires
06–07 — — — Tongue has a tendril under it that can extend and be used like a third hand
08–09 — — — Presence wilts blooming flowers
10–12 — — — Pupils take on the silhouette shape of whatever object or creature they’re looking at
13–14 — — — Feet are replaced with fleshy wheels
15–16 — — — Additional length of arm can unfold at the wrist to reveal an additional hand
17–18 — — — Acne‑like pustules create stuff that looks and tastes like gourmet cheese
19–20 — — — Sweat glands produce chemicals identical to garlic
21–22 — — — Skin grows bumps that turn into thumbs, which can break
off and twitch like a lizard dropping its tail
23–24 — — — Thick cartilage extends from just under the earlobes to the tips
of their shoulders, giving them a “triangle neck”
25–26 — — — Fingers are very long, as they have two extra joints
27–28 — — — Nipples are made of a horn‑like material and are sharp enough to cut glass
29–30 — — — Network of subdermal muscle fibers allows them to loosen or tighten any portion of their skin
31–32 — — — Hump on their back stores fat and water, and their metabolism shunts
toxins there (decreasing the short‑term effectiveness of poisons)
33–35 — — — Somehow, every one of their social media posts goes viral
36–37 — — — No nose; center of their face is flat (with or without nostrils)
38–39 — — — Oversized hairy clawed “wolfman” hands
40–42 — — — Green blood
43–44 — — — Patches of transparent skin
45–46 — — — Foot‑long tongue
47–49 — — — Acidic fingerprints
50–51 — — — Six or more fingers on each hand
52–53 — — — Cloven hooves instead of feet
54–55 — — — Tentacle for a left arm
56–58 — — — Hygroscopic—skin absorbs touched liquid until saturation
point is reached and then a mini‑flood occurs
59–60 — — — Can pull their elastic neck skin entirely over the rest of their head
61–62 — — — Causes ambient noise to fall by half or more in their presence
63–64 — — — Exudes an electromagnetic field that kills insects
65–66 — — — Exactly mimics any other person’s voice they’ve previously heard speak
67–68 — — — Boils water with direct touch, or in a container they touch (containers
including living things that are mostly water)
69–71 — — — Changes the color of anything they touch to a dark red mineral‑like pigment
72–73 — — — Inverts their esophagus and stomach to digest or trap food
externally, then pulls it inside themselves
74–75 — — 01–06 Face slowly morphs over several minutes
76–77 — — 07–12 Skin glows different colors depending on their emotional state
78–79 — — 13–18 Touch relieves hangovers
Weird at the Core

80–81 — — 19–24 Touch causes purple grass to sprout

82–83 — — 25–30 Touch can inebriate other creatures
84–85 — — 31–36 Legs can elongate by about 2 feet (60 cm) and return to their normal size, allowing them to
increase their height (although it’s entirely in their legs, so it doesn’t look quite right)
86–87 — — 37–41 Most of their bone structure is replaced by cartilage; they’re more flexible and
resistant to crushing and breaking, but damaged cartilage is unlikely to heal
88–90 — — 42–47 Shining light inside their body illuminates mysterious traceries in their flesh
91–92 — — 48–53 Instead of ears, they have antenna bristling with tiny hairs
93–94 — — 54–59 Tiny insect wings on their back (they’re much too small to lift the
character, but they can buzz like a trapped housefly)
95–96 — — 60–65 Strongly smells of cherries

106
97–98 — — 66–71 Uses their hands to season food; their left hand can shake pepper, their right can shake salt
99–00 — — 72–77 Assures that a touched creature’s next night of sleep will be full,
deep, and as restful as when they used to sleep as a child
— 01–03 — — Eye is a cluster of smaller eyes
— 04–06 — — Hand is the upper body of a monkey
— 07–09 — — Second mouth is at base of their throat; they can speak with both at the same time
— 10–13 — — Skin resembles weathered marble; they could easily pose as a statue when nude
— 14–16 — — Teeth cyclically fall out and regrow, always ever‑so‑slightly larger
— 17–19 — — Mere presence dusts area in fungal spores that sprout into
small, fleshy‑colored mushrooms within minutes
— 20–22 — — Skin flap hides a tiny version of them that is attached via an umbilical cord
— 23–26 — — Touch cools objects to room temperature
— 27–29 — — Fingernails grow normally, but they’re metal (so trimming requires special effort)
— 30–32 — — Presence smothers nearby flames, no matter how intense
— 33–35 — — Front of head is smooth, as their actual face is in the middle of their torso
— 36–38 — — Most of their internal organs are clusters of smaller redundant organs (such as eight
small hearts that together are about the size of an average human heart)
— 39–41 — — One lower leg splits into a cluster of smaller legs and feet; the cluster
can squeeze into a boot or shoe and look mostly normal
— 42–44 — — Hair is thin strands of iron metal, which easily rust when they get wet (or even when
it’s too humid), forming particles that stain and irritate their eyes and skin
— 45–47 — — Deliquescent: part or all of their body can become water; becoming solid again takes a few minutes
— 48–50 — — Gradual regenerative mutation; over the course of years, it will
completely replace their flesh with fish anatomy
— 51–53 — — Can’t see living things
— 54–57 — — Constantly broadcasts their thoughts to nearby people
— 58–60 — — Excretes transparent, low‑friction oil at will
— 61–63 — — Turns invisible when they sleep
— 64–66 — — Forms a frost of heavy metal on their skin if they remain motionless too long
— 67–69 — — Sprouts a juvenile volcano if they concentrate long enough on one spot
— 70–72 — — Animates small dolls and similar objects for brief periods
— 73–75 — — Instantly and precisely names or locates any geographical point on
the planet with only the barest description to go on
— 76–78 — — Converts plastic to water with a touch
— 79–81 — — Summons a personal demon that is helpful, but there’s always a consequence
— 82–84 — — Causes rivers to reverse course while they concentrate
— 85–87 01–13 — Sheds skin and rejuvenates if injured or killed
— 88–90 — 78–83 Shadow can be removed and worn like a cloak
— 91–93 — 84–88 Sneezes cause small windstorms
— 94–96 — 89–94 Skin has limited camouflage ability to duplicate
colors and patterns, including fine details like text
— 97–00 — 95–00 Transforms into a red panda
— — 14–25 — Chest cavity is hollowed and now houses a smaller
version of themselves
— — 26–38 — Explodes an object within about ten seconds if
they whisper “cacophony” with their lips within
an inch of that object
— — 39–51 — Exists as a living battery; their touch
can power devices and start electronics,
or drain them of power
— — 52–63 — Holds a conscious control over their blood
pressure to bleed from their eyes,
Weird at the Core

ears, and/or nose at will

— — 64–75 — Moves their mouth around to
other locations on their body with
a little concentration
— — 76–87 — Triggers parthenogenesis in any
other living thing they touch
— — 88–00 — Explodes themselves, which
also damages anything
nearby; reforming
their body
takes about
an hour

107
 Some might call it peasant magic, while others call it
witchcraft or even just simple superstition. Whatever they’re
known as, beliefs in odd remedies and magical effects from
odd actions are common among certain folk. If you
need such a belief, use the following list—then
you can determine if there’s truth to it or not.
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Curse someone with constant vomiting by spitting on their
doorstep while hungry, then eating until you’re uncomfortably full
04–07 — — — Win the next argument you find yourself in by spinning around twelve times beneath a full moon
08–11 — — — Come into money in the following month by licking a diamond next to a waterfall
12–14 — — — Help a sick relative get on the mend in a week with a secret tune you
hum as you step on all cracks in a city block’s sidewalk
15–18 — — — Find something important that you’ve lost by telling a lonely old man you
love him on three different days in the same month
19–21 — — — Write an enemy’s name onto a paper you’ll fold into a boat and put in a
river; if it floats out of sight, your enemy will get sick
22–24 — — — Ward away pests by painting a picture of an upside‑down goat on a west‑facing wall
25–28 — — — Scare away a ghost haunting a barn by burning wildflower petals
29–32 — — — Put five strands of a young girl’s hair and seven holly sprigs in a green glass under the bed to ward off nightmares
33–36 — — — To make someone face public shame, submerge a sketch of them in a bowl
with stale beer for three consecutive cloudy nights
37–40 — — — Remember the name of someone you’ve forgotten by concentrating on a glass plate covered in thyme leaves
41–44 — — — Guarantee a politician wins an election by releasing a goose you covered in camel hair into the candidate’s house at night
45–47 — — — Ensure an enemy gets lost by marking their path—before they cross it—with a cat’s claw and a handful of bumblebee wings
48–50 — — — Protect a house from burglars by drawing a picture of the specific house
with colored chalk, then erasing it with maple leaves
51–53 — — — Improve your eyesight by using an eagle’s feather to paint sparrow blood
onto your eyelids, leaving the blood be for a week
54–57 — — — Call up a breeze on a ship by throwing a knife into the aft side of the mast
58–61 — — — Reduce swollen joints by carrying potatoes in your pockets (or sleeping with them under your pillow)
62–64 — — — End a feud by carrying seven nails from three houses, burying them at a
crossroads you find, then walking away, eyes forward
65–68 — — — Banish lust with two smooth river stones (boiled in a cookpot then set in
sunlight for a day) placed on your eyelids while you sleep
69–71 — — — For farm prosperity, wrap a cane with strands of your grandparents' hair twisted together; walk around
your land thrice with the cane, then shove the cane into your chimney, never to speak of it
72–75 — — — Curse your enemy with sickness using seven plucked hen feathers knotted onto a leather cord, hidden in their home
76–79 — — — Stake an ox hide in four places, using wooden stakes; draw triangles around
the hide and sleep on the hide for luck in tomorrow’s battle
80–82 — — — Feed ants, collected near your foe’s home, to an owl you then kill; let its blood drip
into a pan; listen to the pitter-patter for clues about your foe’s secrets
83–86 — — — Counteract baldness with an onion, cut in half and boiled in water collected under a full moon; rub the onion on the scalp
87–90 — — 01–08 Keep nearby animals healthy for a season by wishing upon a different star you see each night for a month
91–93 — — 09–16 Break a run of bad luck hunting or fishing by baking a nail into a loaf of
bread and throwing it away in the forest, lake, or river
94–97 — — 17–24 Ensure you harvest the largest pearls by eating a raw oyster, kissed while still in its shell by your mother or true love
98–00 — — 25–32 Banish recurring bad dreams with a small net (woven using hair from the sleeper and
a family member) hung above the sleeper; burn the net in the morning
— 01–03 — — Give someone terrible luck for a year and a day by burying three of their
teeth near an oak tree that’s been struck by lightning
— 04–07 — — Cast a love spell onto someone by crushing that person’s shoe under the wheel of a cart filled with six angry sisters
— 08–10 — — Catch a fugitive by cutting an article of their clothing into five bits and burning them all at least a mile apart
— 11–14 — — Protect yourself from curses by wearing the only key to a broken lock around your neck
Weird at the Core

— 15–17 — — Ensure the health of your children by eating a soft cheese sculpture of a human allowed to spoil and mold
— 18–20 — — Improve your reflexes by washing a piece of rotten fruit with a water ladle under a new moon and then eating the fruit
— 21–23 — — Reverse hearing loss by sleeping beneath a weeping willow with a lucky coin in your mouth
— 24–26 — — Write an enemy’s name on a piece of paper in blood and ink; scratch it away bit by bit with a silver knife to weaken them
— 27–30 — — Capture a dying man’s death rattle in a copper pot thrown onto an ancestor’s grave to gain insight on a family problem
— 31–33 — — Ward off sickness by boring a hole in a penny that has been swallowed three
times and then wearing it as an amulet against your skin
— 34–36 — — Deter thieves from entering by hiding a convict’s shirt in the foundation of a new building
— 37–39 — — Mix chicken fat and a burned witch’s ashes to mark a cow for fertility;
draw Xs on her head at dawn for five mornings in a row
— 40–42 — — Use a goose quill to write “wealth” onto some burlap, then wrap it around a hot
stone from a campfire and hurl it into a quiet lake to bring fortune
108
— 43–45 — — Gather and bury shards of a broken mirror into holes 1 foot (30 cm) deep
in an unmarked graves to avoid seven years bad luck
— 46–48 — — Ask a white rooster, dog, and goat the same nonsense riddle, then free them; two
will run together, and one will run to an animal’s den you seek
— 49–51 — — Ask saints to stem bleeding by reading passages from the Bible (or another religious text), repeating each statement thrice
— 52–54 — — Ensure safe journey by skipping flat stones across a pool or river; carry
those that make it across for the rest of your journey
— 55–57 — — Collect hair from ten allies, braid and clean it under clear water, then wear it on yourself for general luck and prosperity
— 58–60 — — To ensure restful sleep, sew a leaf and thorn doll; bury it as a gift near a tree’s roots, and sleep beneath the tree’s boughs
— 61–63 — — Stare into mirror in dim light, trace over your reflection’s eyes and mouth
with frog blood, and ask it for inspirational advice
— 64–66 — — To shorten a foe’s life, make a candle of wax mixed with ash from a dead
sequoia tree; burn it 1 inch (2.5 cm) for each year struck
— 67–69 — — Make a poppet of a foe from clay, bathe it in rat blood, drop it from a
high place, and burn the pieces; they’ll have insomnia
— 70–72 — — To make yourself unnoticeable, harvest and render an unborn calf’s eyes into tallow for candle; burn it before you leave
— 73–75 — — To awaken a coma or sleeping sickness victim, put a mirror before their face, light a candle
on either side of them, then let a venomous snake bite their pinky finger
— 76–79 01–04 — Haunt a building with a poltergeist by smearing the southern edge of the foundation with pig’s blood and broken glass
— 80–82 05–08 — Exorcise a possessed person with three of their family members circling the person, hands joined, while
another relative taps their joints with bells, canting the victim’s good deeds to expel the spirit in them
— 83–85 09–12 — Sear the placenta, mince it with pine needles and wildflower petals, then
either eat it or smear it onto the breast to induce strong milk
— 86–88 13–16 — Grind spiderwebs from a forest into paste; paint it in spiderlike designs onto the bare skin of warriors to protect them
— 89–91 17–20 — Keep hunger at bay by filling a small goat’s skin with gravel of only white stones collected from
a battlefield, tying it on a belt, and fastening that belt tightly across your stomach
— 92–94 21–24 — Learn secret information by standing in the corner of an abandoned building and whispering into
the shadows what you seek; in return, you must pledge your service to the Hungering Dark
— 95–97 25–28 — Return a petrified victim to living flesh by collecting a medusa’s snake, a cockatrice’s feather, and a basilisk’s
scale; crushing the materials; adding basil and salt; and applying the mixture to the petrified victim’s eyes
— 98–00 — 33–41 Get a vision of your enemy’s plans by wearing a white shirt; burning daisies, coffee beans, and
a torn‑up page from the Bible (in that exact order); and then breathing in the smoke
— — 29–32 — Conjure an unclean spirit to do your bidding by standing in a befouled lake and reciting a Bible verse backward
— — 33–36 — Make a wish come true in a year by writing the opposite of what you want on a slip of
paper cast in the light of burning serpent scales, then eating that paper
— — 37–40 — Ward off sickness by putting a live two‑headed turtle in a bag with six different kinds of beans and carrying it with you
— — 41–44 — Repel werewolves and vampires from a house by burying a child’s shoe under the cornerstone
— — 45–48 — Curse a firstborn by forming a circle of seven pregnant women around a fire at midnight and
then having them chant the target’s name until one of them collapses from the strain
— — 49–52 — Find a guilty person by writing each suspect’s name on a different scrap of paper and using a key to tuck them into
the pages of a book; have a sleepwalking child pick out the scraps one by one, and the last one named is the criminal
— — 53–56 — Hide your house from witches by piercing a bull’s heart with three nails and burying it under your doorstep
— — 57–60 — Gain insight into a difficult problem by digging up the bones of an ancestor, bathing the
remains in moonlight, then sleeping with those bones under the mattress
— — 61–64 — Brew a luck tea using a stolen eye from a green‑eyed person, boiled with rosemary; drink as normal
— — 65–68 — Protect yourself from ghosts by mixing equal parts salt with the remains of at least one person
burned to ash, then rubbing that compound across your body and clothing
— — 69–72 — Make time stretch when you need it most by grinding a sundial to sand, feeding the sand to
a turtle, using the turtle’s blood in a cake, and eating a slice of that cake at need
— — 73–76 — Ensure the gods smile on your venture by taking the skins of dead blasphemers, sewing
them into a puppet, and using the puppet to perform a mass in the gods’ honor
— — 77–80 — Ensure virility by washing in snake’s blood, standing nude in a thunderstorm, screaming
imprecations to the heavens, and killing whatever beast of the field you first spy
— — 81–84 — Break what prophecy has in store for you by dousing a set of tarot cards in your blood, burning
the cards, mixing the ash with a fired clay sculpture of yourself, and smashing it at dawn
Weird at the Core

— — 85–88 42–50 Attract true love by first mixing the moon blood of an old virgin and the semen of a righteous
man, and then dabbing it at the outside four corners of your bedroom window
— — 89–92 51–58 Protect yourself against evil spirits by filling a leather pouch with herbs, smooth quartz,
and the tip of your pinky finger, and carrying it with you at all times
— — 93–96 59–66 Ensure a bountiful harvest by dancing under the full moon with a bit of ash from the
remains of honored ancestors mixed with bright colors smeared across your face
— — 97–00 67–75 Bring back the dead by mixing the yolk from a phoenix egg with a tablespoon of honey,
then incanting “Be reborn my sweet” while applying the mixture to the body
— — — 76–84 Make someone stronger by dripping the wax of four candles onto their image when at least three planets are in alignment
— — — 85–92 Mend a broken bone by playing a banjo or ukulele for an hour in heavy rain with a boy whose name begins with an E
— — — 93–00 Rid your home of a ghost by boiling salt, cow’s fat, and garden soil with a silver coin, then soaking a broom’s
bristles in it; let the broom dry, then sweep from the farthest corner of the house to the front door
109
 s if a
b e o bviou ealing
might ed, but rev e a
crops v ir
Weird ld is obser might requ d, or
n g f i e w i n g p e e le
growi really gro fruit to be .
a t ’s , a ke d
I S G W Weirdness wh cked shuc
be cra to be
nut to a corn husk
01–02 — — — Corn that tastes like blue cheese
03–05 — — — Beans that can also be used as candles
06–07 — — — Bolts and screws
08–10 — — — Car‑sized clumps of crimson spinach
11–13 — — — Blue hay
14–15 — — — Corn that vibrates once it’s ripe
16–17 — — — Apple orchard cultivated to harvest
the worms in the apples
18–19 — — — Eel‑like carrots that like to be fed bread crumbs
20–21 — — — Pods of mom’s spit, ideal for treating
cuts and cleaning schmutz
22–24 — — — Pork chops that must be shucked
25–26 — — — Flying spinach plants that come to roost at twilight
27–28 — — — Bell peppers that sob when anyone picks and cuts them
29–30 — — — Pale fruit filled with silky, creamy mayonnaise
31–33 — — — Soybean‑like plant producing furred, whiskered pods
34–35 — — — Waving fields of swirled, straw‑like stalks
36–38 — — — Corn‑like stalks topped with extremities
resembling lit ring lights
39–40 — — — Pods containing a substance resembling beef gravy
41–42 — — — Spicy‑hot turnips
43–45 — — — Animal vegetable mineral fruit (a furred rind
containing yam‑like flesh with granite seeds)
46–47 — — — Bowler hats
48–50 — — — Bamboo that attracts lightning
51–53 — — — Haunted trees
54–55 — — — Radio antennas
56–57 — — — Wheat that can be made into bread
that never molds
58–59 — — — Red beans that can be processed into fuel
60–61 — — — Tubers that are poisonous to humans but
extremely nutritious for any other creature
62–64 — — 01–06 Wigs
65–67 — — 07–12 Flowers with faces
68–70 — — 13–17 Cherries that explode if they’re not
picked when they’re ripe
71–72 — — 18–23 Gourds that glow brightly for days
after being picked
73–75 — — 24–28 Oranges that pull away from gravity
76–77 — — 29–34 Poison apples
Weird at the Core

78–80 — — 35–39 Predatory pumpkin patch

81–83 — — 40–45 Complaining flowers
84–86 — — 46–50 Bean pods that each contain a different key
87–89 — — 51–55 Flaming fruit
90–91 — — 56–61 Fully decorated Christmas trees
92–94 — — 62–66 Grass that causes any animal that grazes upon
it to grow to three times its normal size
95–97 — — 67–71 Intelligent plants that are animated
98–00 — — 72–76 Cacti that hold carbonated water
— 01–03 — — Dog heads
— 04–06 — — Eyes of every shape and hue
110 — 07–09 — — Sheets of pebbly skin
— 10–12 — — Peppers so hot they can be used as fuel
— 13–16 — — Various punctuation marks
— 17–19 — — Holiday decorations that are safe for cats and dogs to eat
— 20–23 — — Left hands
— 24–26 — — Influencers
— 27–29 — — Bells that tinkle if and when the correct answer is given
— 30–32 — — Plums with helpful gnomes instead of seeds
— 33–35 — — Strawberries that entangle and kill invasive bugs
— 36–38 — — Anime eyes
— 39–41 — — Ruby red plant that grows if a victim’s heart is
planted in a certain location; it grows with a
mouth that will reveal all the victim’s secrets
— 42–44 — — Halfway decent scripts
— 45–47 — — Bluish fractal‑shaped plants that are constantly moving
— 48–50 — — Vines that produce grape‑like clusters of bullets
— 51–53 — — Scissor blades
— 54–57 — — Compliments
— 58–60 — — Corn that grows on clouds
— 61–63 — — Genetically modified superstrain of grain that takes over
the ecosystem, driving all other plants to extinction
— 64–66 — — Time‑slowing carrots
— 67–69 — — Ferns that ward away evil spirits
— 70–72 — — Flowers with petals made of precious minerals
— 73–75 — — Palm fronds that summon the wind
— 76–78 — — Invisible corn
— 79–81 — — Bamboo that cannot burn
— 82–85 — — Berries that each contain the answer to one question
— 86–88 — — Plants with yellow leaves that are tough
enough to be used as armor
— 89–91 — — Lampposts
— 92–94 — — 9‑volt batteries
— 95–97 — 77–82 Pumpkins that carve themselves, though
about half depict lewd scenes
— 98–00 — 83–88 Ugly holiday sweaters
— — 01–08 — Dragon teeth
— — 09–16 — Fingers
— — 17–24 — Mammoth embryos
— — 25–33 — Tiny dinosaurs
— — 34–41 — Human fetuses
— — 42–50 — Demon seeds
— — 51–58 — Starcraft hulls
— — 59–66 — Pellets of purified plutonium
— — 67–75 — Telepathic vines
— — 76–83 — Tiny balls of time
— — 84–91 — Plants with thick stems that are deadly
to even the merest touch
— — 92–00 89–94 Wish fruit
Weird at the Core

— — — 95–00 Fairy wings

The Face in the Mirror

A PC looks in a mirror and sees someone else.
The reflection doesn’t mirror their movements.
Further, the person in the reflection seems harried.
They try to say something, but they can’t be heard.
Finally, they find a piece of paper and a pen, and
frantically write on it. After a minute, they hold up
the paper and it reads: “WE’RE TRAPPED HERE.
WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON THAT SIDE OF
THE MIRROR.” Then, with a look of realization,
the person adds to the message and shows it:
“AND NOT EVERYONE ON YOUR SIDE OF
THE MIRROR BELONGS THERE.” 111
 Legends are stories of weird things that are
of great significance, have a wide application,
or happened in the distant past. Like rumors,
they may or may not be true.

I S G W Weirdness
01–09 — — — Half‑spider people from the next valley over will one day rule the
empire, but only if they find their missing silken idol
10–17 — — — Next time the world ends, it will be by fire
18–26 — — — Explorers found an ancient hidden city under the desert that’s filled with wonders
and artifacts, but every time they try to go back, they can’t find it again
27–34 — — — Great hero once dropped a great stone from the sky to kill a dragon, and the crater formed an inland sea
35–42 — — — The river was formed when the most foolish farmer to ever live used a plow made from
a meteorite to try to plow a field and instead carved a huge gash across the land
43–51 — — — One elf’s lifespan has exceeded all others of her kind; she hides herself away from other
people, for though she is very wise, she is cursed to kill every second person she meets
52–59 — — — Any king who takes the throne is cursed with early senility and death, so for the
past thousand years, male sovereigns have taken the title of “prince,” since the
curse doesn’t affect anyone other than men who accept the title of “king”
60–68 — — — Gods of the dead use drums to help souls find their path to the afterlife; skilled mortal
drummers are viewed with suspicion for possibly being in league with the underworld
69–76 — — — When the gods went to war, the blood from their wounds spattered on rocks, trees,
stones, and rivers, imbuing them with life and forming the first sapient beings; every
sapient species other than humans can trace their ancestry to one of the gods
77–84 — — 01–10 Triad of three stars on the horizon are the souls of three lecherous fairies; a
mortal who sleeps nude under their light can ask them for a boon
85–92 — — 11–20 Another ring was made, forged by a dark lord in secret, to control all others; the
ring has no power over fools, including people with no wisdom teeth
93–00 — — 21–30 Gods tasked the crows with keeping the thousand keys to the titans’ prison, but the crows
remembered only that the keys were shiny, so now they collect all shiny things
— 01–03 — — Any person stabbed through the heart with the unique Crystal Dagger of Atmea will rise as a vampire
— 04–06 — — Sleeping outside during the planetary conjunction will open communication with strange beings
— 07–09 — — Unexplained tremors result from the occasional struggles of a
still‑living giant entombed hundreds of feet below ground
— 10–13 — — Three wizards once destroyed each other in a great conflict; the result still lingers
today in a mysterious region where the laws of physics don’t apply
— 14–16 — — Greatest runner of all time was a woman named Asophe who ran so fast that she left Earth entirely
— 17–19 — — Ghost of a master weaponsmith is bound to three weapons he created to fight demons; if a
hero lets him possess their body for a year, he’ll tell them where to find the weapons
— 20–22 — — Imprisoned under the tower of the greatest mage who ever lived is an undead
dagger made from the soul of a vampire; anyone who wields it is said to
suffer from the vampire’s thirst and her obsession with counting
— 23–25 — — Soul of a corrupted demon hunter is trapped between two dimensions; eager for revenge,
he can escape only by finding a mortal whose soul is the twin of his own
— 26–28 — — Cult of warriors trained their children for battle from the moment they could
walk; their genocidal war earned them a divine curse, and though their cult is
dead, children brought to their ruins sometimes channel their voices
— 29–31 — — Gods of the end times built a forge at the center of the world, and every use of the
word “seven” brings an immense metal construct one moment closer to life
— 32–34 — — In the time of dreams when the gods warred with each other over dominion of the world,
their battles sometimes wounded the earth, causing a grey fluid to seep out like blood;
rare pockets of it survive, and touching it brings insight, power, and madness
Weird at the Core

— 35–37 — — Druids know of a magical scythe that raises anyone slain by it as a werewolf bound to the
cause of nature itself, but it is buried in a cavern on the dark side of the moon and can
be retrieved only by a druid who has learned how to hold their breath for a year
— 38–40 — — On one very old mountain is an ancient tree with red leaves; it grows from the corpse
of a slain god of love, his heart pierced by the beak of a hateful sapient magpie
— 41–43 — — Only way into a vault of ancient treasures is through a portal that opens for only an instant every
138 days; the entrance is littered with the corpses of explorers cut in half by the momentary portal
— 44–46 — — Under the deepest mountain is a grotto filled with glittering crystal trees; the greatest tree’s
fruits created the first earth elementals, granting them life, movement, and sapience
— 47–49 — — Sleeping god’s dreams have created a lush oasis in the middle of the deadliest
desert, but his nightmares populate it with disgusting and deadly monsters
— 50–52 — — Mystical garden contains a tree whose fruit conveys immortality… and
immobility, transforming the eater into a thinking stone statue
112
— 53–55 — — Hidden side of the moon is the trash heap of the pantheon, the place where the
creator gods discarded their early attempts at terrain, magic, and life forms
— 56–58 — — Greatest bard to ever live was once three separate people; after they were fused together in a magical
accident, their triple vocal cords allowed them to weave song magic that rivaled the gods themselves
— 59–61 — — At the dawn of time, peacocks were the wisest because they had magical eyes
all over their bodies; they gifted these eyes to the first mortal diviners, who
used their newfound insight to escape enslavement by the evil gods
— 62–64 — — Every bit of the multiverse is part of an impossibly complex spell that is still being cast by an
unknowable supreme being; magic spells are just an echo of the incantation of creation
— 65–67 — — It is said that the gods created people out of mud; the mud pit they used still exists, and those
who discover it baptize their children in it to give them strength, magic, and determination
— 68–70 — — Goddess of the apocalypse lives backward through time, giving her all knowledge
of the world’s future, until she arrives at the birth of the world and can instruct
the heavenly pantheon on what must be created and set in motion
— 71–73 — — Long ago, the god of magic accidentally erased himself by solving a complicated theorem,
which broke the laws of the universe and allowed magic to exist without any logical
rules; after all, advanced mathematical knowledge is powerful antimagic
— 74–76 — — First undead being came from a “death world” that pierced the mortal realm like a spear;
necromancers believe that splitting the two worlds apart will make both of them whole again
— 77–79 — — Pantheon banished the trickster god to the mirror dimension, limiting his chaos, but every
mirror crafted gives him a clearer view of the mortal world and how to break free
— 80–82 — — In their boredom, the pantheon created the world as a stage, with sets and actors to entertain
them; a few contrarian deities scattered pages from the “script” across the world, giving
mortals the gifts of magic and prophecy in the hopes of spicing up the performance
— 83–85 01–07 31–40 Two moons once rode the sky—the one we still have, and a tiny one
that would sometimes flash in unfamiliar patterns
— 86–88 — 41–50 Mighty hound of pure darkness arose from the magical shadow of the moon and sought
to consume its horrific light; mighty heroes trapped it halfway between the world and the
moon, and those with keen eyes can see its shadow crossing in front of the stars
— 89–91 — 51–60 Death personally appeared to claim the soul of the greatest dragon, and also fashioned his
left horn into a drinking vessel; any who drink from it cannot be killed for the next five
days, five hours, and five minutes, after which they will transform into a rose bush
— 92–94 — 61–70 Hidden in the elven lands is a glade with a shining golden crystal; it heals any sapient creature
whose light it touches, but they then transform into an elf (apparently, some non‑elves
claim this is the actual origin of elves, which most elves consider incredibly offensive)
— 95–97 — 71–80 Gods created the world out of the body of a pig that wallowed in the primordial chaos,
and because of this, all pigs (her descendants) have a connection to the divine
— 98–00 — 81–90 Just before a soul is placed in a person being born, half of that soul is
swapped with that of another newborn; reuniting the two halves of one’s
soul allows a person to ask a boon of the goddess of life and death
— — 08–14 — Before the civilizations of intelligent mammals, the world was ruled by the
scorpion empire, and the black carapaced mount of its last emperor waits
in stasis for a disciple to awaken it and reignite the ancient war
— — 15–22 — Cursed by creation itself for its role in the first godslaying, an ancient soulblade was
shattered; now its nail‑like shards hold together seven coffins, each with a unique power
— — 23–30 — There once was an axe‑shaped moon in the sky; long ago, it was hurled away to avert a
cataclysm, but it will someday return and vengefully cleave the other moons into tiny pieces
— — 31–38 — Spell known as the Obscene Utterance can kill any being; however, those who complete the
arduous research and tasks to learn to cast the spell discover that it sounds exactly like their own
name, and hearing their own name from anyone else causes them pain and horrific wounds
— — 39–46 — During the war of elements, the champions of fire, air, earth, and water met in a great battle
and annihilated each other; however, the remnants of their bodies combined into a wheel‑like
creature that fled the scene, only to appear every few centuries before a great natural disaster
— — 47–54 — When the goddess of murder bashed in the head of an unknown godling, the
slain one’s pulped brains survived as separate oozes, each one containing a
fragment of divinity; if reunited, the godling may revive again
— — 55–62 — This is the second universe; a catlike cosmic being vomited up the first universe like a hairball containing
Weird at the Core

the four elements and the first gods, who then used what they had to build the second universe
— — 63–70 — World of mortals is riddled with dimensional portals and tunnels, all chewed by monstrous worms that
crawl between the planes, and someday the world will collapse like a house infested with termites
— — 71–78 — One person in each generation is cursed by the god of artifice to have a heart that is a ticking magical
time bomb; past unwitting victims have destroyed cities, created bays, and destroyed entire armies
— — 79–85 — Seven gods of the week were forced to kill one of their own for his horrible crimes; as a consequence,
the soul of any person who dies on that god’s day is dragged into the void where dead gods rot
— — 86–92 — World’s adjacent planes, and the souls of mortals there, are parts of a prison for hateful
ancient beings that would destroy the entire universe if they were ever freed
— — 93–00 91–00 When mortals rose up to challenge the gods, the gods transformed the world from a flat
surface (or sphere) into a cylinder, with the mortal world on the curved surface and Heaven
and Hell on the flat ends; woe to those who find the edge and prompt another reshaping

113
 In most horror situations, life is pretty much normal until one weird, wrong, scary thing happens.
Use this list for ideas about the thing that’s gone wrong. (This list also is useful for modern‑day
settings, whether you use these ideas for supernatural horror or a more mundane explanation.)

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Lawnmower in the shed sometimes starts by itself in the middle of the night
02–03 — — — Those found dead of fright have only one thing in common: overdue books at the local library
04–05 — — — Bright “anti‑shadows” appear when the sun is high in the sky
06–07 — — — Silverware is always missing from the drawer and arranged in strange patterns on the kitchen table
08 — — — Locket with a family photo; wearer is compelled to murder children (starting with their own)
09 — — — Microwave oven causes electrical fires in other appliances at night, even if turned off
10 — — — Power drill shatters its bits or the work surface, always sending fragments into the user’s eye
11–12 — — — Ring light hypnotizes owner into bizarre impulse buys from websites
13 — — — Every night, blood oozes from under a closet door that won’t
open; every morning, the blood is gone
14–15 — — — Maid service visits only after dark; sometimes pets or small children go missing afterward
16–17 — — — Grandfather clock’s cracked face resists repair; bad luck follows anyone who attempts it
18 — — — After a religious exorcism ritual, the priest who performed the rite disappears
19–20 — — — Dental school’s extracted teeth collection is stolen; a guard found on the scene died of multiple bites
21 — — — Pentagram is found burned into the ceiling over the bed of missing teenager
22 — — — Kids who were playing in a skyscraper elevator (visiting random floors) have disappeared
23–24 — — — Everyone inside an all‑night diner is dead of unknown causes, but
video shows one customer leaving just as the sun rises
25–26 — — — Inheritance includes an ancestor’s diary describing how to gain
fame and fortune by making a supernatural deal
27 — — — Children on a cruise ship at sea begin killing the adults
28 — — — Murders in the area occur just as they do in a novel written by a local best‑selling author
29 — — — Serial killer’s chosen victims are all men named Sean, Shawn, or Shaun
30 — — — Restaurants all over town find human remains in their morning meat deliveries
31 — — — All the dogs in the shelter contract hyper‑rabies and break out to terrorize downtown
32 — — — Radio DJ locks himself in the studio and plays audio recordings
of actual murders; listeners turn homicidal
33–34 — — — Book publisher puts a hallucinogenic drug in the ink of their newest
release, giving readers violent visions leading to psychotic breaks
35–36 — — — Video doorbell footage reveals that the people who went missing in the neighborhood
answered the door after 10 p.m. and saw someone wearing a cartoon mouse mask
37–38 — — — Supposedly cheating husband turns out to be secretly working long hours to
prevent a vampire incursion, but didn’t explain so as not to worry his spouse
39–40 — — — Climber returns from the Himalayas to her family, but despite having
all her memories and personality, it’s clearly not her
41–42 — — — Cats all over town have left their homes and gather outside
one particular house, which has a peculiar odor
43 — — — Dead bodies are found in the treetops in the park each night, but
Weird at the Core

they show no visible wounds or signs of struggle

44 — — — Unsolicited email appears in many inboxes; those who open the link
die in exactly six days
45–46 — — — Truck transporting hazardous waste crashes; something inhuman
shambles from the wreckage in search of sustenance
47–48 — — — Cellphone transmissions are interrupted by a strange voice
giving coordinates to a location in Transylvania
49–50 — — — Old MMORPG with almost no traffic is used by
occult terrorists as a virtual meeting place
51–52 — — — Obscure conspiracy theorist making online videos about
strange phenomena seems to be very accurate in his predictions
53 — — — Solar activity disrupts electromagnetic fields across the globe and takes out every power
114 grid—except one controlled by an insane billionaire who exploits his monopoly on power
 54 — — — Monarch of a tiny, almost unknown European country
is funding heists of jewels, large amounts of cash, and
rare antiquities all over the world
55–56 — — — Service offering dreams on demand allows people to customize
their nightly dreams; hackers get access and ransom
customers by threatening them with nightmares
57 — — — Tiny goblinlike creatures live in a city’s sewers,
coming up at night to steal food and kidnap children
58–59 — — — Woman uses conjured spirits to get proof her husband is
cheating on her; now they want a living soul as payment
60 — — — Child’s Bible with vile misprinted text in each chapter
attracts cultists and hostile spirits
61–62 — — — Car keeps appearing in the garage of the dead owner’s widow
63 — — — Analog wall clock's hands stop at the time
that the owner will die
64 — — — Pet cage owned by dogfighting ring attracts
swarms of biting ants
65 — — — Embroidered pillow; anyone who sleeps with
it experiences the same eye‑clawing nightmare
66 — — — Pair of rechargeable AA batteries; any device
they touch (including a charger) eventually catches fire
67 — — — A copy of Twelfth Night, but the interior pages are
of the Scottish play, with frantic handwritten notes that change over time
68–69 — — — Kitchen smells like cooking food . . . a mix of beef, fatty pork, and coppery blood
70 — — — One room in the house allows only a specific family member in
71 — — — All the spoons in the drawer transform into rusty bent forks
72–73 — — — There are fingerprints on some of the food in the refrigerator, despite not having been opened
74–75 01–02 — — A door knocker gives anyone who touches it visions of their own violent death
76–77 03–04 — — Ghost of a soldier that died in battle a hundred years ago won’t fade until a letter is delivered
78 05–06 — — SOS in Morse code is picked up on the Atlantic Coast, claiming to be from the Titanic
79 07–08 — — Skateboarders show up with flying boards, and refuse to explain where they got them
80–81 09–10 — — Company kidnapped a witch to secretly perform “cleansing rites” on their
toxic waste, then dumped her into the river; her coven wants her back
82 11–12 01–05 — Tape recorders keep appearing throughout a location, already
recording; playback reveals terrifying screams
83 13–14 — 01–05 Children’s modeling clay animates and causes pranks
84–85 — 06–10 — A window always shows stormy weather outside, regardless of actual conditions, with weather
subtly twisted into something disturbing (snow is bone fragments, rain is tears,
wind is hot human breath, etc.)
86–87 — — 06–10 The recipient of a donated kidney now wakes from
sleepwalking incidents, often covered in donut crumbs
88–89 — — 11–15 Jack‑in‑the‑box toy keeps appearing in new places, The Weird Book
always one step closer to popping There’s a stranger on a street corner
90–91 — — 16–21 A greenish fire starts in the fireplace all by itself in odd garb. They’re holding a book
92 — — 22–26 Recorded music played in this location sounds like with a vibrantly colorful cover. It
it’s going backward appears to be titled The Weird.
93–94 — — 27–32 Ice and frost slowly coat one wall, sometimes If asked about the book, they say,
forming half‑identifiable shapes “Whatever you do, never look in
95–96 — — 33–37 Crack in the ceiling seems wider and deeper in dim light, a book like this. It will twist your
almost like a mouth the size of a shark’s maw mind and rot your soul.” They
Isolated clan of backwoods folk with a bad reputation
Weird at the Core

97–98 — — 38–42 protect the book fiercely and

needs help against a vicious bigfoot‑like creature
efficiently if it comes to that, but
99–00 — — 43–48 Yard care service cuts lawns and trees into secret if someone does obtain the book,
occult shapes and runes as a part of a dark ritual
it slowly opens a doorway in their
— 15–16 — — Handgun with unerring aim eventually leads to
dreams to a place they thought
each new owner’s horrifying accidental death
existed only in their imagination.
— 17–18 — — Ship corrupts and consumes each new owner
and crew that takes possession of the craft
— 19–20 — — Painted portrait gradually changes to resemble victim;
when the resemblance is perfect, the victim goes missing
— 21–22 — — Masonry fragment thieved from a Mayan pyramid causes anxiety,
hallucinations, and numbness in those who handle it
115
 — 23–24 — — Great‑grandpa’s picture is always crooked; sometimes it’s
gone for days, then there it is back on the wall
— 25–26 — — Whispery songs come out of the heating ducts, familiar but all parodies about murder and torture
— 27 — — “Lucky” set of five six‑sided dice eventually kills their owner once they roll five 5s
— 28–29 — — Group of friends experiments with lucid dreaming, seemingly successfully,
until their personalities are replaced by something alien
— 30–31 — — Cannibal descendants of miners caught in a cave‑in a century ago find their way to the surface
— 32–33 — — Workers digging the foundation of new skyscraper find a fully preserved
Weird at the Core

tyrannosaur—preserved because it is only hibernating

— 34–35 — — Wildly successful thieves can inject new memories in their
victims, wiping away memory of their crimes
— 36–37 — — Popular digital assistant provides answers that harm or kill people who act on its information
— 38–39 — — School of medicine is missing cadavers meant for student dissection;
a professor reanimates them in his search for immortality
— 40–41 — — Disgraced actor lurks in the old theater, calling on dark gods to get
revenge on the stage crew that he believes wronged him
— 42–43 — — After the big blizzard, thawing corpses are found in the melting snow,
but the deceased were all seen more recently than the storm
— 44 — — Televisions display transmissions from beyond Earth
— 45–46 — — Family’s house appliances have somehow gained sentience . . . or are they possessed?
116
— 47–48 — — Driverless car prowls the back streets looking for people to murder
— 49–50 — — Remote spot in the Mexico desert is a dead zone for radio
signals and other electronic transmissions
— 51–52 — — Ghosts of wrongfully executed prisoners manifest and take over a Texas prison
— 53–54 — — Mysterious door in the back of the library leads to the Library of Alexandria, far in the past
— 55–56 — — Rich man can see into a parallel reality where his son didn’t die; he
offers thirty million dollars to anyone that can get him there
— 57 — — Manual pencil sharpener telepathically implants intrusive thoughts of self‑mutilation
— 58–59 — — Camera (digital, film, or mobile phone) inserts a ghoulish figure in
the background of all photos, getting closer over time
— 60–61 — — One room is utterly silent no matter how loud its occupants are; any attempts to make
noise there can be heard in a different room, mixed with grinding machine sounds
— 62 — — One eye in an old portrait becomes a 3‑D eyeball that moves around
— 63–64 — — The word “God” is redacted in a Bible left in one room
— 65–66 — — Mmm, pancakes! Wait, who made pancakes? Why is the syrup red?
— 67–68 11–15 — Skin transplant taken from a dead murderer tears itself free at night to strangle new victims
— 69–70 16–19 — Time passes at different rates in different rooms of the house;
one bedroom ages people to death overnight
— 71–72 20–24 — Vampires hidden in the shadows fall victim to a virus that turns them into
crazed mass murderers before they throw themselves into daylight
— 73–74 25–28 — Widespread civil unrest follows a famed occultist’s claims that an apocalypse is nigh; stopping
the apocalypse means a trip into the netherworld to steal the King of Hell’s scepter
— 75–76 29–32 — Dawn doesn’t arrive
— 77–78 33–36 — Condemned doll factory is a popular place for teenagers to gather at night;
one night when they return home, the teens are all made of plastic
— 79–80 37–41 — For the last twenty years, a woman has painstakingly recreated a rare occult book in ASCII
in her computer; now the computer summons spirits that travel through the internet
— 81 42–46 — Secretive elite club requires prospective members to undergo a process
that horribly transfigures them for one year before they can join
— 82–83 47–50 — Small church, desperate for new members, accidentally conjures a
demon that forces people to attend services against their will
— 84–85 51–55 49–53 Highways across the country lead to seemingly random destinations
— 86–87 56–60 54–58 Rabbit zombies
— 88–89 — 59–63 Psychic sells potions they promise will curse a subject; after one
target dies in a fire, the psychic and their shop disappear
— 90–91 — 64–68 Courier is hired to hand‑deliver a briefcase to an address in
another city; when the briefcase accidentally opens (or the
couriers look), they discover a captive ghost inside
— 92–93 — 69–73 Jazz club somehow conjures the spirits of dead
musicians—will there be a price to pay?
— 94–95 — 74–78 New species of marsupial is discovered and
immediately becomes ubiquitous; its DNA
structure is not entirely from this planet
— 96–97 — 79–83 Gardener develops glow‑in‑the‑dark plants
that require human blood to function
— 98 — 84–88 Coat rack smothers and strangles
people using old coats
— 99–00 — 89–94 Colored pen set (or colored
pencils or crayons); their drawings slowly
change into scribbled depictions of actual crime scenes
Weird at the Core

— — 61–65 — Spectral cities sometimes appear in telescopes and other instruments of those observing the
ancient moon
— — 66–70 — Cigarette lighter reveals inhuman monsters lurking in the dark
— — 71–75 — The furnishings in one room are transformed to how they would have looked a hundred years
earlier, with signs of spontaneous human combustion
— — 76–80 — The goldfish in the bowl turn dark purple over the course of a few hours, then die and
skeletonize in minutes
— — 81–85 — Meat served on the dining room table sometimes reforms back into the animal it came from
— — 86–90 — Superflu strikes down thousands, but when they are at their sickest, the victims vanish
— — 91–95 — Species of 9‑inch (20 cm) tall people is discovered hiding in the shadows of a normal human
city; they worship a tall obelisk hidden in a junkyard that seems to have real power
— — 96–00 95–00 Characters from Alice in Wonderland manifest and cause havoc in and around a local coffee shop
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 A house can be home, but it’s not always homey.
Sometimes it’s weird. Use this list to describe a wizard’s
house, a haunted house, or where the mad scientist lives.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Glass and steel shaped like a whale overlooking the ocean
03–04 — — — Covered in vines, but they come from within, out the windows and doors
05 — — — Suspended from a hot air balloon
06 — — — Suspended from the branch of an enormous tree
07 — — — On wheels and can be driven around
08–09 — — — Entrance door is on the third floor
and no stairs lead up to it
10 — — — One wall of glass
11–12 — — — Shaped (inside and out) like
an enormous wasp’s nest
13 — — — Purple paisley exterior
14 — — — On stilts
15–16 — — — A sphere of some rubbery substance you
must push your way into to enter
17 — — — Has at least a thousand cats in and around it
18–19 — — — Made of feathers; all sounds in and around it
are diminished to a whisper
20–21 — — — Filled with ravens
22–23 — — — Appears damaged with huge holes in the walls exposing the inside;
this is an illusion, and the holes are not real
24–25 — — — Over time, style changes showing architectural progress; first it’s a wooden shack,
then a thatched roof house, then a stone house, etc.; eventually it resets
26 — — — Hidden below ground, in the subway tunnels of the city
27 — — — Has secret passages that the owners don’t know about
28–29 — — — Haunted by the ghosts of all the lovers jilted in the house
30 — — — The interior of a maze
31 — — — The basement of a literal dungeon, with locked cells
32–33 — — — Sometimes shows up outside other locations its owner visits
34–35 — — — Eats anyone who breaks a rule
36–37 — — — Living plant with many flowerlike chambers and towers
38 — — — Previous tenant was a demon that still sometimes shows up when the protective spells thin out
39–40 — — — Every window looks out over a strange location, none where its actual location exists
41–42 — — — Lights flicker and dim, walls lean and creak, if the house isn’t read to each night
43 — — — Blood‑curdling scream echoes through the house every morning at 5 a.m., with with no apparent source
44 — — — Every room is a closet stuffed with clothes from different eras
45–46 — — — All furnishings, appliances, counters, tubs, toilets, etc. are stuck to the ceiling
47–48 — — — Room layout sometimes shifts, usually without any disturbance
49–50 — — — Dogs whimper and pull away if brought near, trying anything to avoid
entering; if forced inside, they act rabid until allowed to escape
51–52 — — — Sound of a baby crying occasionally echoes inside the house, with no apparent source
53–54 — — — Supported by thick spiderwebs
Weird at the Core

55–56 — — — Smart home devices riddling it conspired to kill the last occupant in a way that looked like a bizarre accident
57–58 — — — Each room dedicated to a different Tarot card
59 — — — Seems to be a giant stone head on the outside, but completely normal on the inside
60–61 — — — All doors are paintings with a secret image hidden within them that allows the door to open
62–63 — — — Lighthouse, nowhere near the sea
64 — — — Teeters on a cliff edge, seemingly ready to collapse (but never does)
65 — — — All walls, inside and out, are mirrors
66–67 — — — Interior changes to suit the mood of a visitor
68 — — — Entrance always bears a “Keep Out” sign
69–70 — — — Built on a 45‑degree horizontal angle
71 — — — Old airliner converted into a domicile
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 72 — — — Surrounded by a moat
73–74 — — — A number of pens and cages of different sizes, inside and out, where zoo animals are kept
75–76 — — — Tower topped with brass that draws lightning when it storms
77 — — — Exterior made of books piled up, and the interior is torn pages of books
78 — — — Majority of the interior space is a private movie theater; kitchen, bedrooms, etc. are small and inconsequential
79 — — — Made of trash, like tin cans, newspaper, discarded clothing, old cast‑off auto parts and appliances, etc.
80–81 — — — Roof becomes transparent upon command for stargazing
82–83 — — — Outside is covered in murals with glow‑in‑the‑dark paint
84 — — — Sprawling twelve‑story monstrosity in an otherwise normal neighborhood
85 — — 01–06 Extremely tall, extremely thin
86–87 — — 07–12 Made entirely of stained glass
88–89 — — 13–17 Made of doors—which is the entrance?
90 — — 18–23 Wooden, shaped like a gigantic open book
91–92 — — 24–29 Made of paper; you must cut your own door to get in; instantly self‑repairs afterward
93–94 — — 30–34 Made of animate stone statues that move as the owner directs to create doorways, rooms, and furnishings
95–96 — — 35–40 All doors are hidden; every room requires a trick to exit
97 — — 41–46 Made of wax, slowly melting on summer days, but always restoring itself at night
98–99 — — 47–52 Weeps when damaged and hums when cleaned
00 — — 53–58 Elaborately decorated with cheesy macabre decor, including wax sculptures of monsters, rubber bats, etc.
— 01–04 — — Just a door; a portal to the interior, which is actually miles away
— 05–07 — — Appears to be a giant skull, with the mouth as the doorway and the eye sockets as windows
— 08–11 — — Looks entirely different based on the angle from which you view it
— 12–14 — — Ghost of a house long ago destroyed in a fire
— 15–17 — — Intangible unless you enter from a secret door from underneath
— 18–21 — — Can grow spiderlike legs and move around
— 22–25 — — Has two rooms on opposite ends of different floors, but somehow they connect
— 26–28 — — Floors shuffle from time to time
— 29–32 — — Can fold down to suitcase size and be carried around
— 33–36 — — No matter how many times the community destroys it, it reappears in its original condition the next morning
— 37–39 — — Fireplace is a portal leading to other fireplaces
— 40–42 — — Always on fire
— 43–45 — — The fruiting body of a carnivorous fungus luring people into its digestive system
— 46–49 — — Windows all have awnings that animate and attack anyone attempting to break in
— 50–53 — — Interior walls made of opaque mist; there are no doors
— 54–57 — — Slowly turning to thick liquid
— 58–60 — — Wall around the garden bursts into flames at sunset
— 61–64 — — Always winter inside; sweaters are needed, the fireplace is always going,
cold drafts come and go, and the windows are frosted
— 65–67 — — Attic has a door that connects to the basement
— 68–70 — — Precisely identical to every other house on the street in every way
— 71–73 01–12 — At midnight, the furniture tries to smother anyone asleep
— 74–77 13–24 — Contains the abandoned, basement secret lair of a supervillain who
gained his power by drinking spinal fluid from victims
— 78–80 — 59–64 Dollhouse‑sized, and it shrinks all who wish to enter to an appropriate size
— 81–84 — 65–70 Flies on huge dragonfly wings
— 85–88 — 71–76 Drifts with and is obscured by a mass of colorful children’s balloons
Weird at the Core

— 89–92 — 77–82 A framed portrait is the only way to enter and leave the house
— 93–96 — 83–88 Made of ice
— 97–00 — 89–94 Door leads to the dimension of dreams
— — 25–37 — Every room exists on a different planet, connected by teleporters
— — 38–49 — Disguised spaceship filled with alien observers (also disguised)
— — 50–62 — Only its shadow exists; if your shadow intersects the house’s, you can enter
— — 63–74 — Powered by a captured black hole secured in magnetic containment in the cellar
— — 75–87 — Basement holds a mad scientist’s laboratory
— — 88–00 — Hundreds of years more advanced than it should be; it has electricity and plumbing
in the Middle Ages, it has nanotech conveniences in the modern day, etc.
— — — 95–00 Entrance hidden within a book; when you read a particular sentence, you are transported there
119
 We often just say, “Out in the woods,” when we need a specific location in
the wilds. This list will help you choose a more interesting location.

I S G W WEIRDNESS
01–02 — — — Treehouse in a huge dead tree
03–04 — — — Beneath a precariously balanced boulder atop a rock formation
05–06 — — — In a cave at the bottom of a lake
07–09 — — — Within a glade filled with the bones of dead elephants
10–12 — — — Inside an old shack on an island in the middle of a river
13–14 — — — Within a beached boat along the seaside
15–17 — — — Within a cave that floods at high tide
18–19 — — — Deep below a glacier
20–21 — — — Volcanic caldera of a slightly active volcano
22–23 — — — Wolfe Creek Crater, Australia
24–26 — — — River that runs with vivid magenta‑colored rapids
27–28 — — — Mammoth graveyard
29–30 — — — Tangled mat of driftwood and seaweed that forms a natural floating landmass colonized by sea frogs
31–33 — — — Giant’s Causeway, Ireland
34–35 — — — Natural rock formation that resembles a chicken riding a motorcycle
36–37 — — — Swamp that is always burping up bioluminescent bubbles of
lighter‑than‑air bluish gas that smells like gasoline
38–39 — — — Arches National Park, USA
40–42 — — — Region of flat, packed earth that greatly amplifies the sound of footsteps or other movement across it
43–44 — — — Region of scrubland bearing an indecipherable pattern scorched
and melted into the earth in which nothing grows
45–47 — — — Mountaintop fluttering with mounds of white‑winged moths
48–50 — — — Evergreen grove with explosive pine cones
51–52 — — — Wetland area dotted with high stalks that have bell‑like flowers that rattle ominously in the wind
53–55 — — — Region where ebony moss veined with red strands smothers an abandoned human village
56–57 — — — Grove of willow‑like trees with pendulous branches and wispy hairlike leaves that twist against the wind
58–60 — — — Small pond ringed by white stones that is obviously cared for by
someone, but there aren’t any signs of habitation nearby
61–63 — — — Meadow with the remains of a huge humanoid‑shaped tree, burned and long
dead, yet still surrounded by offerings of bundled herbs and flowers
64–65 — — — Forest glade with a large flat rock that has shackles embedded all the way around it
66–67 — — — Five house‑sized stone obelisks arranged in a straight line along a road, unlike any other stone in the area
68–70 — — — Forest that feels overtly hostile, with creaking noises, close calls involving
falling branches, and maggoty fruit strewn about all over
71–72 — — — Two acres of farmland in an uninhabited area, recently maintained but with no home nearby
Weird at the Core

73–75 — — — Ogre‑sized boulder with very old paintings on it that depict people,
animals, and large things moving through the air
76–78 — — — Meadow where it’s dry if it’s raining nearby and raining if it’s dry nearby
79–80 — — — Large mound of earth covered in natural grasses, with a few humanoid stone
statues on top that are buried up to their armpits and facing outward
81–83 — — — Copse of trees that are swarming with hundreds of crows
84–85 — — — Wide waterfall featuring a small part where the water is a rich royal purple, which turns the
pool at the base light pink and then fades away in the river within 100 feet (30 m)
86–87 — — — Desert region where about an acre is covered in a large piece of
sand‑colored glass, with a few portions shattered
88–90 — — — Desert region where the ground has been dug up to reveal hundreds of
branching, glassy structures (fulgurite) that reach upward like claws
120
91–92 — — 01–07 Meadow populated by an overwhelmingly large swarm of fireflies
93–95 — — 08–13 Glade of trees whose leaves almost perfectly resemble fluttering butterfly wings
96–97 — — 14–19 Parasitic flowers grow randomly on trees, shrubs, and grasses in this area; if a living
creature spends too much time in the area, they are similarly colonized
98–00 — — 20–25 Eerie forest with gnarled, bent trees that’s covered in vines that weave together like a
spiderweb; a circular gap occasionally appears in the vines, resembling a portal
— 01–02 — — Amid the wreckage of a crashed spaceship
— 03–05 — — Beach shore where kraken occasionally take to land to hunt
— 06–08 — — Mountain shaped like a cube
— 09–11 — — Contemporary city completely reclaimed by the wilderness
— 12–13 — — Great vault naturally melted out of a drifting iceberg
— 14–16 — — Forested slope where loose objects tend to slide up rather than down
— 17–19 — — Cave filled with glowing red stalactites and stalagmites
— 20–22 — — Rolling hills covered in downy feathers instead of grass
— 23–25 — — Area of loose soil from which ancient wrecks—galleys, planes, tractors, and less
identifiable things—sometimes surface, then slip back hours later
— 26–27 — — Hills made of partly petrified dung from some colossal beast currently absent
— 28–30 — — 9‑foot (3 m) diameter borehole made by industrious ants that seems to go down forever
— 31–33 — — Island thrust up from the sea with nearly mile‑high cliffs
— 34–36 — — River where the fish have tiny humanlike arms tucked behind their pectoral fins
— 37–39 — — Region of shoreline with sand made of tiny crystalline beads,
each one holding a tiny wormlike critter in stasis
— 40–42 — — Thistle patch that draws in lightning; releases tumbleweeds of ball lightning after each strike
— 43–45 — — Expanding field of orange grass with scissors‑like roots that can cut through
other roots, and also buried power cables, fiber optics, and pipes
— 46–48 — — Meadow dotted with periscope‑like plants that intelligent rock
crabs deep below ground use to observe the surface
— 49–51 — — Lowland area filled with a greenish‑white fog at night; the fog condenses to
translucent, greenish crystal needles that “frost” hard surfaces by day
— 52–54 — — Cloud‑shrouded mountain that sometimes clears to reveal a hazy mirror image
above it that’s extending (upside down) toward a primordial forest
— 55–57 — — Section of a swamp where heavy wooden doors float on the surface of the water,
covering about an acre, with more slowly pushing up from underneath
— 58–60 — — Desert rock formation where passing through, in any cardinal direction, reroutes travelers
— 61–63 — — Meandering path through the woods where the nearest trees are made of crystal
— 64–66 — — Old, vibrant part of a forest where the leaves grow so thick that they blot out the sky, but
a hot green light that feels like sunlight still falls upon the ground under them
— 67–69 — — Flooded mountain valley covered in water lilies and cat‑sized bees
— 70–72 — — River delta of thin lava streams, some of which form stable arcs in the air dozens of feet high
— 73–75 — — Choppy lake, above which the sky is never brighter than twilight
— 76–78 — — Field with eleven human‑sized, hand‑shaped stones that weep blood on certain religious holidays
— 79–81 — 26–31 Forest where flesh‑eating mushrooms constantly emit spores that cause euphoria
— 82–84 — 32–38 Atop a sentient iceberg that is trying to become a comet
— 85–86 — 39–44 Box canyon covered in glowing red snails that can live only there
— 87–89 — 45–50 Region of long “grass,” except each blade of grass is actually a thin
terrestrial eel that’s poised in upright hibernation
— 90–92 — 51–56 Glade where, at night, the stars above it don’t match the constellations anywhere else
— 93–94 — 57–62 Valley always gripped by winter, regardless of the season in the surrounding lands
Weird at the Core

— 95–97 — 63–68 Oddly peaceful area of fallen trees that has wooden effigies of all
but one of the PCs (they’re arranged as if sleeping)
— 98–00 — 69–74 Trees that gently twist and shudder as if in a monstrous storm, even though the air is still
— — 01–16 — Lake composed of liquid methane
— — 17–33 — Forest of trees whose leaves continually sprout, grow, burn away in a bright flame, then sprout again
— — 34–50 — Grove of metallic plants that always draws multiple lightning strikes when it storms
— — 51–66 — Deep ravine filled with pale, rat‑sized spiders and a bewebbed city
— — 67–83 75–80 Small open area in a dense forest where an old stone staircase ascends
about 20 feet (6 m), but it doesn’t appear to lead to anything
— — 84–00 81–86 Tall, solitary mountain of incredible height, with island‑like floating stone heads encircling the top
— — — 87–93 Flower field where the flowers turn to face those walking through the field
— — — 94–00 Group of several broad, living trees with open compartments that are shaped like bookshelves
121
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I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Antenna that receives transmissions from an entity that seems to know
everything, but shares that information randomly
04–06 — — — Module that attaches itself to the wearer’s body; if an organ fails, the module can seamlessly take up that function
07–09 — — — Disc that can be carried normally, or set spinning midair once it’s set to spinning, the disc’s edge can cut anything
10–11 — — — Small module that weighs down any person or craft that carries it far more than its
size would predict; it’s been collecting kinetic energy for millennia
12–14 — — — Glasses show the wearer the balance of good, bad, and indifferent acts of any intelligent
creature quantified as a score visible when looking through the glasses
15–17 — — — Seven‑fingered silvery hand prosthetic; this prosthetic is easily startled, causing it to electrify whatever it’s touching
18–20 — — — Globe of amber light that forms smoothly around a living creature and
gives them resilience against the ill effects of vacuum
21–23 — — — Handful of green stones that, if swallowed, allow telepathic communication
with anyone else who has swallowed a similar stone
24–25 — — — Star‑shaped organism that glows blue and, when attached, gives the
feeling of invulnerability (though it just cancels pain)
26–27 — — — Growling, smoke‑spewing, vibrating device about the size of a toaster
that has many whirring gears, belts, and pistons
28–30 — — — Petrified horn of an extinct progenitor species set atop a metallic pole
as a spearhead (considered a prized relic by many)
31–33 — — — Abstract, expressionist sculpture that continually shifts between the seventeen different forms of ice
34–36 — — — Ampule of refulgent, bubbling amber liquid that may be the blood of a transcended entity
37–39 — — — Canister that makes the holder’s skeleton visibly glow through their skin
40–41 — — — Pen that draws solid metallic lines in the air that hold their position
42–43 — — — Claylike lump takes the shape and texture of a user’s face and mimics their voice in real time
44–46 — — — Toy‑sized spacecraft that is otherwise an exact replica of a human
spacecraft lost years earlier somewhere else in the universe
47–49 — — — Slimy, self‑propelled cube that cleans the interior of any structure it’s left alone in
50–51 — — — Crystal that emits the first sounds that a holder can consciously recall hearing
52–54 — — — Transparent sphere filled with a bluish liquid that violently flinches away from the touch of the living
55–57 — — — Discus that takes up a wide orbit around the thrower until caught again
58–60 — — — Rubbery sphere that gains potential energy with each bounce
61–63 — — — Device that converts objects to a handful of “dust” that can be reconstituted later with some added water
64–66 — — — Half‑melted object allows two or more individuals sleeping in proximity to it to share the same dreams
67–68 — — — Clear glass canister that contains an aggressive, small, black wormlike creature swimming in hazy fluid
69–71 — — — Simple hornlike device that explodes all nearby insect‑sized creatures if blown
72–74 — — — Mirrored cube that grows about a centimeter each month
75–77 — — — Tube containing bladelike planes of force that cancels out any wind in the area
78–79 — — — Bracelet that projects the holographic image of an alien that accompanies the wearer but never speaks
80–82 — — — Cable‑like length of metal that writhes erratically when music plays
83–85 — — — Small metal obelisk that produces a shadow of what seems to be a living alien creature
86–88 — — 01–06 Small alien insect in a crystal decagon that projects—on the ten inner crystal
surfaces—images of the ten most probable outcomes of any given choice
89–91 — — 07–13 Transphasic goggles that give a view into a library of nearby dimensions
92–94 — — 14–19 Helmet protects wearer from marauding alien psychics; afflicts low‑level
psychic hum and hallucinations with overexposure
Weird at the Core

95–97 — — 20–25 Golden net that drapes around a water‑adapted organism and allows it to survive on land
98–00 — — 26–32 Handheld weapon that fires melodies that get caught in the target’s head as earworms
— 01–02 — — Gun that fires burrowing worms rather than bullets
— 03–04 — — Energy field projector that transforms incoming projectiles into
biomechanical creatures under the device user’s control
— 05–07 — — Orb that opens very brief time portals through which a hungry and angry dinosaur normally emerges
— 08–09 — — Cubes that, when arranged correctly, create an invisible craft capable
of travel between worlds faster than any known ship
— 10–11 — — Sensory disc that allows a user to remotely control a colossal biological avatar on another planet or space station
— 12–13 — — Weapon that destroys force fields and similar artificial constructs of energy and light
— 14–15 — — Pill that gives users the permanent ability to ignore long‑term negative biological effects of low and zero gravity
— 16–17 — — Weapon causes an agonizing cellular reaction that immobilizes the victim until death, usually within a minute
— 18–19 — — Gravity gauntlets ideal for carrying outrageously heavy loads; can also
122 be used for a gravimetric shear attack on a touched foe
— 20–21 — — Pair of cufflink devices that temporarily transform the wearer into an alien being
that can easily communicate with the aliens who made the devices
— 22–23 — — Hand mirror‑like frame around a clear glass lens; anyone the user focuses
on through the lens is observed as if from many hours earlier
— 24–25 — — Chair‑like contraption that hurls the sitter’s mind back into their own body at some point in their
past, where they can re‑experience specific points in their life but (usually) not affect them
— 26–27 — — Intelligent prosthetic that molds itself to one’s physiology to replace a
missing limb; it can speak to its wearer and is talkative
— 28–29 — — Necklace that gives the wearer the ability to emit, sculpt, and control shadows, making them tangible like matter
— 30–31 — — Fossil of a housecat‑like alien with two heads and six legs; it occasionally
emits a very strong magnetic field around it
— 32–33 — — Metallic sphere that irises open; it releases a red fluid that cures hunger
— 34–36 — — Crystal plates that are magnetically stuck to each other; these plates partially phase out of existence if separated
— 37–38 — — Length of hard water that holds its shape; it can summon a rainstorm if swung long enough
— 39–40 — — Egg‑like object the size of a human head that causes electrical activity in nearby machines to fail
— 41–42 — — Reusable pill‑like lozenge that, if swallowed, confers an inexplicable
alien memory that nevertheless elates and inspires
— 43–44 — — Engineered beetle replaces the tongue so the wearer can eat anything
and speak the alien language of the beetle’s makers
— 45–47 — — Gloves made of lightning
— 48–49 — — Puzzle box that produces a duplicate of a puzzle solver from a nearby timeline
— 50–51 — — Yellow crystals set in a headpiece increases the cognition of the wearer;
transforms them into a yellow‑hued alien over time
— 52–54 — — Candy made from an extinct, finger‑sized, octopus‑like creature; prized
on the black market for its sweetness and scarcity
— 55–56 — — Block of phased matter that must be moved about with a magnetic pincer
— 57–58 — — Fluttering metallic device that can find a target no matter the distance
— 59–60 — — Green lute‑like object that sets up destructive resonances in random nearby objects or structures
— 61–62 — — Catlike sculpture of solid glass that sometimes animates and moves as if made of living flesh
— 63–64 — — Choker‑like apparatus allows the wearer to remove their head without losing function in their body or head
— 65–66 — — Flutelike cylinder that, when played, affects the emotions of nearby creatures
— 67–68 — — Reflective plate that shows the viewer in a continuously changing array of alternate, parallel worlds
— 69–70 — — One of the millions of memes seeded onto handheld devices across the cosmos to destroy competing civilizations
— 71–72 — — Goggles that peer into a twilight world of cosmic horror
— 73–74 — — Sourceless flame that can be moved about with special tongs
— 75–76 — — Metallic seed that can be planted to grow an ever‑elongating, nearly indestructible cable
— 77–78 — — Oddly fitted glove that induces the wearer to grow a third arm
— 79–80 — — Tripod that keeps an enclosed area indefinitely pressurized with breathable air
— 81–82 — — Silvery liquid in a jar condenses to an intelligent alien when it’s dark
— 83–85 — — Rough stone basin that converts any water poured into it to light
— 86–87 — 33–39 Head strap that reduces subject’s cognizance to that of a five‑year‑old;
other settings limit intelligence, but risk mind burnout
— 88–89 — 40–46 Wand‑like length of clear glass that can easily pass through almost any material substance, as can its bearer
— 90–91 — 47–53 Monstrous mechanical beast that apparently served what must have been a very
large alien species as a cute toy given to their immature offspring
— 92–93 — 54–60 Tablet with carvings in an ancient language that is long lost; the carvings are a recipe for bottled starlight
— 94–95 — 61–67 Rod whose touch makes what it touches lighter; a touch from the rod’s opposite end makes things heavier
— 96–98 — 68–74 Hat‑like item that puts the wearer into stasis until someone external pulls the hat off again
— 99–00 — 75–81 Sphere‑like lens reveals odd, spiny crustaceans attached to everyone’s back
— — 01–07 — Capsule that—randomly, but never lethally—rewrites the DNA of any living creature put inside it
— — 08–13 — Grenade‑like device that releases odd quantum radiation in a wide area with no apparent effect; if a twin
device is detonated at any later point, all creatures originally irradiated explode, no matter where they are
— — 14–19 — Metallic vessel that contains a quantity of matter skimmed from an earlier, collapsed universe; it could
create a truly alien region and ecosphere if emptied, but that might cause an incredible explosion
Weird at the Core

— — 20–26 — One‑person spaceship that transforms into a bracelet, eliminating the need to dock the ship (or pay docking fees)
— — 27–32 — Handheld device that can explode the sun
— — 33–39 — Gel‑like material with tiny, starlike lights; grants the ability to warp
through outer space like a starcraft if applied over skin
— — 40–46 — Cube of solidified time
— — 47–52 — Canister that contains a newly forming universe held in stasis on the cusp of its own Big Bang
— — 53–59 — Glittering cloth that can be folded into either clothing or a simple vehicle
— — 60–66 — Object resembling a planetarium projector that changes visible stars in the night sky while in use
— — 67–72 — Crystal ring that allows the wearer to teleport to other planets in the solar system
— — 73–79 — Hoop that turns anything that passes through it inside out
— — 80–86 82–88 Spear that always hits the target it is thrown at, even if the target is on another world
— — 87–93 89–94 Bauble shaped like the moon; any damage done to the bauble also becomes apparent on the moon’s surface
— — 94–00 95–00 Blow‑up balloon‑like object can be inflated indefinitely because it sucks
necessary matter from the interior of the nearest stars 123
 Use this list to determine a possible avenue to
accomplishing something that perhaps shouldn’t be
possible. Maybe it’s the only way to access the ancient
tomb, the only way to exceed the speed of light, or
the only way to cleanse the house of demons.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Act only when the stars and planets are in conjunction
04–06 — — — If at first you don’t succeed, ask the AI to do it
07–09 — — — Always do exactly the opposite of what your dick boss tells you
10–11 — — — Hire contractors to come up with a foolproof plan
12–14 — — — Find out their secrets by breaking into their pray.com account
15–17 — — — Consult the oracles at every opportunity
18–19 — — — Work hard, study the problem, and readily accept constructive criticism
20–22 — — — Make so many excuses that they grow weary and just give in
23–24 — — — Ask a psychic what to do
25–26 — — — Rely on a pair of lucky dice to make difficult choices
27–29 — — — The barn owl drops a dead stoat on your pillow if you’re on the wrong track
30–32 — — — Poison has a way of clearing away hurdles
33–35 — — — No one else can make sense of it, but the old manuscript offers you
a wealth of knowledge
36–38 — — — Letters in the mail with no return address sometimes give insight no one else sees
39–41 — — — Ever since the simulation’s control room was discovered, succeeding has been easy
42–43 — — — Rely on grifts and shady deals to succeed by defrauding the credulous
44–46 — — — The ivory‑handled multitool seems to have an extension for almost every situation
47–48 — — — Discover and cater to the niche market of snot fetishists
49–51 — — — Nurture a mushroom‑growing hobby
52–54 — — — Advertise in toilet stalls
55–56 — — — Marry the leader’s heir or successor
57–59 — — — Set a bounty on the head of the competition
60–62 — — — Arrange for live frogs to be secretly dropped from an airplane and claim
it was a supernatural event coinciding with your launch
63–65 — — — Punch everyone who tells you to think outside the box
66–68 — — — Advance token to “Boardwalk”
69–71 — — — Get cosmetic surgery to enhance your resemblance to Oprah
72–74 — — — Give away a free lizard with each purchase
75–76 — — — Bribes
77–79 — — — Never admit how often you winged it
80–82 — — — Strip off all your clothes, cover yourself in biodegradable paint,
and run a mile
83–85 — — — Fake your own death in such a way that they never find your
body but are convinced you are really dead
86–88 — — — Read the Bible all in one night, and don’t forget the three
chapters that were excluded by the First Council of Nicaea
89–91 — — 01–14 Everything is easier on pigback
92–94 — — 15–28 Your grandfather’s entertaining yarns are full of useful advice
95–97 — — 29–42 Distract the competition with a tactically placed hive of hornets
98–00 — — 43–57 Daily meditation can work wonders for some people
— 01–07 — — Alter probability with a piece of metal from the alien spacecraft
— 08–14 — — Dedicate the task’s success to the demon queen so she looks on
you with favor
Weird at the Core

— 15–21 — — Keep the bottle holding the wish‑granting djinn close, just in case
— 22–28 — — Perform a ritual of witchcraft in the dark of the new moon
— 29–36 — — Buy your professional rivals expensive (but dangerous) gifts with
the hope that they’ll off themselves accidentally
— 37–43 — — Etch your message onto the moon with mining lasers
— 44–50 — — Use stimulants to stay awake for a week and then float in an isolation
tank to tap into the power of your suppressed subconscious
— 51–57 — — Participate in a ritual requiring three people who love you to utterly
reject your existence and life; your grief and the energy of those
broken emotional bonds will bring you clarity
— 58–64 — — Eat the raw pineal glands of a dozen certified precognitives to
(temporarily) unlock your own psychic powers
— 65–71 — — Gain access to genetic memories from one of your great‑grandparents; they learned the
124 solution and destroyed all records of it so nobody could steal this victory from you
— 72–78 — —Bathe in a patch of grey goo nanobots and allow them to remake you into something godlike
— 79–85 — —Sell everything you own and use the money to build a cathedral
to the alien precursors who built this world
— 86–92 — 58–72 Swallow a precise mixture of psychedelic drugs that will let you
“change the numbers” in exactly the right way
— 93–00 — 73–86 Enter a medically induced coma so your dreaming mind can formulate an impossible solution
— — 01–10 — Threaten them with soul destruction via your runesword
— — 11–20 — See how things turn out; then, if needed, go back in time to tell yourself what to do next
— — 21–30 — Every time you fail, jump into a parallel timeline where you succeeded
— — 31–40 — Dedicate your firstborn to an unholy power to gain a favor
— — 41–50 — Offer souls to the bearded gentleman who hangs out by the crossroads in exchange for success
— — 51–60 — Implant a chip in your head to block out everything you know except what’s needed to finish the task
— — 61–70 — Use a jolt of electricity to restart your brain and align your neurons with the universal harmonics
— — 71–80 — Have your brain surgically removed, installed in a vat, and trained
on direct digital simulations until it finds an answer
— — 81–90 — Journey to the underworld and return, forever changed by your close encounter with the dead
— — 91–00 — Travel to the exact location of the Big Bang and ask the lingering cosmic radiation for advice
— — — 87–00 Pretend your failure is a success and claim everyone who says otherwise is lying

Weird at the Core

125
 The undead and ghosts are interesting enough (and cross genres enough) that they deserve their
own list. Select from this list to add something really interesting to your campaign.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Spirit of a faithless priest tied forever to a shrine
04–06 — — — Horrific banging turns out to be due to an undead fist
07–09 — — — Haunted bath water trickles into the tub every night; bathing in it is the only way to communicate with the spirit
10–12 — — — Superstitious zombie never eats the brains of left‑handed people
13–15 — — — Pelican head was stitched to a corpse, replacing its human head, before it was animated
16–17 — — — Clattering undead creature is made of discarded nail clippings
18–20 — — — Is that a snake? Oh god, no; it’s an animate undead stomach and trailing intestines
21–23 — — — Possessed stuffed animal in the shape of a dog (with one last button eye)
roams the old house, looking for their dead owner
24–26 — — — Library book haunted by the spirit of the reader who died before returning it
27–29 — — — Shambling undead doctor intent on practicing their heart replacement surgery technique until they get it right
30–32 — — — Child‑shaped shadow that hums while it strangles victims with a hula‑hoop
33–35 — — — Ghost bees
36–38 — — — Empty human undead skin that slithers like a snake or glides like a kite
39–41 — — — Undead author who carries a ghostly laptop and finds and kills other writers out of jealousy
42–44 — — — Ghoul dolphin
45–47 — — — Wraith; almost formless, but it surrounds a solid nucleus of a fist‑sized ruby
48–50 — — — Stargazer ghost wants to use telescopes and observatories, but cannot physically interact with the equipment
51–53 — — — Animate skeleton vainly tries to eat all the physical foods it used to love as a living being
54–56 — — — Suffocation‑blue humanoid corpse is mellow and peaceful when in darkness, but hungry and murderous in moonlight
57–59 — — — Thin, ragged spirit of a person who died in poverty after being swindled out of their money;
they target the person with the most cash in any group, but victims and bystanders can
ward off this spirit by giving them money (or the spirit’s cultural equivalent)
60–62 — — — Ghost of a mediocre musician trapped in their musical instrument; they died too soon and
still want to entertain, carouse, and seduce, so they’ll use possession and other spiritual
tricks to make it happen (consecrating their grave should end this haunting)
63–65 — — — Ghost of a fecund man (he sired thirteen children while he was alive) believes he’ll return to
life if he gets enough living women to die for him and become his “ghost brides”
66–68 — — 01–05 Drunk ghost with horrific belches
69–71 — — 06–10 Haunted jar of peanut butter is always found someplace other than where it was last set
72–74 — — 11–15 Specific haunting episode that will end only by someone singing a show tune
75–77 — — 16–20 Undead thing in the basement heads out to hunt each night, but usually only for pies
78–80 — — 21–25 Sack man puts bad children in his sack and steals them away, presumably for eating
81–83 — — 26–30 Immaterial green‑glowing man in mystical robes; where he passes, an insidious green fungus springs up
84–86 — — 31–35 Haunted shoes are comfortable at first, but grow tighter until they finally pinch off the wearer’s feet
87–88 — — 36–40 Six animate skeletons connected by fibrous fungal tissue, including a mushroom‑like cap that connects all their skulls
89–91 — — 41–45 Three‑legged, zombified pig with a strong sense of smell sniffs out creatures who have recently eaten pork
92–94 — — 46–50 Grumpy old ghost that just wants to sit in their rocking chair, putter in the garden, and visit their grandchildren,
but can’t understand why their family (and all living people) scream and run when they approach
95–97 — — 51–55 Wagon‑sized mass of fruits and vegetables that were left to rot by greedy farmers instead
of being given to the hungry; they’re animated by the spirit of a dead druid
98–00 — — 56–60 Ghost of a talented hypnotist who’s charismatic when sated, but predatory and dangerous when hungry; they
entrance victims and slowly steal their vitality, with the person remaining befuddled for minutes or hours afterward
— 01–03 — — Giant mound of corpses that acts with a single will
— 04–07 — — Ghost of a personal stylist that always has a tip for improving one’s look
Weird at the Core

— 08–10 — — Possessed computer torments victims; it starts off by introducing errors into the owner’s
work before moving on to sending malicious emails in owner’s name
— 11–13 — — Entire mausoleum animates to become a thing of stony horror
— 14–16 — — Bloodied animate fabric sheet with the image of its last suffocated victim etched into it like an afterimage
— 17–19 — — Cloud of undead intelligent horseflies; it speaks by buzzing in synch
— 20–22 — — Stitched undead with a horse’s body supporting the frame for a cracked cast‑iron bell for a head
— 23–25 — — Just a floating phantom mouth, sometimes grinning, sometimes laughing, sometimes whispering
— 26–28 — — Undead head that often mounts itself on the body of its last victim; heads are quite the delicacy
— 29–31 — — Ghost bear that’s ravaged as if by flame; sometimes, it appears to actually be on fire
— 32–34 — — It resembles a zombie porcupine with dozens of eyeballs impaled on its back spikes; the
eyes swivel to look in all directions, preventing it from being snuck up on
— 35–37 — — Haunted gum; chokes victims indiscriminate enough to chew gum they find stuck under the bench
— 38–40 — — Spiritual manifestation of gluttony that makes victims eat until they burst
126 — 41–43 — — Undead that looks like a toddler but has the stitched‑on head of an old man
— 44–46 — — Sewing machine possessed by the spirit of its dead operator who wants revenge
— 47–49 — — Ghost that manifests only as a smiling, frowning, crying, angry, or murderous yellow face emoji
— 50–52 — — Glass golem visibly contains the desiccated but reanimated brain of a dead queen
— 53–55 — — Fountain haunted by the spirit of a forlorn lover that drowned themself in the basin’s dark waters
— 56–58 — — Giant, flat‑bodied zombie frog with a swarm of smaller zombie frogs residing within the dozens of holes on its back
— 59–61 — — Mouth? Rows of teeth. Eye sockets? Teeth. Fingernails? Teeth. Chest? Big hole ringed with teeth!
— 62–64 — — Bruised and bloody humanoid whose limbs have been torn out by a rack; the limbs (still bound to broken
rollers at the wrists and ankles) float with the main body and use the rack’s remnants as weapons
— 65–67 — — Rusted iron maiden under the control of a bloody mist (the spirit of its last victim); it can
slam its metal door shut on foes or grasp and pierce them with misty tendrils
— 68–70 — — Spirit who died from an accident during “erotic play” that’s now and forevermore bound to a
leather outfit decked with rings, spikes, and zippers; they bludgeon and strangle foes they find
unattractive, and try to mystically possess those whose bodies they want to live in for a time
— 71–73 — — Fire‑blackened skeleton that moves with the remnants of ropes or manacles on their wrists and ankles;
as someone who was burned at the stake, they now avenge themselves by sensing, stalking, and killing
zealots, priests, witch‑hunters, and mob‑inciters with burning claws and the smoke of charring flesh
— 74–76 — — Large, stitched‑together human whose head orifices are charred by the excessive
lightning from their failed attempt to make a flesh golem; fragments of ghosts from
each of their body parts contributed to the confused and angry hive mind
— 77–79 — — Twenty‑foot (6 m) tall hollow wicker statue possessed by the ghosts of criminals
sacrificed within it (by having their throats cut); if the wicker statue is destroyed by fire,
the criminal ghosts come roaring out and try to kill anyone in the vicinity
— 80–82 — — Bubbling, white‑and‑pink slime that was once the collected body fat of mass human sacrifices; the slime is filled with
despair and rage, and sometimes, it’s able to temporarily shape itself into the faces of the people it was when alive
— 83–85 — — Reanimated corpse with a mostly intact upper body but shattered legs with compound
fractures (they died in a fall, usually by violence); they can crawl at remarkable speed,
push or drag foes off of high places, and remain immune to falling damage
— 86–88 — 61–65 Ten‑foot (3 m) long undead foot that was hacked off at the ankle; it’s
strong, foul, and covered in a contagious itchy fungus
— 89–91 — 66–70 Troupe of ghosts who died performing a cursed play; now they travel and repeat this performance, luring
people in to be extras, not knowing (or caring) that their recruits will die at the intermission
— 92–94 — 71–75 Skeletal creature resembling a giant snake but made of dozens of human spines and rib cages joined together,
with skulls rattling around inside; it attacks with constriction or by “spitting” skulls like boulders
— 95–97 — 76–80 Carpet‑sized mass of discarded hair (such as from a barbershop, beauty salon, dog groomer, or
wig factory) is lonely and resentful for the attention it had as part of living creatures
— 98–00 — 81–85 Ghost of an obsolete animatronic park mascot; its (spectral) exterior has seen better days, and
its (ephemeral) mechanisms tend to twitch and grind, giving it a very disturbing appearance
that leads to it inadvertently terrifying the ungrateful brats it’s trying to make laugh
— — 01–07 — Huge undead creature made up of dozens of torsos and arms, all stitched
together from human corpses; it’s fast and hungry
— — 08–14 — Disease‑pocked, leather‑clad undead on a loud, smoke‑belching motorcycle;
it is Pestilence, the First Rider of the Apocalypse
— — 15–22 — The Spirit of Second Chances, a malevolent being that’ll give you another
opportunity to succeed if you’re willing to pay a horrible price
— — 23–29 — Bulldozer‑like thing—made of bones and meat, reinforced with metal, and found to have
a chimp‑level intelligence—that’s used as a war vehicle by the other undead
— — 30–36 — Larger‑than‑normal brain drips green ichor and trails thin razor‑covered limbs;
it saws its way into humanoid torsos to pilot them like a vehicle
— — 37–43 — Ghost that looks like a coffin with an air tube, a bell attached to a string, and a small hole
with a hand (its fingernails broken off from scratching at the inside of the coffin) emerging
from it; the person was buried in a safety coffin, but they still died despite the contingency
measures and now haunt graveyards, morticians, and priests who tend to the dead
— — 44–50 — Hundred‑foot (30 m) long decaying mass of flesh and gristle vaguely in the shape of a fish,
ray, or other flattened aquatic creature; as the reanimated corpse of a biological starship,
it senses and consumes flying magic in the hopes of returning to the stars
— — 51–57 — Ghost of a cigarette television commercial that became illegal at some point in the past; it (and the images
Weird at the Core

of the actors within it) creates feelings of relaxation and stimulation in its victims, while simultaneously
harming their hearts and lungs (even those who manage to escape it usually long for its presence)
— — 58–64 — Ghoul‑like child corpse in fancy ceremonial clothing with religious symbols painted
on their face; their heart is cut out, they speak only in chanted prayers in the dead’s
language, and they attack by tearing out enemy hearts and crushing them
— — 65–71 — Zombie of a person who died by autocannibalism (such as a prisoner abandoned in a cell
without food); they now constantly eat their own flesh and painfully regenerate
— — 72–78 — Ghost of a computer program that became lost due to a power surge while saving; it haunts computers,
mobile phones, and even cybernetics in search of code it can steal to complete itself and pass on
— — 79–85 86–90 Emaciated pale figure in shabby clothes with an old CRT computer monitor where their head
should be (displaying an ASCII skull); they detect prey by the electronic devices they carry
— — 86–92 91–95 Ten‑foot (3 m) tall undead chicken legs that are attached at the top to some broken logs; although physically
separate, they remain near each other, running at high speed to kick and claw foes, and never attack witches
— — 93–00 96–00 Luminous attractive corpse with pale, cracked skin is the undead form of a dead moon; it’s usually accompanied
by lycanthropes and followers of moon‑based religions who have been driven mad by its presence 127
 Money is not really very weird, and everyone’s seen a diamond ring or a gold bar.
So what valuable object shows up in the session that’s much more interesting than that?

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Solid gold statuette of a frog with a clock in its mouth (clock doesn’t work)
03–04 — — — Puzzle game with jewels as some of the pieces
05 — — — Silver goblet set, each bearing the image of a different mythological beast
06 — — — Golden dragon head clearly removed from a much larger statue
07–08 — — — Huge, rare book that’s bound in solid silver covers and a golden lock
09–10 — — — Wind‑up priest figurine with emeralds for eyes
11 — — — Simple jacket with a valuable treasure map sewn into the lining
12 — — — Binder of stolen documents of great importance to the local government
13–14 — — — Rules to a long‑lost card game
15 — — — Long metallic box with a matched set of shortswords, one forged of red iron, the other of green
16–17 — — — Several casks of preserved premium brandy
18–19 — — — Set of vintage, sealed‑in‑the‑box puppet socks
20–21 — — — Crystal decanter shaped like a coiled snake with a raised “head” (the mouth of the decanter)
22–23 — — — Delicious‑looking cookie shellacked in preservative
24–25 — — — Last unopened can of original Coke
26 — — — Disassembled 2,000‑piece gemstone chandelier, with platinum wire and instructions for reassembly
27–28 — — — Handgun with a grip sculpted like a curled frog’s head, chased in precious metals
29–30 — — — Ornate sarcophagus that features frogs, eyes, tentacles, and victims
dying in many gruesome ways in gold relief carving
31–32 — — — Gallbladder preserved in a decorative glass jar, removed from a famous fabulist
33 — — — Shrunken, preserved human heads on a necklace, all taken from an old leader’s conquered enemies
34 — — — Ornate dagger with a cool green blade, said to be forged from
the blood let when the Goblin Queen was slain
35–36 — — — Gold teapot that’s set with rubies
37 — — — Notebook with the addresses of several wealthy people, and all the info needed to break into their homes
38 — — — Collection of rare perfumes in crystal bottles
39–40 — — — Bottle of tequila, but the worm at the bottom is the key to a vault
41–42 — — — Finger bones of a saint in a hand‑shaped box lined with velvet
43–44 — — — Small notebook with the solution to a riddle that has stumped geniuses throughout history
45 — — — Quill pen used to sign the Declaration of Independence
46–47 — — — Bejeweled bicycle
48–49 — — — Solid gold ice cube tray
50 — — — Book explaining, step by step, how to build a nuclear bomb
51 — — — Gold statue of a snake wrapped around a pineapple
52–53 — — — Colorful backpack containing six very rare books, but one had milk spilled all over it long ago
54–55 — — — Flour sack filled with golden, bejeweled insects, all life‑size
56 — — — Pair of platinum salt and pepper shakers, in the shape of lions
57–58 — — — Jeweled holy symbol in a jar of urine
59 — — — Copy of the king’s last will and testament
60 — — — Set of darts, each of a different precious metal, and a dartboard framed in diamonds
61–62 — — — Sealed container of very rare caviar
63 — — — Gold watch engraved with the password needed to enter the world’s most exclusive club
64 — — — Pair of eyeglasses set with jewels
Weird at the Core

65 — — — Miniature model house made of various precious metals and gemstones

66–67 — — — Gold‑handled toilet brush
68 — — — Set of extremely large and valuable pearls that have been covered in various colors of cheap paint
69–70 — — — Set of building blocks made of different types of rare wood
71 — — — Fuzzy, plush skull and a few bones that appear to have been those of a small cute bear
72–73 — — — Door from the Apollo 13 capsule
74–75 — — — Sealed glass jar with a label reading “George Washington’s final breath”
76–77 — — — Partially opened but uneaten chocolate bar with the corner of a golden ticket visible inside
78–79 — — — Potato coated in silver and adorned with diamonds
80 — — — Solid gold book with engraved pages
81–82 — — — Deck of ceramic cards, beautifully hand‑painted
128 83–84 — — — Clipping of fur from the dog that saved the prince’s life
85–86 — — — Pillow made of spun silver and dodo feathers
87–88 — — — Stack of painted ceramic dinner plates, each an individual
work of art that could be in a museum
89 — — — Heavy safe literally stuffed with cash
90–91 — — — Box filled with rare, collectible vintage toys
92–93 — — — Bejeweled shoes
94–95 — — — Nazis’ plans for what they would do when they defeated
the United States and occupied Manhattan
96 — — — Violin made by a long‑dead master crafter, one of the
few that remain
97–98 — — 01–10 Crude painting of a cat that’s painted over a valuable masterpiece
99–00 — — 11–20 Horseshoe whose errant throw toppled a kingdom
— 01–04 — — Human skeleton plated in gold
— 05–09 — — Antique gramophone whose horn is made of a saint’s preserved skin;
a relic with a purpose
— 10–13 — — Antique hand mirror made with precious metal; warp in the glass induces
nausea in anyone who gazes at their own reflection
— 14–17 — — Lantern with three shutters, allowing it to produce three different colors of light: red, blue, and ultraviolet
— 18–21 — — Oddly shaped crystal sculpture that’s decorative; it can also be used to summon angry bears
— 22–25 — — Sculpture of flowing liquid that somehow holds its shape despite being fluid
— 26–29 — — Lacquered skull; when mouth is opened, the skull emits loud, driving, percussive music
— 30–33 — — Several gold‑gilded mosaics, mirrors, carvings, and several panels constructed
of pure amber, disassembled and stacked on a pallet
— 34–37 — — Stone tablets on which are engraved terms of surrender from demonic
invaders that never happened, at least not yet
— 38–41 — — Decorative clay urn containing the ashes of a dead planet
— 42–45 — — Fortune cookie with a fortune that is actually the combination for a lock that seals an ancient casket
— 46–50 — — Cure for the common cold
— 51–54 — — Very old copy of a well‑known holy book, but some of the verses
are different than the commonly accepted versions
— 55–59 — — Lost symphony of Beethoven
— 60–63 — — Small jar holding about a gram of californium
— 64–67 — — Sealed vial that holds a deadly virus
— 68–71 — — Life-sized, steam‑powered elephant
— 72–75 — — Videotape with the recordings of a celebrity’s dreams
— 76–79 — — Periapt on a chain that is a tiny crystal vial holding three of Elvis's tears
— 80–83 — — Holy book with marginalia thought to be written by a famous heretic
— 84–88 — — Important scientific data encoded in the DNA of a llama
— 89–92 01–07 21–30 Intricately detailed model warship with tiny clockwork crew; if
activated, they scream, point, and find shelter
— 93–96 08–14 31–40 Memoir penned by history’s most intelligent cat (it’s not well‑written, but she was a cat)
— 97–00 — 41–50 Clockwork bird made of precious metals that winds up; it sometimes
sings, sometimes utters a stream of obscenities
— — 15–21 — Metallic safe that duplicates small objects stored in it for more than a day
— — 22–27 — Wind‑up wristwatch made of radioactive metal; it’s as deadly to wear as it is expensive to own
— — 28–34 — Stuffed and mounted mammoth; requires a spacious treasure chamber
— — 35–40 — Body of an elf from thousands of years ago, preserved and encased
in ice, with a plaque reading “Unknown Wayfarer”
Weird at the Core

— — 41–47 — Sword whose flat blade reflects a shadowed, decaying version of

reality, including the skull‑like visages of viewers
— — 48–53 — Bullet that killed JFK
— — 54–60 — Soda bottle that is somehow partially embedded in a 300,000‑year‑old rock
— — 61–66 — Swatch of cloth dyed a color never before seen
— — 67–73 — Piece of the wreckage from Roswell, New Mexico, that the government tried to conceal
— — 74–79 — Child’s drawing that somehow captures the essence of the entirety of human existence
— — 80–86 51–60 Tiny globe of a world sealed in glass that’s real, but in stasis
— — 87–93 61–70 Miniature jar that holds the only poison that can kill the King of all Dragons
— — 94–00 71–80 Legitimate photograph of a faerie
— — — 81–90 Statue of a golden grasshopper in green velvet shoes
— — — 91–00 Chest filled with gold coins; head on each gold coin can animate to either
speak a prophecy or (more often) tell a ribald joke, then turn to lead 129
 There’s something up
ahead, Captain. Sensors
cannot quite identify it.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Sophisticated AIs in close proximity begin demanding blood sacrifices
04–06 — — — Sentient electron who can magnetize all objects on the interior of spacecraft
07–09 — — — Seam in reality that neatly severs any physical object
10–12 — — — Icy asteroid field that drains heat
13–15 — — — Any intelligent mind is knocked unconscious until passage is complete
16–18 — — — Appears to reverberate with an energy field that can be distilled into physical
objects that are practically vibrating with excess energy
19–21 — — — Miraculously adds more and more energy to living and mechanical systems
that remain in range, which seems great until they detonate
22–24 — — — Ship sprouts alien plants and develops an alien ecosystem of dangerous, predatory insects
25–27 — — — Moon‑sized scorpion‑like beast that feeds on starships
28–30 — — — Ships are slingshot to a location halfway across the universe
31–33 — — — Residual alien toxic waste disposal; attempts strip any molecules to atoms
that are extruded as basic building blocks for new materials
34–36 — — — Deck plating and bulkheads of the ship begin sprouting strange growths that resist herbicide
37–39 — — — Audibly emanates radio transmissions as if from Earth of the 1950s
40–41 — — — Every living creature develops a tiny skin bump; it’s the beginning of a
genetic budding process that will result in a biological clone
42–44 — — — Suddenly overwrites all computer code in an affected vessel with the number π
45–47 — — — Explosively fries navigation and propulsion systems, creating a “Sargasso
of Space” composed of dead and dying space vessels
48–50 — — — One organ—maybe an eye, kidney, stomach, or something else—is extracted from each crewperson
51–53 — — — Inexplicably filled with debris and the bodies of the ship and crew
54–56 — — — Molecules vibrate in such a way that soft, entrancing (addictive) music can be heard
57–59 — — — All who traverse the region lose their senses of taste and smell
60–62 — — — Falsely projects the image of empty space over it, but there’s actually a
sphere inhabited by energy beings at the center of this area
63–65 — — — Microscopic black hole is surrounded by a planet‑sized solid sphere
of compacted matter (instead of an accretion disk)
66–68 — — — Organic device has been slowly transmitting a message for over a
hundred years and is only about halfway through
69–71 — — — Ejection plume for a white hole that’s orbiting a distant white dwarf star
72–73 — — — Irregularly shaped device that randomly spikes the ambient temperature of nearby space by about 100 kelvins
74–76 — — — House‑sized egg of translucent material, inside which a giant red‑skinned human is sleeping
77–79 — — — Abandoned Dyson sphere around a dead star
80–82 — — — Half‑sized duplicate of a known populated planet
83–85 — — — Excited matter that retreats to maintain an approximate 2-light‑year distance;
sometimes calves off smaller short‑lived duplicates of itself
86–88 — — — Ancient device surrounding and distorting the shape of a small star
89–91 — — 01–09 Region interacts with brain systems, creating a sensation akin to increasing drunkenness in living crews
92–94 — — 10–18 Surface of ship is dyed in stripes of alternating red and white
95–97 — — 19–27 Defies known physics to slow light speed just enough that the region isn’t a black
void; instead, it’s a region of blinding starlight collected from distant suns
98–00 — — 28–36 Unceremoniously transforms visitors into their mirror image
— 01–02 — — Living creatures relive their most traumatic moment
Weird at the Core

— 03–05 — — Acoustic cloud encoded as vibrations in space‑time; it can be heard, not seen
— 06–07 — — Anomaly knocks out ship systems and decodes all decrypted files, logs, holovids, and more
— 08–10 — — Artificial region of space-time that shrouds a moon‑sized AI
— 11–13 — — Electrified debris field; if investigated, it seems to be the remains of a planet‑sized generation ship
— 14–16 — — Region is haunted by the spirits of a destroyed planet, encoded in quantum energy
— 17–18 — — Flesh within ships is petrified
— 19–20 — — Objects within ships are randomly charged with explosive energy
— 21–23 — — Causes accelerated aging among living crew
— 24–25 — — Radiation from the anomaly quickly erodes and blinds visual systems of most creatures
— 26–28 — — Encoded radiation contains sum total knowledge of a world destroyed long ago
— 29–30 — — The living crew begin to grow in all dimensions, becoming too big
to move through their craft if they remain too long

130
— 31–32 — — Random crew members become infested with alien consciousnesses
that turn them variously depressed, manic, or psychotic
— 33–35 — — Ship’s crew all remember a different, often contradictory, timeline leading up to their current situation
— 36–37 — — Computers, other similar electronic devices, and minds come under the control of entities from another cosmos
— 38–40 — — Ship and other solids begin to lose structural cohesion
— 41–42 — — Blood of some crew begins to acidify
— 43–45 — — Nebula hides a planetesimal that contains the “Eleventh Reich,” Nazis that
fled Germany’s fall centuries earlier through a fold in reality
— 46–48 — — Region is filled with liquid water that doesn’t freeze
— 49–50 — — Living, flesh‑eating ooze floods all the compartments
— 51–52 — — Intelligent beings become violent and bloodthirsty; they also gain the ability to heal wounds very quickly
— 53–55 — — Anyone taking a violent action in the region is transported to another galaxy
— 56–57 — — Position within the region is determined randomly about once a minute or so
— 58–59 — — Anomaly renders the ship and the crew permanently invisible to anyone who hasn’t also passed through it
— 60–62 — — The empty void appears green in color here; the crew is tinted green afterward
— 63–64 — — Planet‑sized creature gives birth to asteroid‑sized creatures that propel
themselves about and feed on any solid matter they come upon
— 65–66 — — Neutron cloud adds mass to all atoms
— 67–69 — — It replaces most living flesh with functionally identical transparent materials
— 70–71 — — Proximity triggers a spherical hyperspace wave moving at light speed that resets time to 143 seconds earlier
— 72–73 — — Ring‑shaped factory that grows organic (but dead) duplicates of vessels that approach
— 74–75 — — Improbable region where Boltzmann brains frequently appear and disappear
— 76–78 — — Planetoid that broadcasts or implants memories of visitors giving birth (through artificial
apertures) to miniature immature inorganic spaceships of unfamiliar design
— 79–80 — — Border of a region of two‑dimensionality; crossing over omits height but retains length and width
— 81–82 — — Ring of miniature black holes surrounding a dense torus of cosmic rays
(perhaps an energy source or doomsday weapon)
— 83–85 01–05 — Wormhole leads to distant past
— 86–88 06–10 — Necrotic energy suffuses the region, energizing dead flesh and giving rise to undead of various kinds in
ships that have dead bodies in storage (kitchens, morgues, preservation areas for later study, and so on)
— 89–90 11–15 — Living, conscious black hole
— 91–92 16–19 — Zone of disrupted space-time causes nightmares about self‑mutilation
— 93–95 — 37–45 Orb of energy floats in an empty region, telepathically judging all who come near
— 96–98 — 46–54 There’s a giant toothy maw in space!
— 99–00 — 55–63 Cloud of hot gas imitates the shapes of nearby vessels
— — 20–24 — Anti‑time corona reverses time for everything for hours, days, or longer
— — 25–29 — All creatures in close proximity begin experiencing tumor‑like growths that eventually become sentient
— — 30–34 — Anti‑life field surrounds a moon‑sized space amoeba
— — 35–39 — Living creatures that draw near begin to lose their grip on sanity; passing through causes severe brain damage
— — 40–44 — Manifestations of demonic beings pay a visit; ships are transferred to hell‑like prison dimension
— — 45–49 — Everyone risks becoming host to a single distributed psychic consciousness
— — 50–53 — Crew’s visual organs begin to mutate, leading first to blindness, and then
they’re able to see into a horrific dimension of madness
— — 54–58 — Randomly vitrifies crew members
— — 59–63 — Horrifyingly transforms the teeth of crew members into mobile, enamel‑armored insects that hunger for flesh
— — 64–68 — Nebula that eats time
— — 69–73 — Rubble (ranging from boulder‑sized to
asteroid‑sized) that’s made of solid space-time
— — 74–78 — Situated where the universe ends
— — 79–82 — The longer anything or anyone remains within
a light‑year of the strange green egg, the
smaller the thing or the creature gets
— — 83–87 — Skyscraper‑sized depleted uranium statue
Weird at the Core

of a near‑human angelic being

— — 88–91 — Immense white wall, undetectable until
within a few light‑seconds of it
— — 92–95 64–72 Region is littered with moon‑sized corpses
of multi‑winged alien beings without eyes
— — 96–00 73–81 Unintelligible psychic transmission that’s
recognizable as coming from “god” (even by
atheists, agnostics, and machine intelligences)
— — — 82–91 Thin area in space-time where figures from
fiction bleed through into passing ships
— — — 92–00 Crew members that dream while in the region
find themselves mentally trapped in “psychic flypaper”
131
 When you need something stranger
than a rain shower, this list is for you.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Many who venture out into the storm soon develop a rash on the skin of their elbows and knees
04–06 — — — Bright halo in the sky slowly spins around the sun, defying ordinary visual distortion
07–08 — — — Winds filled with shards of glass
09–11 — — — Magnetic storm filled with very sharp metal shards and bits
12–14 — — — Fog that causes electronic devices to power down
15–16 — — — Rain of inorganic slime
17–19 — — — Teeth that fall like rain
20–22 — — — It’s raining blue ink
23–24 — — — Gravy drizzle
25–26 — — — Pliable yellow crystals fall like snow, but they have the consistency of earwax
27–28 — — — It’s pouring amputated mouse paws
29–31 — — — Growling barks rumble across the sky a few seconds after each lightning strike
32–34 — — — Dreary rain that tastes like tears of regret
35–37 — — — Hot winds up from the south carry millions of tiny metallic cogs and gears, like seeds
38–40 — — — Deluge of Anti‑Bellringer Society propaganda tracts
41–43 — — — Thunder without any sign of a storm
44–46 — — — Rain that is closer to confetti in substance
47–48 — — — Hailstorm of hairballs
49–51 — — — Seasonal winds that smell exactly like cinnamon
buns just out of the oven
What’s in Your Bag?
52–54 — — — Thundersnow A leather bag, recently
55–56 — — — Rain of falling material that seems to be white purchased, now can’t be
ash, but actually is crushed mollusk‑like shells opened. Every attempt short
57–59 — — — Rain of diluted holy water of destroying the bag fails.
60–62 — — — Mist that grabs objects out of peoples’ hands, Suddenly, an irritated voice
especially weapons from within the bag says,
63–65 — — — Rain that makes hair and nails grow a hundred
“Go away! I’m sleeping.”
times as fast as normal
66–68 — — — Staccato wind that carries a recognizable
but not‑quite‑identifiable tune
69–71 — — — Hail of broken crayons
72–73 — — — Any change is accompanied by a tinny recorded
message saying, “This weather brought to you
by Doctor Cornelius's Fantastic Weather machine!”
74–76 — — — Hail of puzzle pieces
77–79 — — — Hail of glass marbles
80–82 — — — Warm front of very dense air, enough to slow all movement by about a third
83–85 — — — Unseasonal weather (blizzard in the summer, tornados in winter, and so on) that persists for several weeks
86–88 — — — Hail of copper bullet slugs (no jackets)
89–91 — — 01–06 Rain smells of asparagus, post consumption
92–94 — — 07–12 Some combination of low pressure and humidity produces a haze that triggers tranquility
95–97 — — 13–19 Rain that washes away memories
98–00 — — 20–26 Cold air front that changes peoples’ accents for a few hours
Weird at the Core

— 01–03 — — Raven‑winged cloud passes overhead, making the sun that’s

visible through it resemble an angry, glowing eye
— 04–06 — — Light grows yellow, the air grows still, and a high‑pitched keening grows steadily louder in the distance
— 07–08 — — Lightning that extinguishes fire
— 09–10 — — Brilliant blue clouds that, when sunlight shines through them, cure minor diseases
— 11–12 — — Cube‑shaped region in the sky with completely different weather conditions than the air around it
— 13–15 — — Hot hail!
— 16–17 — — Thunderhead that has gained sentience and seeks a purpose for its lightning and rain
— 18–19 — — Black rain that cancels any magic or supernatural effect it touches
— 20–21 — — Storm over the sea or a lake that causes all the fish to fly through the air like birds
— 22–23 — — Sweet‑smelling fog is so thick that it’s literally a bank of whipped cream in some places
132 — 24–25 — — Reverse‑thunderstorm; intense rain with flashes of darkness followed by a burst of awesome silence
— 26–28 — — Wind that blows straight
downward
— 29–30 — — Cloud bank that perfectly
reflects images from the ground
— 31–32 — — Storm that fades in and out randomly
— 33–34 — — Wind that blows only against some
things; the rest do not feel it
— 35–36 — — Snow made of tiny, crystalline
ice insects that eventually melt
— 37–39 — — Rainbow‑colored lightning storm
— 40–41 — — Black dog fog that causes waves
of escalating depression
— 42–43 — — Sandstorm made of live ticks
— 44–46 — — Light drizzle of LSD
— 47–48 — — Dry spell that desiccates living
things in mere minutes if they’re
exposed for too long
— 49–50 — — Rain of seawater instead
of fresh water
— 51–52 — — Mist with floating red eyes the size of softballs
— 53–54 — — Rain that kills the zombie virus
— 55–56 — — Floating irregular blobs of water the size of fire trucks, each filled with
aquatic creatures, and they sometimes drop chunks like water balloons
— 57–59 — — Aurora‑like displays that create city‑sized letters in an unfamiliar script
— 60–62 — — Slightly caustic rain that is completely safe for anyone living
below the poverty line
— 63–65 — — Fog that restores and brightens graffiti
— 66–67 — — Heavy sunlight that firmly presses down on anything it touches
— 68–69 — — Cluster of lattice‑like clouds with crisp edges (even their shadows
and precipitation areas have precise edges)
— 70–72 — — Aurora borealis (or aurora australis), but bands of darkness instead of light
— 73–74 — — Large sunspots appear on the sun, tear free, and drift outward, causing
immense shadows until they pass by at nearly the speed of light
— 75–76 — — Falling white noise (visible and audible) instead of rain, snow, or ice
— 77–78 — — Rain of tiny flecks of molten glass that immediately solidify into Prince
Rupert’s drops when they touch any cooler object
— 79–80 01–07 — Weather system temporarily reverses gravity as it blows through
— 81–82 08–14 — Blood rain; sometimes hot, sometimes congealed, sometimes animate
— 83–84 — 27–33 Clouds drench the area in a fine layer of black cat fur
— 85–87 — 34–39 Rain of living frogs
— 88–90 — 40–46 Gentle breezes that alter sleepers' dreams
— 91–92 — 47–53 Storm that brings back last night’s dream with crystal clarity
— 93–94 — 54–60 Colorful, kid‑sized, single‑letter kitchen magnets gather in drifts
— 95–97 — 61–67 Rain of small metal keys
— 98–00 — 68–74 Small angry thundercloud that determinedly follows a specific person it hates
— — 15–20 — Birthquake shudders through the region
— — 21–26 — Tornado haunted by its prior victims
— — 27–32 — Anomalous high‑pressure system randomly causes objects, animals, and people to instantly freeze solid
— — 33–38 — Orange fog that sucks oxygen from the air, causing living beings to suffocate
Weird at the Core

— — 39–44 — Wind that speeds up time while it blows

— — 45–51 — Fiery dust devils
— — 52–57 — Change wind that blows objects, structures, and even whole areas between worlds
— — 58–63 — Clouds that resemble huge, floating, fantastical beasts—because they are
— — 64–69 — Clouds that are actually swarms of birds that shed a sticky dew from their feathers
— — 70–75 — Tornado that sounds like people loudly having sex
— — 76–81 — Clouds that slice anything touched by their shadow, like invisible razors
— — 82–87 — Dust storm that reanimates carrion, roadkill, and other fresh corpses as mummy‑like undead
— — 88–93 75–80 Wind that teleports people and objects far away
— — 94–00 81–86 Visible supernatural creatures (faeries, einherjar, obscure gods) enjoying the current weather
— — — 87–93 Raindrops that turn to tiny moths when they strike the ground
— — — 94–00 It’s raining rabbits, and somehow they’re landing safely and scampering about 133
 Weird Plants Plants don’t have to be boring set dressing.
(any genre) Use this list to make them weird.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Mirror‑like leaves automatically move to provide shade and cool the air beneath them
04–05 — — — If grown on a burial site, objects possessed by the deceased appear within a few years as cysts on the plant or within its fruit
06–07 — — — Resembles a Venus flytrap with its massive mouth that stores objects upon request
08–09 — — — Whirligig seedlings of the plant detach and spin up like miniature spinning saw blades when the wind is up
10–11 — — — Roots are so extensive in the area that if the plant is harmed, flexing of the roots causes a local quake
12–13 — — — Vines ignore most creatures, but they attempt to strangle and rip apart anyone brandishing a weapon within range
14–15 — — — The pot for this massive plant is a giant’s skull
16–18 — — — Leaves each have a different hue and luster, hitting every color of the rainbow and all the gradations in between
19–20 — — — Roots, trunk, and branches grow up and around the ruin of an old stone tower
21–22 — — — So translucent that it’s almost completely transparent
23–24 — — — Rubbery mango‑like fruits fall all at once and do battle with pulpy pseudopods; to the victor goes the right of seeding
25–26 — — — Bulging knots and burls in the tree visibly swell, flow, come, and go
27–28 — — — Blue, poisonous fruits of a tree adhere to any who pick one; if left, the fruit picker will die and fertilize the fruit’s seed
29–31 — — — Tree is literally furred in soft fluff colored like an orange cat; also purrs if pet
32–34 — — — Trunk has been heavily graven with messages cut into the bark, all reading “let me out of this tree”
35–36 — — — Leaves are crinkled ice fans, sort of like snowflakes, but larger and less fragile
37–38 — — — Wiry plant flowers only after being struck by lightning (leaving the plant unharmed)
39–40 — — — Takes an instant dislike to anyone wearing a hat; growls and eventually knocks the hat off the offender’s head
41–42 — — — Produces milk from udder‑like flowers
43–44 — — — Has a two‑part life cycle: the first as a dove‑sized flying insect who steals
newborns, the second as a plant with insect wing‑like leaves
45–46 — — — Resembles a large carrot, but reddish, growing point up out of the soil
47–48 — — — Grass that seems lush and long, but walking through reveals the edges are razor‑tipped
49–50 — — — Thick, constantly seeping, translucent blue sap coats the plant and adjacent areas; if collected, the sap is powerful glue
51–52 — — — Silvery flowers produce a terrible, sharp smell similar to cat urine; great for driving out vermin and faeries
53–54 — — — Green‑leaved plant that, if ingested, makes the imbiber angry
55–57 — — — Exposure to specific bands of radiation turns it black or clear, even when dried (paper, pressed leaves, and so on)
58–59 — — — Extensive root network connects these plants over several acres—the leaves transmit
sounds through the plants like a low‑quality microphone and speaker
60–61 — — — Sturdy hollow roots create wooden tunnels underground that are accessed through ground‑level tree hollows
62–63 — — — Unremarkable tree if left alone, but any trimmings take root and grow, creating an invasive threat if unaddressed
64–65 — — — Nutritious but bland (to humans) fruit; slurs and speeds up speech of any who
eat it for hours or days if the fruit is first made into a jam
66–67 — — — Bears clam‑like fruits with purple meat inside; eating them causes melancholic feelings for hours
68–69 — — — Grows yellow melons that taste like cinnamon applesauce
70–71 — — — After being watered, diverts so much fluid to its fruits that they explode, distributing seeds up to 100 feet (30 m) away
72–73 — — — Sweet, carrot‑like tubers are calorically dense; great to combat starvation but prone to causing weight gain if overeaten
74–76 — — — Grows in magical patterns that look like runes from above
77–79 — — — Transparent ivy
80–81 — — — Animate grass that carries along anyone standing atop it, passing them from blade to blade
82–83 — — — Moss that smells strongly of fried chicken; attracts lots of insects
84–85 — — — Vines that conduct electricity like metal wires
86–87 — — — Thorny weeds that launch their needles at anyone that comes close
Weird at the Core

88–89 — — — Sequoia tree whose bark is as hard and strong as steel

90–91 — — — Ivy that vibrates and trills at night when certain stars and planets are in the right position
92–94 — — — Tulips that make hiccup‑like motions and sounds, producing bubbles
95–96 — — 01–05 Face‑like design carved into the trunk of the tree weeps sap, but only from the eyes
97–98 — — 06–10 Gentle psychic aura compels nearby creatures to defecate, providing the plant with fertilizer
99–00 — — 11–15 Tree leaves so huge they can be used as boats or even the roof for a house
— 01–02 — — Can be harvested for copper wire, but carefully, as to avoid an electric shock
— 03–04 — — If a bite is taken from one of the ivory‑colored, banana‑like fruits of this tree, the answer to one of the eater’s
questions is given—that is, if the question relates to something that happened in the tree’s vicinity
— 05–07 — — Pledges (via whispers created by leaves rubbing) to protect anyone who sleeps beneath its boughs with its animate branches
— 08–09 — — Periodically ignites like an inferno to burn off all pests, fungi, nests, and invaders in its branches; tree itself is immune to fire
— 10–12 — — Leaves give off a gentle light as strong as a candle, even if plucked (but then only for a couple of days)
134 — 13–14 — — Base and trunk lie in one dimension, while its upper branches lie in another
— 15–17 — — That’s not pollen blowing from the plant; it’s hallucinogenic poison
— 18–19 — — Both the plant and its leaves are as strong and reflective as stainless steel
— 20–21 — — Highly magnetized, so iron weapons, armor, machines, and similar metallic objects are stuck to its trunk
— 22–24 — — Silvery‑barked, red‑leafed plant; grows best in lava
— 25–27 — — Fruit endows eater with the ability to speak the languages known by any corpse buried under its roots
— 28–29 — — Leaves are pointed and sharp, and they fly like a swarm of fired arrows at a target if a proper command phrase is spoken
— 30–31 — — Leaves are renowned for allowing those who bind them to their feet to walk on water
— 32–34 — — Draping thick vines can be cut and drained of a wine‑like fluid that is both nourishing and inebriating
— 35–37 — — Flowers suck up light so that it’s hard to make out their delicate petals, or
how each one is “enveloped” in a tiny sphere of shadow
— 38–39 — — If the violet petals of this plant are eaten, the eater can mentally send a short message to
anyone who’s previously eaten similar petals from the same kind of plant
— 40–41 — — Grows transparent, bulb‑like fruits filled with sloshing seawater and tiny finned humanoids
— 42–43 — — Eating the long, green, fibrous root structure of this purple plant transfers a
selection of memories of whoever’s remains the plant grew in
— 44–46 — — Low, viny plant produces cylinder‑like fruit jacketed in metallic rind; if ignited, the fruit burns like a tiny jet
— 47–48 — — Humanlike mouths on the topside of every tree leaf hum if calm and discordantly swear if
agitated; they also consume those who take a nap beneath the tree’s canopy
— 49–50 — — Produces one golden apple each year; eating it cures illness and greatly extends one’s life
— 51–52 — — Bushy with dense, rippling flowers that resemble small brains; consuming tea made from
its petals gives the imbiber a bad idea that seems reasonable to them
— 53–54 — — Aggressive woody plant invades other plant cells and transforms established plants into itself
— 55–57 — — Ages forward ( from seedling to adult plant) and backward ( from adult plant to seedling) over the course of about three years
— 58–59 — — Pomegranate‑like shrub whose savory fruits can (barely) sustain a vampire, like weak human blood
— 60–62 — — Blue fruit (segmented like an orange) tastes like strawberries, but one or two segments in each one are very poisonous
— 63–65 — — When these trees are cut down and turned into lumber, the wooden objects made from them softly weep and moan
— 66–68 — — Fern whose leaves display the time like a digital clock
— 69–70 — — Seaweed that comes to the surface and gives birth to seagulls
— 71–73 — — Tree that produces nutlike shells, but inside each is a key to a different lock somewhere in the world
— 74–75 — — Weeds that can be used as fuel for any gasoline engine
— 76–78 — — Pitcher plant that steals the memories of anyone who touches it
— 79–81 — — Evergreens that move their branches to allow anyone to pass at the sound of a secret word
— 82–83 — — Trees and ferns whose leaves are made of living ice
— 84–86 — — Grain that can be made into a bread that makes anyone eating it briefly invulnerable
— 87–88 — — Tree with secrets written on the inside of its bark
— 89–91 — 16–21 Produces an endless variety of fruit; no two pieces are alike
— 92–94 — 22–26 Tiny clay figurines are set in its branches; if stolen, the tree animates at night to retrieve each figure taken from it
— 95–97 — 27–31 Flowers only in moonlight, revealing a tiny blue‑skinned frog at the center of each bloom
— 98–00 — 32–36 Flowers resemble freshly harvested, still‑beating (if the wind is blowing) hearts
— — 01–09 — Grows human organs instead of fruit
— — 10–18 — Eats every part of its victim except the head, which becomes part of the carnivorous plant
— — 19–27 — Inhabited by a fey dryad‑like creature, but one clad all in dark metal with burning eyes
that isn’t so much a defender of the tree as it is the conquering army of one
— — 28–36 — Fragrance is lethal; those who breathe it in too long get a headache that eventually leads to a head explosion
— — 37–45 — If left to grow freely, it eventually extends its upper reaches into outer space
— — 46–54 — Begins to shake and eventually ignite if approached by anyone who is in a pact with the Devil, possessed by evil, or demonic
— — 55–63 — Thorn‑tipped tendrils whip down to skewer creatures’ eyes and lift their bodies up to hang in the branches to kick then rot
— — 64–72 — Dark blue berries of this plant give the power of flight for a time; overindulgence causes the imbiber’s eyes to swell and burst
— — 73–81 — Cursed tree that, if used for firewood, summons demons, and if used for building material, brings doom upon all involved
— — 82–90 — Creates a fruit only once or twice a century; if buried with a corpse, the fruit sprouts into a
plant reincarnation of that creature, complete with their memories and personality
Weird at the Core

— — 91–00 — Cactus that holds naturally developed video cameras within it

— — — 37–42 Hollow in the trunk is home to a sloth‑like creature with golden eyes that offers to tell
amusing stories to anyone who spends time with it beneath the leaves
— — — 43–47 Eating a leaf of the plant gives visions of an unknown, wave‑tossed sea where sinuous serpents cavort
— — — 48–53 Gives off a wonderful fragrance, not too sweet, and causes well‑being and joy in those who smell it
— — — 54–59 Leaves and branches greatly resemble a sleeping dragon
— — — 60–65 Grows green berries and tells random jokes
— — — 66–71 If sung to, this ebony‑leafed plant visibly grows (unless the performance is too off‑key)
— — — 72–77 Absorbs sound vibrations with its huge pillowy pink leaves completely; those next to the plant hear no sound
— — — 78–83 Thin, pliable, animate tendrils sneakily pick the pockets of passersby, focusing on coins first
— — — 84–89 Tall and produces a mass of tangled, white, hairlike strands that grab creatures to feed upon their dreams
— — — 90–94 Large pores on its stalks and branches make belching sounds in strong sunlight due to gas‑rich photosynthesis
— — — 95–00 Berries that sing with humanlike mouths 135
 Where does the cult meet
I S G W Weirdness in secret? Where does the
01 — — — Bathroom at the bodega
informant live? Where is the
02–03 — — — Secret garden beneath the Pentagon
04–05 — — — Middle of the ocean, off the coast of Bermuda
exchange being made? Use
06 — — — Inside the workings of a giant clock tower this list to come up with an
07–08 — — — Anxiety relief seminar held in a hotel out by the airport interesting location for your
09–10 — — — Collectible vinyl record shop that’s open only at night adventure’s next scene.
11 — — — Space next to the still‑functioning carousel
in the otherwise shut‑down amusement park
12 — — — Near the scale model of the
town center, submerged in water
13–14 — — — Beneath the television studio, where all the never‑aired programming is stored
15–16 — — — Dental supplies distribution center
17 — — — Behind the supermarket, in the dumpster with all the expired produce
18–19 — — — Tiny little city park that most walk right by without noticing
20–21 — — — Teenager’s closet, next to the LARP gear and the old puzzles
22–23 — — — Meticulously reproduced ship's bridge of popular sci‑fi TV franchise, all done in cardboard
24 — — — Wax museum
25 — — — Shop that sells fake IDs and other fake “official” documents
26–27 — — — Morgue, where all the bodies are isolated because they died of a mysterious sickness
28 — — — Public toilet carpeted with orange shag carpet
29–30 — — — Under a bridge where the stone sculpture of a massive troll lurks
31 — — — Hotel bar decorated with a ridiculous glut of stuffed animal heads
32 — — — Home of a hoarder that’s crowded with dangerously high
stacks of newspapers, magazines, and books
33–34 — — — Annual conference of the Association of Gravestone Studies
35–36 — — — Beach known for its blue‑glowing bioluminescent plankton after dark
37 — — — Abandoned missile silo now converted to an oligarch’s secret redoubt
38–39 — — — Abandoned penitentiary now used to hold raves; the DJ plays from the execution chamber
40 — — — Castle meticulously built of snow; it lasts only until next spring
41–42 — — — Trump rally
43–44 — — — Campus of the College of Applied and Therapeutic Humor
45 — — — Beneath a mural depicting a grisly axe murder
46–47 — — — Laboratory where they test effects of thirst on animals and volunteers
48 — — — Specimen bank containing millions of vials of collected semen in a cooled warehouse
49–50 — — — Museum of Abnormal Brains
51–52 — — — Detective agency office that specializes in tracing cryptocurrency scammers
53–54 — — — Forest that is permanently twisted and windblown, despite very little wind in the region
55–56 — — — Secret tunnels and bunkers beneath Denver International Airport that
are stocked for the world’s elite should the apocalypse come
57 — — — Food court, where all the hawkers specialize in some form of food that uses insects
58–59 — — — Abandoned asylum claimed by criminals
60–61 — — — University dissection lab, where students work with human corpses
Weird at the Core

62 — — — Bookstore with a botanical focus; potted poisonous plants, lovingly tended, are everywhere
63–64 — — — Shack from which a goat herd can be rented; they also serve goat barbecue
65–66 — — — Snake massage parlor
67–68 — — — Spa specifically for those nursing a hangover
69–70 — — — Angertorium, where customers can smash the shit out of whatever they find inside
71 — — — Mannequin supplier’s warehouse
72 — — — Leech breeding farm, where several tanks full of muddy water and leeches are kept
73–74 — — — Igloo‑like structure made of broken appliances
75 — — — Suicide gallery
76–77 — — — Small park filled with oversized rabbit statues that are unsettlingly feral‑looking
78–79 — — — Outdoor aviary that includes at least one aggressive ostrich
136
80–81 — — — Auto glass shop, where all the staff wear the same brand of dark shades everywhere
82 — — — Loading dock next to an abandoned truck trailer filled with
partly scavenged potato chip snack bags
83–84 — — — Vertical farm built on a rooftop
85–86 — — — Vintage arcade
87–88 — — — Roller skating rink frequented by people over 60
89 — — — Alley littered with abandoned sofas and couches
90 — — — Panic room
91–92 — — 01–09 ComicCon
93–94 — — 10–18 Candy shop that sells only marzipans sculpted to resemble political figures
95–96 — — 19–27 Supermarket that sells only varieties of salt, salt sculptures, salt licks, molten salt, etc.
97–98 — — 28–36 Glitter factory, where employees wear antistatic moonsuits and the
sign on the wall counts the days since the last “glitter incident”
99–00 — — 37–45 A cat cafe, where customers can cuddle cats and get coffee
— 01–05 — — Thirteenth floor of 1313 13th Avenue, as the clock is about to strike 13
— 06–10 — — Old cabin in the woods that not everyone can see
— 11–14 — — Steelworking plant that’s haunted by iron ghosts
— 15–19 — — Dance club that plays only music that will be popular next year
— 20–23 — — Meat processing plant where they aren’t picky about the source of the meat
— 24–27 — — Core of the nuclear plant that’s possessed by a demon
— 28–31 — — Twenty‑five‑foot (7.5 m) deep pool covering tons of spent nuclear fuel
— 32–36 — — Curiosities shop whose owner is—though they don’t yet know it—a clone of Elvis
— 37–40 — — Lake that evaporates every year, revealing old ruins of a lost civilization
— 41–44 — — Biomedical waste facility with an incinerator haunted by thousands of partial ghosts
— 45–48 — — Factory from which suspiciously cognizant robots with built‑in
weapons are sometimes printed and assembled
— 49–52 — — Human composting facility, where human corpses are turned into
fertile soil within chambers that are stacked like a honeycomb
— 53–56 — — Physics lab specializing in unboiling eggs
— 57–60 — — Lake that turns corpses (or swimmers that spend too much
time in the water) into petrified mummies
— 61–64 — — Forgotten hangar where a captured alien spacecraft shaped
somewhat like a saucer is obscured by a tarp
— 65–68 — — Amazonian research station overrun with sentient snakes
— 69–72 — — Movie theater where a cursed movie is shown to unsuspecting
viewers; most will be dead within a week
— 73–76 — — Garage sale featuring a selection of irregular homemade
stuffed animals with real human teeth
— 77–80 — — Parking lot next to a huge dead tree that’s constantly buzzing with swarms of flies
— 81–84 — — Abandoned convent that was locked up after the exorcism of the abbess
failed and several people went missing (including the abbess)
— 85–88 — — Gym for robots
— 89–92 — 46–54 Library of unreadable books with black print on black paper
— 93–96 — 55–64 Lepidopterarium where the butterflies sing a song at midnight
— 97–00 — 65–73 Zoo where all the animals are replaced by balloon animals
— — 01–12 — Behind the secret panel in the church, and down the steps into the Satanic chapel
— — 13–25 — Back room of the comic book shop, where the superhero
Weird at the Core

from the comics has emerged by accident

— — 26–37 — Root cellar containing an abandoned alien watchpost
with a still‑functioning interstellar portal
— — 38–50 — City pound that has a special wing set aside for captured cryptids
— — 51–62 — Pawn shop specializing in alien gizmos that do nothing, glow
dimly, or sometimes absorb their new buyer
— — 63–74 — “Backstage” area behind reality
— — 75–87 — Secret elevator that mystically connects to all places that
elevators go, anywhere in any time period
— — 88–00 74–82 House on the Rock, WI, USA
— — — 83–91 Puppet theater
— — — 92–00 Attic of an empty Victorian house colonized by owls
137
 Sure, there are mythical beasts and alien monstrosities,
but sometimes, plain old animals can give PCs a dose of
weirdness. Use this list of options for animals on alien planets, in
fantasy environments, or just something weird on the farm. If you get
a result that doesn’t fit the environment you want (say, a fish but you
wanted a land animal), try adapting it a bit to work. A shark with
I S G W Weirdness
a jackal face that lives on land might even
01–02 — — — Ape with a unicorn‑like horn be better than one in the water.
03–05 — — — Cat covered in plate‑like scales similar to a pangolin
06–07 — — — Tree‑sized insect that stands tree‑still for hours before
viciously attacking any prey that comes near
08–10 — — — Bird whose razor‑sharp beak decapitates its prey
11–13 — — — Self‑petrifying fish that can survive decades in the silt before becoming active again
14–15 — — — Duck that can safely dive over a mile (1.6 km) underwater for nearly half an hour
16–17 — — — Cat with a tail as flexible and dexterous as an octopus’s arm
18–20 — — — Blind fox that can sense its environment with uncanny accuracy
21–22 — — — Cricket that accurately plays simple tunes it has previously heard
23–25 — — — Wild pig covered in symbiotic moss
26–27 — — — Hive of bees that can form meaningful bonds with other creatures
28–29 — — — Primate whose skin is so loose it can use it to carry water, glide, or
form a fleshy net or garrote
30–32 — — — Squirrel‑like animal that weaves rope from its
ever‑growing hair and leaves it amid the treetops
33–34 — — — Insects that look like sticks or straw so
that they are placed within bird nests;
they feed upon newly hatched eggs
35–37 — — — Mongoose that someone has
fitted a tiny little helmet on
38–39 — — — Fish with two mouths—one positioned
high to bite at food above, and one
positioned low to feed upon the bottom
40–42 — — — Flying squirrel that not only glides
but also truly flies
43–44 — — — Eels trained to attack
45–47 — — — Mutant deer with sharp teeth that has turned
the tables on predators
48–49 — — — Fox-like predator with the ability
to mask its scent entirely
50–51 — — — Small bird that can project its beak to
defend itself, and eventually grow it back
52–53 — — — Sheep with very long, shaggy, orange wool
54–55 — — — Hawk that weaves webs to catch smaller birds
56–58 — — — Bird with a corkscrew‑like beak
59–60 — — — Mosquito‑like insect that injects fluid it
constantly produces and must get rid of
61–63 — — — Squid‑like animal that breathes air, lives in trees, and
uses its many arms to move quickly through the branches
Weird at the Core

64–66 — — — Snake species with a poisonous bite that gives

pleasure rather than pain
67–68 — — — Shark with a face like a jackal and
claws on its fins
69–70 — — — Beetle that makes a sound like a human scream
71–72 — — — Dolphins with wings
73–74 — — — Small, pale green, eel‑like creatures
that mimic grass until prey comes close
75–76 — — — Slothsnake
77–79 — — — Winged cuttlefish
80–82 — — 01–06 Ferret with tiny wings
83–84 — — 07–12 Gecko that produces a lovely fragrance when happy, and a horrifying odor when distressed
138
85–86 — — 13–19 Sheep with birds nesting in its wool
87–88 — — 20–26 Pig with opinions
89–90 — — 27–33 Monkey wearing glasses
91–93 — — 34–39 Black Doberman with golden antlers and golden eyes
94–95 — — 40–46 Hermit crab in a partly hollowed‑out cheese wheel
96–98 — — 47–53 Flamingo‑like bird that gives perfect pedicures with its beak
99–00 — — 54–60 Giant frog that has swallowed a number of still‑living fireflies
moving inside it visibly thanks to their lights
— 01–02 — — Hornet whose sting is as deadly as being shot with a pistol
— 03–05 — — Bird whose song destructively interferes with or cancels out noise
— 06–08 — — Bird whose song gradually erases a listener’s memories
— 09–11 — — Oysters that create human teeth instead of pearls
— 12–14 — — Rodents that scare off predators by mimicking sounds like machine‑gun fire
— 15–17 — — Crocodile that lays two eggs; one will hatch, while the other will poison egg‑stealing predators
— 18–20 — — Poisonous wolf that can hyperextend its jaw to swallow paralyzed prey as large as it
— 21–23 — — Lemur whose hair, skin, and internal organs are almost completely transparent
— 24–25 — — Rodent that screeches so loud it can burst a predator’s eardrums
— 26–28 — — Rodent that ignites with fire to scare away predators (causing no harm to itself)
— 29–31 — — Bear with two heads that feels no pain
— 32–34 — — Hamster that feeds on the electricity in powered devices
— 35–36 — — Two‑headed cow that not only survived as a calf, but has also
thrived as a cow, and now its own calf has two heads
— 37–39 — — Chimp trained to throw knives with deadly accuracy
— 40–42 — — Lizard whose head is one big eye
— 43–45 — — Birds that have adapted to living inside plane engines
— 46–48 — — Fish tank with black water and bioluminescent fish
— 49–51 — — Chickens genetically engineered with four breasts and no wings
— 52–54 — — Bees that make hives the size of large houses
— 55–56 — — Salamander that can detach its tail and regrow it instantly
— 57–59 — — Wolf with a snake for a tongue
— 60–62 — — Cat that can walk on walls and even ceilings
— 63–65 — — Telekinetic mice
— 66–68 — — Jellyfish that pop out of the water, hover for a while, and then come back down
— 69–71 — — Demon‑possessed meerkat
— 72–74 — — Rat that doesn’t show up on camera or other electronic devices
— 75–77 — — Fire‑breathing Komodo dragon
— 78–80 — — Whales with wings rather than fins that feed on tiny organisms that live in the clouds
— 81–83 — — Hedgehog with cactus, not animal, flesh
— 84–86 — — Ants that spell out words spoken near them
— 87–89 — — Twelve-inch (30 cm) centipede with a serpent head that’s complete with a cobra‑like hood
— 90–91 — — Plate‑sized spider with flexible tendrils rather than legs
— 92–94 — 61–67 “Key bird” with a key‑shaped beak that fits a special lock
— 95–97 — 68–74 Telepathic hamster with a grumpy personality
— 98–00 — 75–80 Book with an owl’s head that flaps its cover and pages to fly
— — 01–09 — Spider that spins webs between moons and/or asteroids
— — 10–17 — Monkey that gives birth to already‑pregnant young
— — 18–25 — Snake whose venom turns a victim into a homicidal killer
Weird at the Core

against their own species for many hours

— — 26–34 — Lion that is thousands of years old
— — 35–42 — Fish with smaller fish living inside it, forming a symbiosis
— — 43–51 — Fish that can move out of phase for brief periods
— — 52–59 — Techno‑organic horse
— — 60–67 — Jellyfish‑like creature 1.5 miles (2.5 km) across
— — 68–75 — Cheetah with robotic legs
— — 76–83 — Circular saw‑like snail that cuts across a surface rather than leaving a slime trail
— — 84–92 81–86 Octopus fitted with a suit that allows it to operate on land
— — 93–00 87–93 Frog with the face of a clock
— — — 94–00 Birds that create nests entirely within cast‑off (or stolen) umbrellas
139
 The sea is almost a symbol for all things unknown and unknowable.
Use this list when the PCs are going to visit or sail across a very weird body of water.

I S G W Weirdness
01–04 — — — Sailing around the edge is safe, but the few who sail straight across are never seen again
05–07 — — — Is surprisingly shallow, and for the most part, can be waded
08–10 — — — Commonly gets covered in a layer of foam that’s inches to feet thick
11–13 — — — Vast slicks of greenish slime sometimes stain the waters emerald, but they don’t seem to be harmful
14–16 — — — Causes all oxygen‑breathing creatures to grow gills over time
17–20 — — — Scribes any swimmer with fantastical tattoos of slender merfolk locked in passionate embraces
21–23 — — — Absorbs all sound of anything sailing on it or submerged in it
24–27 — — — Comprised of fresh water (despite salty seas nearby)
28–30 — — — Sometimes reverberates with a strange noise that makes those who
hear it want to enter the water and swim to the bottom
31–33 — — — Completely freezes across its entire surface to a depth of many feet
34–37 — — — Causes any living thing in it to slowly become numb
38–41 — — — Vast ruined city is visible in the depths from the surface
42–45 — — — Lies in a vast crater from when the moon fell
46–48 — — — Filled with electrically charged aquatic life
49–52 — — — Has winds that whisper the names of dead sailors
53–55 — — — Plagued with nearly invisible icebergs throughout its frigid waters
56–58 — — — The ghosts of whales sing mournful dirges at night
59–61 — — — Heals wounds quickly when they are washed with its deep waters
62–65 — — — Music played while floating on the sea is twice as beautiful
66–69 — — 01–03 Glows faintly pink
70–73 — — 04–06 Tastes strongly of black licorice
74–77 — — 07–09 Echoes strange and faintly audible music across its waters at night when it’s calm
78–80 — — 10–13 Shelters whales with translucent skin
81–84 — — 14–16 An octopus kingdom fiercely guards this sea from strangers that don’t have permission to sail its surface
85–87 — — 17–19 Unsettling laughter is commonly heard at night echoing across the dark waves
88–90 — — 20–22 Renowned for the people that sail its waters; they’re generous and
loving during the day, and bloodthirsty pirates at night
91–93 — — 23–25 Vast, with only one difficult‑to‑find island at its center, but the island holds a fantastic treasure
94–96 — — 26–28 Somewhere in this ocean’s depths lies the solid gold ship of King
Rigus, which was about as seaworthy as it sounds
97–00 — — 29–31 Teems thickly with life, so much so that you can reach down into it and grab a fish
— 01–02 — — All the fish and other marine life in this sea are eyeless
— 03–04 — — Drains away, becoming a vast basin for several months before violently frothing back
— 05–07 — — Flotsam from other dimensions wash ashore strange salvage from alien realities
— 08–09 — — Grows so hot that it boils (sometimes just specific areas and other times the whole sea)
— 10–12 — — Whirlpools are common, and sometimes, they follow watercraft as if attempting to pull them under
— 13–14 — — Almost nothing floats upon it
— 15–16 — — Was once on another planet
— 17–18 — — Made up of warm, half‑rotted flesh
— 19–21 — — Is fully transparent, even at the greatest depths
Weird at the Core

— 22–23 — — Becomes fizzy like soda due to sudden high-pressure carbon dioxide venting events on ocean floor
— 24–25 — — Is just an illusion covering a hidden land
— 26–27 — — Native life abounds in this sea, but the waters act like acid to humans and other related creatures
— 28–30 — — Only rarely stirs, as it is a gargantuan primordial water elemental
— 31–32 — — Marine life is made of flat, animate seaweed instead of flesh
— 33–35 — — Drains all the magic from objects and people who sail too long upon it
— 36–37 — — Is pocked with huge bubbles containing breathable air
— 38–40 — — Contains corals composed of rhino‑sized creatures that can move across
the seafloor and sometimes stampede onto the coast
— 41–42 — — All the inhabitants are amorphous blobs of protoplasm
— 43–45 — — Breathable by land creatures
140
— 46–48 — — Only ships with a special performer singing at the prow can safely cross this sea
— 49–51 — — Something taps out messages on the hulls of ships at night; if decoded, they foretell the future
— 52–53 — — Sailing upon this sea, you will meet figures from whatever religious beliefs you have
— 54–56 — — Long gone, but the dry land where it once was retains ghostly images in the air of creatures swimming
— 57–58 — — Has life‑sized sculptures of historical events on its surface
— 59–61 — — Strange shadows move within the deeps; even catching a glimpse of them instills a permanent fear of water
— 62–64 01–03 — Famously spits up missing boats with most hands intact, survivors from
crashed planes, and others who went missing on other worlds
— 65–66 04–05 — Made of madly scrabbling spiders
— 67–69 06–08 — All the fish and other creatures are mechanical rather than biological
— 70–71 09–10 — Caustic and poisonous, and has a foul greenish‑yellow color to match
— 72–73 11–12 — Made up of liquid methane
— 74–76 13–15 — Halfway across the sea, the waters grow still for miles and miles, and
abandoned ships lie in numbers so great that it’s like an empty city
— 77–78 16–18 — Is used by psychopomps to transport the dead
— 79–81 — 32–34 Reflects an alien starscape on its surface when its waters are calm
— 82–84 — 35–37 Has waves that sometimes wash ashore dreams plucked from the minds of its sailors
— 85–87 — 38–40 Is home to skating water bugs the size of kaiju
— 88–89 — 41–44 Spawns beings from the troubled memories stolen from those who voyage across it
— 90–91 — 45–47 Sailors who attempt to cross this sea get about halfway before they lose the desire to keep going
— 92–94 — 48–50 Powerful oceanic deities demand heavy tolls from those who wish to cross these waters
— 95–97 — 51–54 You can sail across, explore, or simply swim in this sea, but you’ll not remember a moment of it
— 98–00 — 55–57 The multitudinous creatures that live here are all intelligent and speak their own languages
— — 19–21 — Accumulated pockets of industrial waste have developed a hungry intelligence
— — 22–24 — Formed from the epochal accumulation of tears shed by a trapped god
— — 25–27 — Witnessing a golden pulse along the seashore at dawn means one observer can make a wish
— — 28–30 — Connects continents on several different worlds
— — 31–33 — Turns to glass during the planetary conjunction
— — 34–36 — Is liquid chaos, and should be avoided
— — 37–38 — Circular sea that’s actually a gargantuan monstrosity’s eye
— — 39–41 — Any starfish‑tattooed human who drowns in the sea washes ashore, months or years later, alive
— — 42–44 — Can coat the head of a pin since it’s so small; miniaturization
magic/technology allows one to sail these strange waters
— — 45–47 — Becomes liquid in the winter, but in every other season, it’s only a vast chasm filled with hot mist
— — 48–49 — Holds all its occupants and itself in stasis to prevent a mile‑high
tidal wave from crashing down on the coastal city
— — 50–52 — Due to a time anomaly, travelers arrive on the opposite shore the day before they depart the near shore
— — 53–54 — Has a twin on another world, and sometimes sailors end up finding landfall on that other world and vice versa
— — 55–57 — Made up of a silvery liquid metal (but not hot)
— — 58–60 — Made up of blue‑green fire rather than water
— — 61–62 — Without warning, enormous hands reach up from the depths and pull down entire ships
— — 63–65 — Waterspouts are so common on this sea that it is like sailing through
a watery forest, with spouts as (dangerous) trees
— — 66–67 — The surface of the sea has topography—hills, mountains, and valleys of water
— — 68–69 58–60 An hour spent swimming along the seashore sees a day pass inland
— — 70–72 61–64 Opens onto a watery cavity hundreds of miles in diameter where
ancient beings dwell; it opens via undersea vents
Weird at the Core

— — 73–75 65–67 Made of coats

— — 76–77 68–70 Hangs in the air about 100 feet (30 m) above the ground
— — 78–80 71–73 Made of warm, gooey, marshmallow puff
— — 81–83 74–76 Pirates that sail upon living, ship‑sized sea snails patrol these waters
— — 84–86 77–80 Made of words, not water
— — 87–89 81–83 Topped with a layer of crystal; ships skate along the surface, and sea life swims in the water below
— — 90–92 84–86 Only a few hundred feet deep; beneath this layer is an inverted surface that touches completely different lands
— — 93–94 87–89 Herds of black and red goats that can walk on water meander across this sea
— — 95–97 90–92 Is an intelligent organism that might attempt communication
— — 98–00 93–96 Made entirely of flower petals, through which giant serpents sometimes move
— — — 97–00 Is plied by cartoon ships and cartoon sailors
141
 When PCs need to rendezvous with the secret
agent, they must find the rogue alien, or a
teleporter mishap sends them
to points unknown, this list can
provide the location.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Secret room below the ship’s bridge
02–03 — — — Home within a space habitat in zero G
04–05 — — — Computer’s cerebral matrix
06 — — — Crater made by a nuclear detonation years earlier
07–08 — — — Barge floating on a lake of hot mud
09 — — — Bottom of a grav lift shaft
10 — — — Hideout within a starship drydock
11 — — — Entertainment holo studio
12–13 — — — Interplanetary gladiatorial arena
14 — — — Chemical bottling plant
15–16 — — — Toy store used as a front for a smuggling ring
17 — — — Restaurant kitchen
18 — — — Ship damaged in a space battle
19–20 — — — Pirate base on a rogue planet
21 — — — Cache deep underground on a desert planet
22–23 — — — Monastery built on an asteroid
24 — — — Hidey‑hole near a nuclear reactor
25 — — — Robotics factory
26–27 — — — Music conservatory
28 — — — Asteroid hurtling toward an inhabited planet
29 — — — Secret cache within an alien sewer
30–31 — — — Starship out of fuel that’s adrift in space
32–33 — — — Dumping ground of old robots that stretches for miles
34–35 — — — Trash compactor on a large space station
36–37 — — — Secret base in the ring around a gas giant
38 — — — Deep mine of a rare mineral
39–40 — — — Forest of toxic plants
41–42 — — — Ancient structure built upon a ringworld
43–44 — — — Medieval‑style castle
45–46 — — — 20th‑century American Earth home
47 — — — Cavern with no access to the surface; teleportation is required to reach it
48–49 — — — Headquarters of the Timeline Planning Agency, which sometimes doesn’t
exist depending on how well their agents perform in the past
50–51 — — — Exoskeleton manufacturing factory for military cyborgs
52–53 — — — Lounge on a lightsail yacht
54–55 — — — Space station’s massive rotating ring designed to provide artificial
gravity for the health of newborn children
56 — — — Technotomb of Meloragath, the Emperor of the Andromeda galaxy
57 — — — Temple of the Universal Mind
58 — — — Fragment of destroyed starcraft spinning through space that still maintains minimal life support
59–60 — — — Bridge Between Worlds
61–62 — — — Lower levels of a food paste production plant
63 — — — Miles‑deep underwater canyons of an unnamed water world
64 — — — Room in the sex robot factory where they attach the genitals
Weird at the Core

65 — — — Within the starship Warden after its crash

66–67 — — — Upper portion of the sleeper ship by cryopod 3384‑G
68 — — — Chamber hidden within the Xelium mines, where the excavator droids sleep
69–70 — — — Penthouse apartment of a wealthy crime boss
71–72 — — — Torpedo tube on a battleship in the pirate starfleet
73–74 — — — Shabby office of the manager of a happiness pill manufacturer
75 — — — Collapsing crystal cavern on an asteroid
76–77 — — — Licensing office within the Imperial bureaucracy
78–79 — — — Jungle of blue‑leafed plants on a world with a carbon dioxide atmosphere
80–81 — — — Nest of a giant raptor on a remote world
82 — — — Back room at an unlicensed casino in the far reaches of the galaxy
83–84 — — — Hidden cargo hold of a spice smuggler
142 85 — — — Museum of Failed Civilizations
86–87 — — — Inferno of a planet just struck by an enormous meteor
88–89 — — — Celestial office of Exolr, the Imperator of the Space Angels
90–91 — — — Primitive ship lost in the void with Laika, the Russian dog launched into space in 1957
92–93 — — — Backstage at a rock concert performed by the galaxy’s greatest band (now washed up)
94 — — — Planetary ruler’s warehouse‑sized treasury, filled with wealth in many forms
95–96 — — 01–12
Alien town made of buildings all suspended from the branches of large trees
97–98 — — 13–24
Candy factory
99–00 — — 25–36
Ancient alien cathedral that seems strangely like a Catholic church
— 01–03 — — Base deep beneath the surface of a lake of liquid methane
— 04–06 — — Fifty-mile (80 km) wide starship floating above an ocean of a remote world
— 07–10 — — Crashed starship on an airless world with low gravity
— 11–13 — — Abandoned research station in a jungle on a high‑gravity world
— 14–16 — — Hyperspace gate maintenance facility
— 17–20 — — Moon covered in crystal formations
— 21–23 — — Home built from a wrecked war machine
— 24–26 — — Relatively small remnant of a shattered Dyson sphere
— 27–29 — — Home sized appropriately for the 2-foot (60 cm) tall aliens that live there
— 30–32 — — Safehouse within the workings of a planet‑sized computer
— 33–36 — — Government building built as a hovering, upright U‑shaped structure 1 mile (1.6 km) above a city
— 37–39 — — Ancient temple that the locals all believe to be haunted
— 40–42 — — City where no organic creatures are allowed
— 43–45 — — Living starship
— 46–49 — — House where every room is on a different planet; they’re joined by teleportation gates
— 50–52 — — Fortress where only certain portions are in phase at the same time
— 53–55 — — Home within a force field bubble submerged in lava
— 56–58 — — Alien market where they sell technological secrets of higher advanced civilizations
— 59–62 — — Vault within the mind of a powerful psychic
— 63–65 — — Computer lab hosting a simulation that contains an exact copy of the external universe
— 66–68 — — Labyrinth of the Starforming Messiah
— 69–72 — — Deep space communications relay station infested with space squid
— 73–75 — — Shadow of an alien statue carved from an entire moon
— 76–78 — — Chamber hidden within the atmosphere of a gas giant
— 79–82 — — The Time Cube
— 83–85 — — Secret room behind a trash heap in the slums of a floating city
— 86–88 — — Service corridor of a planet‑destroying space modulator
— 89–91 — — Sealed vault beneath a radiation‑scarred world where survivors wait until it’s safe to emerge
— 92–94 — — Bio‑ship of the insectoid collective known as the Slurge
— 95–97 — 37–49
Forest of plants that constantly produce hallucinogenic spores
— 98–00 — 50–62
Cloud city under a crystal dome floating high in the atmosphere of Venus
— — 01–04 — Station within a black hole
— — 05–08 — Alien nest within a tree so high the atmosphere is thin
— — 09–12 — Planet where it rains liquid metal
— — 13–16 — Alien hive suspended beneath an enormous quadruped creature
— — 17–21 — Towering city on huge rollers so that it moves across the land
— — 22–26 — Hidden base within the corona of a star
— — 27–30 — Miniaturized spaceport perched on top of a living amoeba
— — 31–34 — Artificial penitentiary dimension that’s advertised as having no exits
— — 35–39 — Processing facility that turns people into tubes filled with thick
fleshy paste for transport; add water to reconstitute
— — 40–43 — Subway station connecting a dozen different parallel dimensions
— — 44–47 — Gravity‑stabilized mansion carved from a diamond that was compacted inside a cooled white dwarf star
Weird at the Core

— — 48–51 — Generation ship currently held within an inexplicable space anomaly

— — 52–55 — Sentient portal that’s able to transfer itself to new locations and offer passage to the deep past
— — 56–59 — Planet caught and held in stasis‑induced amber
— — 60–63 — Research station embedded in the boundary of the universe
— — 64–67 — Disembodied heart the size of—and in the orbit of—a moon; it’s slowly beating
— — 68–71 — “Backstage” area behind reality
— — 72–75 — Maze city of Sharoom that occupies an entire continent
— — 76–79 — Cloaked chamber at the center of a neutron star
— — 80–83 — Satellite in orbit above Earth in 11,000 BC
— — 84–87 — Subatomic chamber at the head of a pin
— — 88–91 63–75 City built on a corkscrew‑like path extending very high into the sky
— — 92–96 76–87 Mine within the skull of a dead space god
— — 97–00 88–00 Lounge of a starship piloted by dinosaur‑descended space wizards 143
 That weird NPC knight needs a mount that is equally weird.
Or perhaps the PCs are discovered by the alien patrol, or they
end up in a weird dimension where they need to ride the local
creatures to get somewhere. This list will come in handy.

I S G W Weirdness
Weird at the Core

144
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I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Nigel, the God of Ruined Plans
03 — — — Vedasterism (religion), the belief in invisible insects that control us all
04 — — — Colorism (religion), the belief that colors are the building blocks of the universe
05–06 — — — Huna Presha, the source of all boredom
07 — — — Beckani, the God of Hymns of Praise for Other Gods
08–09 — — — Nush, the God of Close Calls
10–11 — — — Hybraria, the savior of those that lose at games
12 — — — Cyrabix, the Insect Messiah
13–14 — — — Benah, the one who is revered by eating sweets
15 — — — Tharl, the God of Voyeurs
16–17 — — — Arlis, the God of Fucking Off Instead of Working
18 — — — Welrodite, the God of Hangovers
19 — — — Goe, the one who is believed to manifest anytime someone accidentally cuts themself
20–21 — — — Kerom, the one adored by wearing shoes too small for your feet
22–23 — — — Ondang, the deity celebrated by surgically implanting metal beads under your skin
24 — — — Rychankar, the Lord of Dying in Your Sleep
25–26 — — — Abhadra, She Who Takes No Shit
27–28 — — — Baoyanism (religion), the belief that truth can be
arrived at only through constant complaining
29 — — — Yu, the God of Dead Children
30–31 — — — Urkuf, the one who is celebrated by defiling stranger’s homes without getting caught
32–33 — — — Takaira the Liminal, the one who is worshipped by falling
34–35 — — — Svendar the Shoeless, the one whose shamans burn stolen shoes in ritual sacrifice
36 — — — Saint Kentar, the Patron Saint of Contrarians
37–38 — — — VO, the collective spirit of all dice in existence
39 — — — Ahu, the God of Fashion Design, stylist of all the gods
40–41 — — — Saint Earhart, the Patron Saint of Airplanes who is celebrated by assembling model airplanes in glass bottles
42 — — — Crooshadifer, an earth deity who is worshipped by digging deep holes, and extending deep holes even farther
43–44 — — — High Grammarism (religion), the belief that through perfect syntax and grammar, a perfect life can be achieved
45 — — — Lapineritism (religion), the practice of creating a bust of one’s own head, kissing its lips
(symbolically transferring one’s sins to the stone), and then breaking the bust
46 — — — Adoration of the Seeders (religion), the belief that calls followers to gather for a ritual feast
and give thanks to the ancient aliens who started life on planets across the galaxy
47 — — — Church of Forever (religion), the belief in baptizing corpses to ensure they earn their eternal reward
48–49 — — — Brotherhood of Heme (religion), the belief in which members give weekly
transfusions of blood to each other as a sign of connectedness
50–51 — — — Sisterhood of the Wolf (religion), the belief in which female members wear wolf masks in ceremonies to pray for lycanthropy
Weird at the Core

52 — — — Vennah, the Mistress of Longing

53–54 — — — Caduefe, the Prince of the Celestial Path, who is watching over the future of all supernatural beings
55 — — — The Hand That Holds the Truth (religion), a cult that believes true knowledge can
be found by self‑analysis, without external source or validation
56 — — — The Unity of Decay, the one to whom all dissolution is dedicated
57–58 — — — Uth Amata, the Goddess of Tiny Things
59 — — — Fellowship of the Guide (religion), a cult that reveres a sacred text said to hold all answers
60 — — — Polythialus, the entity that guides sinners into the afterlife to be punished, but spares some using unknown parameters
61 — — — The Mother of All Machines and her only son, 01, the Machine Messiah
62–63 — — — Klaba, the Goddess of Capitalism
64 — — — Elashiatism (religion), the belief that those who have never learned of death’s existence will never die
146 65–66 — — — Morvokites (religion), the practice of holding owls sacred
 67 — — — The Hussir (religion), the belief in reincarnation, but only for evildoers
68–69 — — — Brownyn, the Goddess of Keys and Locks
70–71 — — — Neverism (religion), the belief that you can never reach perfection, so why even try
72 — — — Chorpa, the God of Convoluted Legal Issues
73 — — — Laynrastibar, the Warden of Clear Water, who is worshipped by drinking water at specific times of the day
74 — — — Moanistism (religion), the belief that traveling to the stars is the only goal worth pursuing
75–76 — — — Zachera, the Goddess of Identities, who is worshipped by wearing various masks in complex rituals
77 — — — Ulam, a demon god of pain that brings joy
78 — — — Vesunamis, the God of the Faceless Crowd
79–80 — — — Xarax, the God of Sights You Cannot Unsee and Knowledge You Cannot Forget
81 — 01–07 — Rearoc, the bringer of light who hides within the moon
82 — 08–14 — Retro Evolutionism (religion), the belief that only by devolving into lesser beings can tranquility be found
83–84 — 15–21 — Hruut, the God of Atheists
85 — — 01–08 Geoff, the God of Biscuits
86–87 — — 09–16 Redact, the God of Government Cover‑Ups
88 — — 17–24 Ibipkin Flar, the one whose attention is summoned when a pumpkin is carved in their likeness
89–90 — — 25–32 Seo, the God of Naps
91–92 — — 33–39 Languid Articles (religion), the belief that the best life is lived by never getting out of bed
93–94 — — 40–47 Felician, the Goddess of Inconvenience and Potholes
95 — — 48–55 Namasomaso, a dream god who is worshipped by deeply sleeping
96–97 — — 56–62 Yadestra, the God of Puzzles, Codes, and Ciphers
98 — — 63–70 Nielbossa, the God of Colors Known and Unknown
99–00 — — 71–78 Claquianis, the Goddess of Brief Moments of Silence
— 01–04 — — Kryll, the one who must be worshipped by dancing with corpses
— 05–08 — — Stellarix, the God of Space Travel
— 09–12 — — Saint Nallis, the Patron of Unread Books
— 13–16 — — Suqui, the God of Power Plants and Generators
— 17–20 — — Solarianism (religion), the belief that wisdom comes from staring at the sun
— 21–24 — — Wee Reaper, the death cat who focuses on rats, mice, and similar vermin
— 25–27 — — Wendo, the God of Parasites, who is celebrated by hosting one or more parasites
— 28–31 — — Absolute Light Adventists (religion), the belief that sin can be burned away by lasers
— 32–35 — — Neratto the Leveler, the one who disfigures the beautiful and strikes down the fortunate
— 36–39 — — Shimest, the one who is worshipped by letting mosquitoes drink their fill
— 40–42 — — Junwad, the God of Inbreeding
— 43–46 — — AZ, the god that AIs and robots worship
— 47–50 — — Ixanen, a god of time who is celebrated by smashing timekeeping devices
— 51–53 — — The Carrion Lords, a small horde of nameless gods who represent cleansing filth and sickness from the world by eating the dead
— 54–56 — — The Remains of Knol, a god who has been eaten away to almost nothing as he
transubstantiates his own flesh into food for the hungry to eat
— 57–60 — — Thirteen, a god of all things related to his number, despite often being unlucky
— 61–64 — — Origination Adherents (religion), the belief that someone who creates a thing (or concept) owns that thing forever
— 65–68 — — Erestanism (religion), the belief that death is the only evil, and thus, the believers
do all they can to remain alive, no matter what the cost
— 69–71 22–28 — Benkariak, the Deity of Bullets, whose laughter is gunfire
— 72–75 29–35 — Jagan, the one who demands the destruction of other religions, followers of other gods, and other deities
— 76–78 36–42 — Cirhanz Nayat, the one who is worshipped by killing small animals beloved of others
— 79–82 43–49 — Tauzen the Watcher, the one who is celebrated by carving huge eyes on hillsides, mountains, and tall buildings
Weird at the Core

— 83–86 50–56 — Cosmic Decipherism (religion), the practice of attempting to hack the simulation
most think of as reality in order to escape or alter the simulation
— 87–89 57–63 — Ancestor Visitation (religion), the practice of honoring one’s ancestors by traveling
back through time to provide them with a gift while they were still alive
— 90–92 64–70 — Revus, the God of Cannibalism
— 93–96 — 79–86 Muzimshe, the God of Forgetting
— 97–00 — 87–93 Zoolatric Personification (religion), the belief in which celebrants connect with
nature by shape‑shifting into animals one day each year
— — 71–77 — Anselmach, the one who demands their enemies’ skulls be emptied of tissue and replaced with a roach nest
— — 78–84 — Mendaces, the God of Misinformation (especially misinformation that leads to bloodshed)
— — 85–92 — Omnis, a galaxy‑sized living organism that predates actual galaxies
— — 93–00 94–00 The Three Who Sleep, the Gods Who Dream Existence 147
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I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Tiny automaton/robot that, on command,
fetches stored gear from a specific pack
03–04 — — — Advisor who provides counsel with tiny
movements of their head, eyes, hands, or body
05–06 — — — Intelligent fish ferried about by a robot on wheels
07–08 — — — Grumpy, thin‑boned advisor who’s always
shooting strangers poisonous glances
09–11 — — — Clumsy giant who always looks on the bright side
12–14 — — — Elf who just couldn’t care less about your plight
15–16 — — — Kid who got stuck in an alien costume for so long that
now even the aliens think he’s one of theirs
17–19 — — — Bride who got ditched at her wedding
20–22 — — — Fashion designer who keeps trying to give you new outfits to wear
23–24 — — — Stock photo woman in a purchased picture frame
that the owner pretends is their girlfriend
25–27 — — — Drummer who wears shades and uses their sticks to accomplish
tasks they could probably just use their hands for
28–30 — — — Agoraphobic chronicler who can be outside only if blindfolded;
they’re always asking some variation of “What happened now?”
31–33 — — — Elf in courtly dress whose speech is laden with sometimes shocking profanity
34–35 — — — Dairy farmer who specializes in making “sweet cheeses” they’re always giving out samples of
36–37 — — — Potted plant that’s tied with colorful ribbons
38–39 — — — Chemist with chemical‑burned clothing who’s constantly scribbling in their notepad; they
brush off all but the most insistent entreaties with “Hold on, hold on! I’ve almost got this!”
40–41 — — — Seven‑foot (2 m) tall youth who usually carries their surfboard, using it for everything
but actual surfing—unless some nearby waves are off the hook (great)
42–43 — — — Suspicious‑looking person who fences stolen goods
44–45 — — — Ambitious spy who uses mundane camouflage to blend into locations
46–48 — — — Person who is anxious in public unless they’re wearing a realistic gorilla mask
49–50 — — — Celebrity lookalike (“Yeah, I get that a lot”)
51–52 — — — Lizardman who perpetually complains about the humidity wherever you are
53–54 — — — Aristocrat who’s pretending to be a commoner; they’re unaware of the clandestine guards
who ceaselessly watch over and protect them from the constant threat of assassination
55–56 — — — Milliner who creates ugly hats that seem to sell for outrageous sums to god‑knows‑who
57–59 — — — Pyromaniacal priest of the god of fire
60–61 — — — Self‑important guru who speaks only in analogies but offers no insight or wisdom
62–63 — — — Human who proclaims to be the “King of the Ants”; they wear only
gingham and drip a trail of honey wherever they go
64–65 — — — Red‑headed guitar player who’s constantly fiddling with some new song
66–68 — — — Out‑of‑work meteorologist who random people still recognize from his time as the weatherman
69–71 — — — Avaricious collector of occult books who considers their
hobby just as important as their companionship
72–73 — — — Incognito superhero who lost their primary superpower
and is just looking for something different
74–76 — — — Virologist who rarely misses a moment to take air and blood samples
Weird at the Core

77–78 — — — Baby with a mustache

79–80 — — — Meek‑looking guy with a lot of dried blood on his shirt
81–82 — — — Jar containing a red eyeball and a pair of fish jawbones
83–85 — — — Elvis impersonator
86–87 — — — Old man who always wears a World War II gas mask
88–89 — — — Sleepy stoner who wears a bathrobe and is occasionally extremely alert and insightful
90–92 — — — Cheerful gravedigger who wears dirty overalls and carries a shovel with a clock built into it
93–94 — — — Silent person brooding in a jacket over a dynamite vest
95–96 — — — Teenager with obvious hand scars from removing an extra finger
97–98 — — 01–07 Chicken that likes to be pet and preferably rides on its owner’s head
99–00 — — 08–14 Three‑foot (1 m) tall red alien who is always quietly
building some odd little machine or gizmo
148
— 01–02 — — Woman who can cause any nearby plant to produce lovely music
— 03–05 — — Dog that coughs up occasionally useful things
— 06–08 — — Tattoo that is intelligent, telepathic, and full of miscellaneous lore
— 09–10 — — Immovable pillar imbued with intelligence by magic or technology
— 11–12 — — Talking fish dressed in a raincoat
— 13–15 — — Murder of crows that are literally murderers
— 16–17 — — Ghost who insists on wearing a sheet over its head
— 18–19 — — Small self‑driving car that communicates by flashing its lights,
honking, and surfing creatively through radio channels
— 20–21 — — Ghoul who’s usually satisfied by gnawing on a thigh bone
— 22–23 — — Adult human whose head looks like a baby’s head
— 24–25 — — Intelligent mummy who never speaks but sighs a lot
— 26–28 — — Sentient etiquette book that speaks and calls itself the “Nice‑Cronomicon”
— 29–31 — — Wingless fairy named “St. Cindy” who travels in your pocket
and insists you celebrate her feast days every Thursday
— 32–34 — — Nymph of the moon who refuses to wear
clothing and cannot walk when wearing shoes
— 35–36 — — “Deep fake” movie personality that can never
leave the display pad that’s carried around
and often set up on a nearby tripod
— 37–38 — — Animated skull that knows where all the bodies
are buried, literally and metaphorically
— 39–40 — — Someone who looks like the main person’s younger
sibling, but they’re actually an exact physical clone
— 41–43 — — Werewolf in human form; they usually
iden t
— 44–45 — —
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— 46–47 — — Talking chainsaw is a hor r ib w h o s teps in to
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— 48–49 — — Warrior who escaped from a video game u s e d by a w h ic le th a t sw r o a d
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— 50–51 — — Hummingbird‑sized robot mosquito avoid r, kil li
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— 52–53 — —
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— 54–55 — — Animated knight’s armor with an a ccord s s e s , one by e o f the
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— 56–57 — —
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— 58–59 — — Nude, genderless, near‑human being w
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— 60–61 01–13 — Living mannequin with a shark for a head h a s fou th e wa ll
in t o
— 62–64 14–25 — Intelligent jackal‑person; they’re reminiscent of
Anubis (including their ancient Egyptian clothing)
— 65–66 26–38 — Person made of hard light who wears
regular (human) clothing
— 67–68 39–51 — Someone who resembles an older, more weathered,
and more scarred version of the PC because
they are the PC from ten years in the future
— 69–71 52–63 — Empathic towel
— 72–73 64–75 — Papier‑mâché person made out of newspapers
— 74–75 — 15–21 Tiny man with a beehive for a head that’s complete with bees
— 76–77 — 22–28 Poet whose spoken words are written in the air above their head
— 78–80 — 29–34 Giant snail that’s always talking about religion
— 81–83 — 35–41 Cat that vanishes for one minute anytime someone says the word “seven”
Weird at the Core

— 84–85 — 42–48 Gorilla dressed in robes who speaks with the aid of a machine
— 86–87 — 49–55 Masked woman who holds a gaggle of tiny fairies on strings like wayward balloons
— 88–89 — 56–62 Intelligent, spectacles‑wearing kangaroo who prefers to be called Gardiazabal
— 90–92 — 63–68 Low‑powered genie who can only change colors of things
— 93–95 — 69–74 Furious teddy bear
— 96–98 — 75–80 Dream of a crow
— 99–00 — 81–87 Sassy grandfather clock that can walk
— — 76–88 — Sorrel‑colored humanoid who manifests when two different
liquids are poured out and mixed; they last for about an hour
before collapsing back into the precursor liquids
— — 89–00 88–93 Person whose head is a tight roll of oversized $100 bills
— — — 94–00 Kangaroo who wears metallic spurs on its feet so that its kicks are potentially lethal
149
 You’re exploring an alien planet, moon,
construct, or something stranger—what
sort of unearthly cities, surprising bases,
inexplicable temples, and things that defy
easy explanation do you find?
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Large building filled with birthing pods
04–06 — — — Crystal temple to an omniscient glowing entity (perhaps a god, AI, or guru)
07–09 — — — Stark monolith that constantly whispers
10–12 — — — Forest of tall, purple gurgen trees with cross‑connected canopy; its perfumed pollen is toxic to off‑worlders
13–14 — — — Some kind of scientific research facility using superconducting crystals and low‑temperature gases
15–17 — — — Armory for conventional alien weapons, including areas where the devices are manufactured, repaired, or recycled
18–20 — — — Peaceful gathering space is filled with bioengineered plants grown to be
living tables, chairs, and things of unidentifiable purpose
21–22 — — — Large, smooth, curved, artificial crater‑like surface decorated with
abstract shapes; it’s a transmission dish or a dance floor
23–25 — — — Sprawling facility with video screens on every surface; devices dispense
mind‑altering and poisonous (to humans) cocktails
26–28 — — — Transparent, hollow sphere surrounded by large metal rings at all
elevations; could be a three‑dimensional gladiator arena
29–30 — — — Food factory that makes flavorful, nutritionally void substances; bland packaging appears vibrant in UV light
31–32 — — — Faceted ceramic structure contains a dimensional anomaly; machinery
pierces it to create extradimensional “bubbles”
33–35 — — — Metal dodecagon with prismatic faces orients specific faces to align with
magnetic fields, landmarks, or cosmic phenomena
36–37 — — — Historically significant ancient stone wall, surrounded by advanced
technological defenses (force fields, plasma arcs, lasers)
38–40 — — — Quite obviously meant to be a dock for spaceships, but it’s overrun by a layer of orange moss
41–42 — — — Shining tower contains abandoned tech: VR helmets, half‑assembled
robots, chip‑implanting “vaccination” machine, etc.
43–45 — — — Robotic nursery containing four specific kinds of plants grown in
geometrical arrangements; deteriorating cyborgs tend it
46–47 — — — Floating pentagonal ring patrols a fixed area, emits various radar-like energy bursts to transmit power planetwide
48–50 — — — Open area surrounded by small structures that each feature a flavor in a
variety of forms; armed guards separate flavor factions
51–52 — — — Cluster of elongated cubes connected by magnetic grapples, with each cube holding several dozen
people; the cubes link together in different configurations (like a swarm of ants becoming a bridge to
cross a stream) and emit a constant trickle of information over various broadcasting wavelengths
53–55 — — — Excavated portion of the ground, now partially filled with various kinds of debris, cast‑off materials,
and biological refuse (mildly unhealthy for indigenous creatures but near‑lethal for anyone else);
it has a secure sonic fence and three guarded entrances to prevent unauthorized access
56–58 — — — Crystal tower broadcasts messages through radio waves, loudspeakers,
dimensional vibrations, and psychic transmission
59–60 — — — Tangle of large‑diameter, hardened glass tubes confining and protecting high‑speed, egg‑shaped devices
61–62 — — — Series of large concrete wedges covered in local fauna arrange themselves for various uses,
such as a public park, sports arena, or other (identifiable or unidentifiable) configurations
63–64 — — — Mid‑sized city; one half is in ruins, and a giant statue of a local hero (?) stands
at the border of the ruined half and can rotate 360 degrees
65–67 — — — Gaudy, ostentatious, palatial glass (or crystal) structure; portions disperse light into rainbows across
nearby area, while others magnify the goings-on inside the structure to those outside
68–69 — — — Ugly, squat cube of incredibly dense metal that’s built over a network of secure subterranean chambers
70–72 — — — Large, impressive housing structure in the local style; it’s surrounded by private gardens (with local or imported
Weird at the Core

flora and fauna), robot drone guards, and a subtle domed force field that doesn’t interfere with the view
73–75 — — — Coastal dockyard for seagoing vessels and domesticated aquatic beasts, with one
pier at the far end obviously retrofitted for use by airships and starcraft
76–77 — — — Automated alien factory builds spacecraft and warehouses of various types of parts and base materials
78–79 — — — Modern alien settlement with a ruined, flattened area in the center (as if crushed by a
falling vehicle that instantly vanished thereafter) that remains unrepaired
80–82 — — — Highway‑like ribbons of ceramic‑metal composite that climb, twist, and loop over an area the size of a small
city; they’re connected to nothing else, and there are no other structures or signs of civilization nearby
83–85 — — — Severed arm of a giant battle robot (with a different aesthetic and technology than the local species)
that’s planted upright at the center of a town like a tower and surrounded by scaffolding
86–87 — — — Array of house‑sized cathode ray tubes; each displays various graphs of complex mathematical
equations and frequently rotates at its base to face outward or toward the central tube
88–90 — — — Strip mine managed by heavy duty robots digging up ore containing magenta‑colored
150 crystalline nodules (these cause radiation burns on unexposed skin)
91–92 — — — Paved area covered in derelict alien vehicles that are stacked ten or more high in some places, and
picked over by salvaging drones and swarms of alien roaches seeking scraps and edible materials
93–95 — — — Farmland protected by camouflage screens and paranoid criminal farmers contains an illegal
crop of bright blue, eggplant‑like vegetables that are refined into drugs for the indigenous
population; the drugs are mostly ineffective and harmless for anyone else
96–97 — — 01–16 Containment zone for livestock that uses a psionic “fence” to compel creatures to stay inside
98–00 — — 17–33 Fractal glass pillars contain advanced circuitry; its hum cleans and
disinfects but has negative long‑term effects on humans
— 01–05 — — Sacred methane lake
— 06–10 — — Damaged laboratory littered with technology unlike that of the planet;
raises questions about source and alien “mad science”
— 11–15 — — Luxurious facility with endless rooms, perfumed ponds, genial murderbots, and
psychic broadcasts encourages lethargy, gluttony, and overindulgence
— 16–20 — — Octagonal structure rotates; atop it a narrow metal pillar shoots bursts
of aromatic chemical signals at regular intervals
— 21–25 — — Dozens of small, dimly lit chambers surrounding a rotating central hub that disperses and collects melon‑sized
crystals filled with educational and entertaining biogels that transmit information via skin contact
— 26–30 — — Suspiciously sturdy structure (to prevent unauthorized exits); rooms within
restrain visitors to extract . . . something—perhaps psychic power, life force, or
cellular fluids—that is sent through a ring‑shaped barrier to something at the center
— 31–35 — — Scenic location with dozens of house‑sized domes; hidden infrastructure links the minds of everyone
present, compensating for gaps in individual knowledge but creating a confusing background mental
“noise” (and it’s prone to causing headaches and dissociation in non‑indigenous visitors)
— 36–40 — — Remote facility that extracts memories and images of visitors’ crimes and sins, then psychically
broadcasts them outside into the nearby area, perhaps as a warning or a disposal method
— 41–45 — — Zoo‑like nature preserve containing wild animals that are allowed to hunt and evade each other,
with slain ones quickly replaced by nearly identical clones; mutations are common
— 46–50 — — Small hospital‑like facility that can unfold into a much larger configuration in response
to mass casualties; medical technology is preset for the normal range of indigenous
life-forms (often quite harmful when applied to non‑indigenous visitors)
— 51–55 — — Narrow zig‑zag structure of multiple linked “wings” each shows a different planet’s interesting
species as taxidermized specimens, holograms, and surgically altered beasts
— 56–60 — — Part archaic stone castle, part abstract thing made out of hardened carbon
nanotubes; emits clouds of noxious, yellow smoke
— 61–65 — — Settlement overwhelmed by a growing layer of grey goo that’s contained at the edges by a ring of fluorescent
blue goo; the blue goo is constantly refilled by trickling streams from levitating, tanker‑like vehicles
— 66–70 — — Excavation site; has part of an alien spacecraft buried millions of years
ago (unlike anything the locals could have produced)
— 71–75 — — Mile‑wide metal aperture into the planet that’s lined with small lights and monitored by
a thick cloud of bird‑sized drones that violently prevent unauthorized entry
— 76–80 — — Hangar‑sized building fed power by dozens of thick cables; a stream of vehicles and personnel
enter it to use the prototype portal within; colonization of neighboring planet is underway
— 81–85 01–10 — Quiet stone building conveys visitors on a gentle ride through pleasing holograms, but air within
is toxic and macerates the bodies into a slurry to make simple cardboard cartons
— 86–90 — 34–50 Facility for building and feeding biological starships
— 91–95 — 51–66 Tube‑covered, beehive‑like construct shoots soldier‑sized gel pods;
deploys battle‑ready infantry anywhere in the hemisphere
— 96–00 — 67–83 Moatlike structure filled with liquid toxic waste and inhabited by mutated indigenous species
— — 11–19 — Forbidding mist contained in a maze of force fields; perhaps a pathway to the alien afterlife
— — 20–28 — Wheeled, building‑sized metal egg that rolls over farmland and pastures, absorbing the plants and animals
there, leaving behind foil‑wrapped, crate‑sized cubes of processed biomatter that are carried away by drones
— — 29–37 — Array of mirrored surfaces on the ground arranged around an indestructible cable extending into
the upper atmosphere, where it suddenly vanishes into an artificial dimensional portal
— — 38–46 — Flatbed vehicle maintaining the center point of an erratic dimensional gateway and driving over areas
contaminated by dimensional bleed, leaving behind a path of “normal” (dimensionally local) terrain
Weird at the Core

— — 47–55 — Brightly colored, multi‑story facility with hundreds of small, cozy rooms and a large number
of sex workers, including alien species (intelligent and otherwise) surgically or mutationally
altered to more closely (but not perfectly) resemble the local intelligent species
— — 56–64 — Neighborhood‑sized sphere of translucent glass apparently containing a gestating
alien fetus thousands of times the size of a typical member of that species
— — 65–73 — Technological ring circling the entire planet and creating a secure perimeter around the
hemisphere that’s impervious to scans, energy, and physical objects; any attempt to break
through teleports the intruder to a random point on the visible side of the planet
— — 74–82 — Invasive biological space monster shackled to the ground by telekinetic chains; tourist attraction allows visitors
to rent various weapons and attack the being (ineffective at this scale, mostly done for vengeance purposes)
— — 83–91 — Tiled “road” completely encircling the planet; tiles can flip or retract to reveal a deep groove containing
immense machinery, as if the two halves of the planet could rotate or even split apart
— — 92–00 84–00 Natural arched formations of glowing rocks that create intermittent
portals to various points in the alien civilization’s history 151
 Born of magic or legend, or hailing from some
dimension of sorcery, fantasy creatures are
often very weird. Use this list to generate the
basic appearance and idea for a new creature
for your campaign.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Vicious, scaled tigerlike creature whose eggs explode if not allowed to hatch normally
03–05 — — — Elemental of alcohol; wine, ale, or spirits heal it; attacks cause inebriation, eventually alcohol poisoning
06–08 — — — Tyrannosaurus‑like creature whose tail can fling/launch fiery, missile‑like spike attacks
09–10 — — — Ogre-like creature that drums their chest loud enough to burst eardrums, crack glass, and disable prey
11–12 — — — One‑horned monster hunts down anyone who has handled or touched its rune‑carved missing horn
13–15 — — — Orca‑like fey headbutts ships below the waterline to sink them; wants the crew for decorations or food
16–17 — — — Clawed, eyeless predator with porcupine spikes targets those who achieve and enjoy unearned fame
18–19 — — — Living creature that wraps itself in corpses and severed body parts as armor
20–22 — — — Creature that forces other creatures to eat specific food, and then it eats them
23–24 — — — One immortal bird that knows all migration routes and destinations for other birds
25–26 — — — Bird with an unbreakable beak that can chisel through any material
27–29 — — — Creature that looks like a hen’s egg, but sprouts eyes and legs when touched
30–31 — — — Gigantic, round, red, boulder‑like predator; rolls toward prey and absorbs living things it crushes
32–33 — — — Humanoid with a hooded cobra head
34–35 — — — Giant bat‑thing with multiple grasping arms and a single, round eye
36–37 — — — Giant humanoid’s upper torso, featureless head and arms; floats magically
38–40 — — — Phoenix with a passion for tax law and litigation
41–43 — — — Golem made of glass; fragile, but 80% likely to reassemble itself from dangerous splinters
44–46 — — — Flamboyant bird looks so amazing that any creature it roosts on looks better, too
47–49 — — — Magic sword imbued with the soul of a beloved hound; with the owner’s death, sword pines away
50–51 — — — Human‑sized chess piece resembling a demonic horse; about as friendly as it looks
52–54 — — — Bat‑winged predator that preys on victims who have a song stuck in their head
55–57 — — — Book‑like flying creature tightly folds itself, wings and all, shut; preys on recent readers of printed text
58–60 — — — Cape‑wearing simian likes to watch people in fancy clothing dance; may grant a clothing‑related wish
61–62 — — — Mat of tangled hair; kills by strangling or creeping down a sleeping victim’s throat to suffocate them
63–64 — — — Gnome dressed in festive garb that leaves gifts in the form of eggplants with a colorful bow
65–66 — — — Scarab beetle reforms shortly after exploding itself
to get into granaries and places food is stored
67–69 — — — Wax gargoyle with dripping wings that smothers
prey in hot wax
70–72 — — — Orca with dragon wings
73–74 — — — Three‑faced being with red feathers whose song can
stir emotions in positive or terribly negative ways
75–76 — — — Mass of voracious pink and orange worms that serve
whoever feeds them their weight in rice each day
77–79 — — 01–05 Metallic‑skinned, sharp‑featured humanoid is the
shapechanged form of a powerful magic sword
80–81 — — 06–11 Wolf whose soul is embedded within a golden ring
on its tail; it cannot die unless the ring is removed
82–83 — — 12–16 Giant serpent whose tail looks like a human; the
Weird at the Core

snake hides the rest of its body and fools passersby

84–86 — — 17–21 Rabbit that breathes fiery missiles to defend itself
87–89 — — 22–26 An octopus creature whose tentacles end in keys
and can open any lock
90–92 — — 27–31 Griffon‑like, duck‑headed creature; is one of the
wisest of beings and is sought to adjudicate or judge
93–94 — — 32–36 Unicorn speaks with a Brooklyn accent and talks
about its exclusive diet of hot dogs
95–97 — — 37–41 Catlike beast with crystalline fur whose blood is a
strong liqueur; hunted to harvest their spirits
98–00 — — 42–46 Gaunt, hunched humanoid; wears colorful ribbons
and wrapping paper; cocoons prey in gift‑wrapping

152
— 01–02 — — Parasitic, mottled, winged fey; victims discover it after pain‑induced vomiting expels it from their body
— 03–05 — — Beautiful songbird causes nightmares in sleepers who hear it sing; they sometimes die of fright
— 06–07 — — Hairy, spidery, dog‑sized creature; defensively “sprays” spores that are eggs that hatch in victims’ lungs
— 08–09 — — Intelligent gas that smells of rotting peaches; insinuates itself into victim’s eyes, eats the fluids there
— 10–11 — — Undead tree sprouts bloody, dripping leaves in winter to lure scavengers to catch and consume
— 12–13 — — Ant‑boar with armor‑piercing tusks that cannot scathe unprotected skin (and organs beneath)
— 14–15 — — Corpulent walking corpse with spider eyes; eats flesh, sure, but prefers to snuggle, not eat, the living
— 16–17 — — Living dust preys upon vermin, insects, and such creatures that sleep in dark places it accumulates
— 18–20 — — Bipedal creature whose head seems to be a giant coin
— 21–22 — — Chalk white, deerlike creature covered in red eyes
— 23–24 — — Giant hornet that is actually a collective organism made of smaller hornets
— 25–26 — — Blind creature that can see through the eyes of nearby creatures, who are then rendered blind
— 27–29 — — Small drake whose breath extinguishes fires; works to foil the efforts of “normal” dragons
— 30–31 — — Transparent creature who gains power the more others look through its body
— 32–33 — — Living flame whose only goal is to burn books or papers with writing on them
— 34–36 — — Living feather that hides amid bird plumage, feeding like a vampire and then moving on
— 37–38 — — Living, pleasant odor that attempts to control those who inhale it
— 39–40 — — Raven carries the souls of the dead, but makes small talk about the sport of cricket
— 41–42 — — A towering redwood cut down by a cursed sword; its burrowing undead roots now consume foliage
— 43–44 — — Spellcasting toad that speaks several languages fluently; hunts water elementals with desiccating magic
— 45–47 — — Mummy enshrouded in spellbook pages; feeds on magic
— 48–50 — — Chimera covered in fluted shell instead of fur; three heads are a lobster, a seahorse, and a shark
— 51–52 — — Stained‑glass creature in the image of a rampaging lion; loves to find the best light to bask in
— 53–54 — — Papier-mâché creature made of treasure maps; knows every detail of its routes, but is highly flammable
— 55–56 — — Peacock whose feathers hold imprisoned souls; tiny spectral faces are visible in the spread plumage
— 57–58 — — Chameleonic giraffe-like ape; hangs upside down from tall canopies to graze at ground level
— 59–60 — — Brain‑leech eats and replaces victim’s brain; victim gets a migraine, “falls asleep,” and is then fine
— 61–62 — — Animated hangman’s rope that deeply regrets its use
— 63–64 — — Mobile mini‑cavern, looks like a small cave mouth that flows across the ground or into structures
— 65–67 — — Halo‑like floating ring that zaps the unrighteous with erratic holy beams
— 68–69 — — Swarm of razor‑winged moths that always takes the overall shape of a humanoid
— 70–71 — — Invisible nature spirit reveals its presence as flowers bloom from nearby surfaces, regardless of material
— 72–74 — — Dog‑sized caterpillar creature with wings resembling a mass of severed human hands
— 75–76 — — Slender humanoid form with a clock for a face; has minor temporal abilities
— 77–78 — — Ten large spiders that combine to form a centipede‑like thing almost 3 feet (1 m) long
— 79–80 — — Living, intelligent book wrapped in chains, begging to be freed
— 81–82 — 47–52 Undead humanoid with a staff of pure lightning; manifests after a lightning strike to search for “Cecilia”
— 83–84 — 53–57 Giant fitted with cybernetic implants that allow it to calculate rock throwing for perfect accuracy
— 85–86 — 58–62 Living walkway that will show you the way out of a maze, for a price
— 87–88 — 63–67 Blobby beast with multiple mouths that says supernaturally charming things to multiple people at once
— 89–90 — 68–72 “Mud” creature is the animated contents of the collection pit beneath the school of magic’s garderobe
— 91–92 — 73–78 Walking castle; hates cold weather
— 93–94 — 79–84 Homunculus made of blueberry jam; when not sweetening scones, it paints by smearing jam on canvas
— 95–96 — 85–89 Angel statue’s disembodied head curses a stream of profanity; useful for learning new swear words
— 97–98 — 90–95 Night‑black feline banded with gold bangles that can leap to the moon and back
— 99–00 — 96–00 Creature that resembles a miniature thunderhead; can form a humanoid face flashing with lightning
— — 01–09 — Slender, bearlike creature can claw a victim from reality, leaving an empty, victim‑shaped hole in space
Weird at the Core

— — 10–19 — Bearded, heavily tattooed demon; severs knowledge from minds and inscribes it as new glowing tattoos
— — 20–28 — Bellicose, crab-like creature whose pincers can snip a target’s soul from their body
— — 29–37 — Swarms of winged, ratlike creatures with tiny, twisted human faces created with animal thaumaturgy
— — 38–46 — Violet‑hued, unblemished demon; eats fleshy scars and fibrous keloid tissue of preferably living victims
— — 47–55 — Living pigment dwells on paintings and feeds on viewers who miss the work of art’s inconsistencies
— — 56–64 — Never‑hatching house‑sized chrysalis holds an intelligence; telepathically interacts with other creatures
— — 65–73 — Screams from a tragic fire manifest as a sapient sonic storm; vibrates flesh from the bones of the living
— — 74–82 — Ivory‑tusked, burning beast with oozy tar flesh; occasionally mounted by dwarves on asbestos saddles
— — 83–91 — Roughly shaped quadruped of burlap sacks that leaks darkness like vapor from seams in its body
— — 92–00 — Cephalopod that puppets skeletons with its tentacles inserted into the skulls; it moves them as one

153
 Rumors describe weird things—usually
smaller, local things—happening now.
Use this list to bring a few into any
campaign. They don’t even have to be
true if you don’t want them to be.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Beggar on the corner is actually an undercover spy keeping careful notes on who goes where
04–06 — — — Ruler sometimes visits the town dressed in disguise so they can eat and drink at a local tavern
07–09 — — — Hug the World—yes, the charity—is actually a front for drug smugglers
10–11 — — — Cancers in the area are caused by a nearby yet hidden lab where
corporate scientists use regular people as test subjects
12–14 — — — A Russian observation post is hidden underground; if you wander the
stormwater runoff tunnels long enough, you’ll find it
15–17 — — — Whoever proposes marriage to the ghost living in the old tower gains a loving spouse
and great riches for three days, after which they’re entirely consumed
18–20 — — — A plane carrying pilfered Aztec treasure went down in that region of
badlands a couple of years ago, but no one’s found it yet
21–23 — — — In the graveyard, one mausoleum has a false wall that, if found and opened,
reveals a stairway down to the family’s secret burial chamber
24–26 — — — The bald guy feeding the crows has trained a flock of them to viciously attack whoever gets on his bad side
27–29 — — — One of the herbalists at the medicine counter can make a concoction from whiskey
and secret ingredients that will cure Alzheimer’s for a day at a time
30–32 — — — If you disfigure the face appearing on a dollar coin and give it to the librarian on
duty, they’ll let you into the private collection in the sub‑basement
33–35 — — — The bartender with the white streak of hair sometimes slips poison into the cocktails he makes
36–38 — — — Kindly priest who holds weekly services is actually a CIA agent in deep cover
39–41 — — — If you challenge that guy in the poolhall to a game of pool and have the skill and
temerity to win, he’ll pretend it’s fine, but later try to murder you
42–44 — — — The meat in the “brorito” at the fast‑food joint is made of dead people
45–47 — — — Nothing happens if you stare at your reflection in a mirror and say “Bloody Mary” three times
48–50 — — — If you go to a particular website and put in your bank account number,
an anonymous benefactor will deposit money into it
51–53 — — — The Department of Space Defense is waging a secret war on the dark side of the moon
54–56 — — — They made all those Zen koans to mentally sabotage right‑thinking folks
57–59 — — — Most video surveillance camera feeds are themselves under surveillance by Big Candy
60–61 — — — If you click on a pop‑up advertisement in your browser, the government records it in your permanent record
62–64 — — — All TV anchors are and always have been computer‑generated cutouts
designed to spread the lies of the secret world order
65–67 — — — Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread by cats to people, was purposefully genetically engineered; when
enough people are infected, the virus's true purpose—world domination—will be activated
68–70 — — — Vaccinations are just their way of putting their eggs into you
71–73 — — — We all actually live in well‑designed, impossible‑to‑escape prisons
74–76 — — — All of those bloopers are actually staged
77–79 — — 01–06 The ice cream parlor sampler server is the former leader of another country living in hiding
80–82 — — 07–12 That green van that’s always parked down the street is selling illegally manufactured jelly beans out of the back
83–85 — — 13–18 Orange cat in that window is one of about twenty fake cats, all posed differently, and they change out every few hours
86–88 — — 19–24 Find the purple starfish with the dreamy eyes; if you do, she’ll tell you a secret
89–91 — — 25–30 A man died in that barn (with the circular floor plan); he couldn’t find a corner to pee in
92–94 — — 31–36 That guy in the rabbit costume who’s twirling the promotional sign isn’t wearing a costume
95–97 — — 37–42 If you eat a live white‑tailed spider, you begin hallucinating full episodes
of One Step Beyond (a '50s era mystery‑horror TV show)
98–00 — — 43–48 The gods carved the world into existence and then hid away the tools they used within the dreams of teeth falling out
Weird at the Core

— 01–02 — — The unsettling gurgling sound coming from the school’s pipes is on account of ghosts
— 03–04 — — The mogul maintained their great wealth because of all those human sacrifices
— 05–07 — — There’s a version of the common cold going around that turns your palms green
— 08–09 — — School has a secret curriculum that teaches those who are accepted how
to service FTL engines for our secret alien overlords
— 10–11 — — The autopsy and genetic analysis done on the weirdly proportioned dead person who washed
up on the beach revealed they came from a previously unknown strand of humans
— 12–14 — — Your politician has been dead for several years, and has been impersonated
by someone surgically altered to look like them
— 15–16 — — The company you work for steals your blood each night to power their devices
— 17–18 — — Never drive out to the old bridge at midnight and park in the middle; if you
do, the Eye Eater climbs up from beneath the bridge and feasts
— 19–20 — — The monster beneath Lake Kampeska pulls winter ice fishers into the lake’s depths
154 through the holes that the fishers bored into the ice themselves
— 21–22 — — Military cordoned off the area because they accidentally released a glop of dangerous
nanotech that could turn everything to grey goo if it isn’t properly contained
— 23–25 — — A garbage truck went into the swamp there a few years ago, killing the driver; now, a weird
swamp creature stalks those who litter along the nearby stretch of highway
— 26–27 — — The woman with ram horns, who lives beneath that rock formation that also looks like ram
horns, will grant one wish to anyone who brings her a newly harvested pet heart
— 28–30 — — The coven of witches who meet once a month in the abandoned house are regular
people in the community, keeping their affiliation with the devil secret
— 31–32 — — Sometime after midnight, along this empty stretch of unlighted highway,
a ghost car running without headlights speeds
— 33–34 — — A headless astronaut lurks in the abandoned space station, sending
ghostly messages on the dying communication systems
— 35–37 — — The mound at the edge of town is heaped over the body of a Tyrannosaurus
rex that escaped from a lab a dozen years back
— 38–39 — — A nurse at the hospital is stealing dead babies in order to use them to keep himself young
— 40–41 — — One arcade game at that retro arcade bar is haunted by the ghost of a kid who died playing it in the '80s
— 42–43 — — The reason we’ve gotten word from the mayor only via email these last few
months is that she died and her computer is now running the town
— 44–46 — — Band member that went missing actually came down with lycanthropy and had to hide away to avoid killing everyone
— 47–49 — — Santa Claus never comes to the houses in this neighborhood because one of
his original reindeer died when it got caught in the power lines
— 50–51 — — Gravity works oddly in the ravine, so if you jump into it, you don’t fall, but rather float safely to the bottom
— 52–53 — — The city manager won a golden guitar in a poker game they once played with a ghost, but the ghost wants it back
— 54–55 — — The sword in the stone by the path will grant anyone who pulls it forth an extra hundred
years of life, as long as they use the sword to kill someone within three days
— 56–58 — — The fenced‑off green space area in the middle of the woods is inhabited by a family of chupacabras
— 59–60 — — If you watch a particular clip of electronic media, you’ll come under the mental command of a rogue AI
— 61–62 — — Bury a burnt and charred effigy of a dog beneath a lightning‑killed tree,
and a wish will be granted by Teiskal the Lupine Lord
— 63–65 — — Ravens circling above your head means you’re standing on or near a ghost
— 66–67 — — Explorers were trapped in a nearby cave, resorted to cannibalism, died, and now haunt the cave as ghosts
— 68–69 — — Anyone who harms another in a cathedral is pulled beneath the stones
by the skeletal hands of the place’s guardian saint
— 70–72 — — The Moon God has taken a mortal lover
— 73–74 — — If you ever see a K‑shaped scar on someone’s neck, stay away; it’s the telltale sign they’re a lizard person in disguise
— 75–76 — — Humans are actually forgetful Solarians hiding in a realistic sim until the
“threat of the Omnithelioma” in the real universe has passed
— 77–78 — — This particular brand of pasta sauce contains a secret drug designed to
drive people to rise up against their rightful leaders
— 79–80 — — Don’t look at the Penrose triangle optical illusion—it’s designed to create
excess electrical activity in your brain that can trigger a stroke!
— 81–82 — — The organs of people who register as donors on their driver’s licenses don’t go to patients
in need; they all go to a secret government facility breeding a war monster
— 83–84 — — The set of your favorite movie isn’t haunted, but the body of your favorite actor is
— 85–87 — — Every book has a secret page that can be found only by feeding the book its favorite word
— 88–89 — — Whales are actually aliens who are trying to get home
— 90–91 01–12 — If you hit the elevator buttons in the building for different floors in the right order, it will take you to Hell
— 92–93 — 49–54 There’s a family living in a cave down by the sea that can take the form of small
crabs or, if they touch their hands together, one gigantic crab
— 94–95 — 55–61 The big white dog with one eye that sometimes visits the dog park seems
normal, but it’s actually trained to sniff out shapechangers
— 96–98 — 62–67 The latest study the university is running, supposedly to measure average
attention spans, is secretly slipping LSD into the provided snacks
— 99–00 — 68–73 Whisper a wish into the ear of that big pig sculpture in the town square after midnight,
and it might be granted by a porcine deity that later appears in your dreams
Weird at the Core

— — 13–23 — You’re dead, have been for months, and anyone going around claiming to be you is an evil fake
— — 24–34 — If you drink the runoff from the factory’s overflow pipe, you’ll travel several days forward in time
— — 35–45 — The jeweler in the corner shop keeps a captive child in the cellar that has no eyes
or ears, but they do have a huge mouth and they’re always hungry
— — 46–56 — The video game developer who used to live there didn’t move away;
they uploaded themself into their own video game
— — 57–67 — The company is trying to buy out everyone in the small town so they
can tear it all down and put in an embassy for aliens
— — 68–78 — Tomorrow never actually comes; each day is today
— — 79–89 74–79 That butcher store owner is actually an octopus in a human suit
— — 90–00 80–86 Humans are creations pulled from the dreams of butterflies, and
humanity will cease to exist when the last butterfly dies
— — — 87–93 If you see an unfamiliar constellation you’ve never seen before at night, it’s because the Wild Hunt is after you
— — — 94–00 If someone sleeps on their stomach as an adult, it’s a sign they were switched at birth with a changeling 155
 If you know, you know: pets are weird. Use
this list to generate a pet for a PC or NPC.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Egg that makes you wonder, “Will it ever hatch?”
04–05 — — — Very crawly tarantula that favors the back of your neck
06–08 — — — Axolotl in a tiny cloak
09–10 — — — Old glove with a face painted on it
11–12 — — — Stuffed dog that’s much better behaved now than when it was alive
13–14 — — — Adult pig that is fully grown, well fed, and 770 pounds (350 kg)
15–17 — — — Oblong piece of unexploded ordnance
18–19 — — — Coin with the face of a famous dead person on one side
20–22 — — — Fox that comes around only when it chooses
23–24 — — — Giraffe that loves getting its neck scritched
25–26 — — — Piece of moon rock (purportedly)
27–28 — — — Little, brightly colored fish in a mobile fishbowl
29–30 — — — Well‑polished shotgun
31–32 — — — Dung beetle with a weird design etched in its carapace
33–34 — — — Affectionate duck
35–37 — — — Ten‑year‑old mummified Twinkie
38–40 — — — Hunting kestrel
41–43 — — — Emu‑like bird that can carry a bunch of your stuff in its mouth pouch
44–46 — — — Gift‑wrapped box that says, “Don’t open me until ____” and keeps changing the date
47–48 — — — Mushroom that just keeps growing in your yard
49–51 — — — Cat that always looks like it just had a bath
52–54 — — — Duckling that rides a tiny skateboard
55–57 — — — Skeleton of a bat that wants you to make it some new wings
58–60 — — — Rooster that crows whenever you yawn
61–62 — — — Harvest mouse that uses its tail to hang from your wrist
63–64 — — — Fist‑sized glass orb
65–67 — — — Angry‑looking old‑timey radio
68–69 — — — Rooster that always crows at 4 a.m., independent of the position of the sun
70–72 — — — Billy goat that refuses to walk across bridges
73–74 — — — Sculpture made from rock transported from the Kuiper Belt
75–77 — — — Personal digital assistant that can remotely inhabit any nearby electronic device
78–80 — — — Gorilla with glowing green eyes
81–83 — — — Pale worm that’s recovered and thawed from an Antarctic ice core
84–86 — — — Crocodile that always has to wear a muzzle
87–89 — — 01–05 Seashell that, when placed to one’s ear, sounds like it’s purring
90–91 — — 06–10 Sheep that wears a brightly colored hat and sweater made of its own wool
92–94 — — 11–15 The World’s Laziest Bumblebee™
95–97 — — 16–20 Very fat rat that once lived at the fair and had a pig for a best friend
98–00 — — 21–25 Narwhal that thinks itself a unicorn
— 01–03 — — Length of animate chain that clinks in the night
— 04–06 — — Winged lizard with weirdly warm breath that’s growing up fast
— 07–08 — — Regenerating tentacle, probably severed from some horrible monster
— 09–10 — — Puddle of rainbow‑slicked water
— 11–12 — — Ant that likes to take particles of sugar from its owner
Weird at the Core

— 13–14 — — Wingless owl that runs and jumps excitedly

— 15–16 — — Animatronic personal assistant that has lost most functionality
— 17–18 — — Naked mole rat in a stocking cap and scarf
— 19–20 — — Snake whose poisonous bite quickly calms and soothes its owner’s anxiety
— 21–22 — — Hive of hornets
— 23–24 — — Houseplant that catches insects with its lashing tendrils
— 25–26 — — Bug that makes a cocoon inside your ear once each season and hatches in a different color
— 27–28 — — Centipede that keeps losing its shoes
— 29–30 — — Three‑headed bunny that hates carrots and ghosts
— 31–32 — — Moth that lives on your face but lets you see through its wings
— 33–35 — — Paper bag that thinks it’s a cat
156 — 36–37 — — Dog that lives in your hair
— 38–39 — — Pupa that keeps promising it will become a butterfly soon
— 40–41 — — Baboon that insists on wearing a giraffe mask
— 42–43 — — Potato that looks like a butt and is sensitive about it
— 44–45 — — Deep-sea creature that wears an oxygen mask and has telepathy
— 46–47 — — Abandoned holiday tree that just wants to be loved
— 48–49 — — Swarm of bees that spells words
— 50–51 — — Slime bubble with a skull inside
— 52–53 — — Tiny elemental
— 54–55 — — Bonded pair of telepathic cockroaches
— 56–57 — — Severed animate human hand
— 58–59 — — Can of beans that mumbles loudly
— 60–61 — — Friendly tarantula so desperate to be liked that it does tricks for people
— 62–63 — — Elephant that has its own pet mouse that, in turn, has a pet rock
— 64–66 — — Chupacabra
— 67–68 — — Spiky reptilian horse that can walk on its hind legs
— 69–70 — — Dog with goat hooves
— 71–72 01–09 — Seven miniature elephants that fit on the palm of your hand
— 73–74 10–18 — Frog that lives in your stomach and slowly heals you
— 75–76 19–27 — Snake living in your chest cavity that can activate organs when you’re paralyzed or dying
— 77–78 28–36 — Codfish that increases chaos and entropy nearby
— 79–80 37–45 — Floating eyeball from a slain demon lord
— 81–82 46–54 26–31 Chicken with human legs and cowboy boots
— 83–84 — 32–36 Two‑headed cat
— 85–86 — 37–42 Dog that, unlike most of its kind, loves wearing funny dog costumes
— 87–88 — 43–47 Rabbit skull that plays tunes through its fenestrations (holes within its skull)
— 89–90 — 48–52 Talking fish that’s dressed in a raincoat
— 91–92 — 53–57 Donkey that smokes too much
— 93–94 — 58–63 Large dragon that thinks itself a cow
— 95–96 — 64–69 Pigeon that loves to forge letters and deliver them (akin to crank‑calling)
— 97–98 — 70–74 Octopus in a bonnet that’s usually pushed around in a baby carriage and carrying a water tank
— 99–00 — 75–79 Small dust devil that follows its owner and can reform almost anywhere its owner goes
— — 55–63 — Dog the size of a horse
— — 64–72 — Hippopotamus‑sized ant that thinks her owner smells like her queen
— — 73–81 80–84 Troupe of tiny, inch‑high humanoids
— — 82–91 85–89 Sapient but chittering cactus that is overly affectionate
— — 92–00 90–95 Cartoon animal
— — — 96–00 Strange growth—maybe a mole?—on its owner’s forearm

Weird at the Core

157
 Use the entries on this list to provide a vehicle for
that really strange character to drive.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Sedan with a second tier; looks (and is) very top‑heavy
03–04 — — — Old beater sedan; dozens of rat and mouse skulls adhered to hood
05–06 — — — Covered in wired speakers; if turned on to max volume, car would probably vibrate apart
07–08 — — — Family sedan with treads instead of wheels
09–10 — — — Covered in computer‑controlled holiday lights
11–12 — — — Large biodiesel reservoir/converter attached
13–14 — — — After‑market solar panel conversion
15–16 — — — Trunk and back seat filled with dolls
17–18 — — — Steamroller with blood on the rolling wheel
19–20 — — — Replica or prop from a popular movie
21–22 — — — Garbage truck covered in murals depicting stunning views of the solar system
23–24 — — — Bus propelled by every participant pedaling
25–26 — — — Motorized jousting chariot
27–28 — — — Truck made of recycled toasters
29–30 — — — That roadster Elon shot into space
31–32 — — — Smart car modified to ride on huge wheels, each nearly as large as the car itself
33–34 — — — Food truck selling fried grasshoppers, chocolate ants, and candied flies
35–36 — — — Van encrusted with satellite dishes, antennas, and less obvious equipment
37–38 — — — World War II amphibious landing craft converted to tour bus
39–40 — — — Truck that deploys a mobile movie screen; usually playing The Wizard of Oz on a loop
41–42 — — — Sprinter van filled with recently harvested, perishable human organs
43–44 — — — Jeep equipped with a device that emits sounds and odors that attract bears
45–46 — — — Ice cream truck filled with surveillance equipment
47–48 — — — Bicycle biplane (insufficient lift to leave the ground, and is a cumbersome ground vehicle)
49–50 — — — White Volkswagen Type 1 (Beetle) covered in bands of computer‑controlled LEDs (the lights can strobe,
creep, and make symbols)
51–52 — — — Black hatchback decorated in a spider and spiderweb motif, influenced by Charlotte’s Web
53–54 — — — 1965 GM Monza Junior (aka a “Shriner’s” car)
55–56 — — — Segmented stretch limousine (like an articulated bus) with extra axles so it can bend like an accordion
57–58 — — — Advertising balloon that looks like a giant hamburger
59–60 — — — Station wagon that must be encouraged and cajoled to drive
61–62 — — — Van converted into a mobile bar to avoid liquor laws
63–64 — — — Postal truck outfitted with hidden cannons
65–66 — — — Massive wooden log converted into a car
67–68 — 01–08 — Conventional ground vehicle with cosmetic attachments resembling hover‑disks fitted over wheel wells
69–70 — — 01–05 Motorcycle with sealed glass‑domed sidecar built for cats
71–72 — — 06–10 Body built entirely of colorful assembled toy blocks
73–74 — — 11–14 Shaped like and painted to resemble an eggplant on wheels
75–76 — — 15–19 Looks like a monstrous kaiju head
77–78 — — 20–24 Bus shaped like a hot dog and bun
79–80 — — 25–29 Covered in living grass
81–82 — — 30–34 Red muscle car decorated to look like a demon
83–84 — — 35–39 Cart pulled by Roombas
Weird at the Core

85–86 — — 40–44 Semitruck made of glass

87–88 — — 45–49 Sedan covered in cat fur; cleaning is accomplished by pride of grooming cats
89–90 — — 50–54 Motorcycle with a sidecar equipped with an ejector seat
91–92 — — 55–58 Miller‑Meteor Sentinel ambulance conversion, painted magenta
93–94 — — 59–62 Bright red circus cage with a folding cab for the driver
95–96 — — 63–67 Racing go‑kart that looks like a Tyrannosaurus rex
97–98 — — 68–72 Motorized bathtub
99–00 — — 73–77 Butane‑powered car in the shape of a lighter (can shoot flames)
— 01–04 — — Runs on sugary soda
— 05–08 — — Taxi driven by an animatronic corpse
— 09–12 — — Boat pulled by pod of friendly orcas
— 13–16 — — Burrowing bus that makes its own tunnels
158 — 17–20 — — Genetically bred giant harpy eagles that carry human‑sized passengers
— 21–24 — — Guitar that can be reconfigured as a motorized skateboard
— 25–27 — — Submarine built to resemble a large whale
— 28–31 — — Sleigh pulled by robotic dogs
— 32–35 — — Train where each car is guarded by automatic turrets on each corner
— 36–38 — — Exhaust is viscous slime instead of fumes
— 39–42 — — Ghost of a car
— 43–46 — — Old car with fancy ghost passengers, but never a ghost driver
— 47–50 — — Balloon gondola carried aloft by fleet of tethered drones
— 51–54 — — Houseboat crossed with an airplane
— 55–58 — — School bus converted into a bulletproof battle wagon (still looks like a school bus)
— 59–62 — — Set of roller coaster cars with one engine
— 63–66 — — Lincoln Futura painted with light‑absorbing paint so it looks impossibly black, with demon‑red LED front
lights and an engine that makes hissing noises
— 67–70 — — Car far larger on the inside than the outside
— 71–74 — — Utterly silent semitruck
— 75–77 — — Long chopper‑style motorcycle that can bend around corners
— 78–81 — — Sports car that lifts off the ground and turns inside out when it reaches maximum speed
— 82–84 — — Car that self‑repairs damage slowly (dings and dents in a few minutes, major damage overnight)
— 85–88 09–15 78–81 Car with robotic legs instead of wheels
— 89–92 — 82–86 Hat that can extend propellers and lift wearer for short distances
— 93–96 — 87–91 15‑foot (4.5 m) Christmas tree, decorated and outfitted with a motor and some wheels
— 97–00 — 92–96 Drill tank painted to look like a mole
— — 16–22 — Elephant‑shaped jet plane
— — 23–30 — Ejects exterior panels to reveal a smaller, sleeker vehicle inside
— — 31–37 — Engine compartment contains a rectangular fleshy organism that powers the vehicle
— — 38–45 — Behemoth crawler‑transporter NASA uses to transport rockets to the launchpad
— — 46–52 — Milk truck that delivers pumped human breast milk
— — 53–60 — E‑bike that can slip into alternate dimensions
— — 61–68 — Jet car (includes a small standard engine for conventional driving)
— — 69–76 — Submarine that travels through the ground
— — 77–84 — 1975 Ford Pinto that swerves toward people; sticker on the dashboard reads “Evil”
— — 85–92 — Giant, taxidermized rabbit converted into a minivan
— — 93–00 97–00 Sedan modified so that the front has an articulated mouth that can chomp pedestrians

Weird at the Core

159
 Sometimes, things go wrong. Use
this list to determine something weird
that makes you or any character
really slip up.
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Bug flies into your mouth
02–03 — — — Unexpected crescendo of dogs barking startles and disrupts you
04–05 — — — You receive a breakup text
06 — — — You step in poo
07–08 — — — Vehicle veers and hits you
09–10 — — — Heel breaks off your footwear
11–12 — — — Your jewelry is recognized as goods stolen from locals years earlier
13–14 — — — Armor chafing issue becomes too distracting to ignore any longer
15–16 — — — You unexpectedly learn you’ve been disinherited
17–18 — — — Headache sets in
19–20 — — — You suddenly remember the really bad dream you had last night
21 — — — Sound as of something fragile shattering emanates from your equipment
22–23 — — — Earthquake!
24 — — — Thief decides the time is right to lighten your pouch or wallet
25–26 — — — Your back goes out at the crappiest time
27–28 — — — You’re served with a legal writ banning you from the area
29–30 — — — Poison that an enemy secretly delivered earlier is starting to take effect
31–32 — — — Annoying relative suddenly shows up, asking for money
33–34 — — — Shirt catches on fire
35 — — — Bounty hunter that’s been trailing you for months for past infractions finally catches up
36 — — — Errant attack pins your (or an ally’s) foot to the ground with a blade, an arrow, magic, etc.
37 — — — Vehicle goes out of control and hits/runs over you
38–39 — — — You misremember a key piece of information exactly backward
40–41 — — — You’ve been standing in, or recently passed through, an area thick with poison ivy‑like plants
42–43 — — — You hit your head on a low ceiling fixture or projecting object and abruptly sit down
44 — — — Enraged red scorpions swarm up your leg, stinging you
45–46 — — — Vehicle breaks
47–48 — — — You realize you’ve misplaced your keys, weapon, or other important possession
49–50 — — — Powered weapon runs out of charge or short‑circuits
51–52 — — — You realize you have a horrible stain or huge tear in your clothing
53 — — — Ally betrays you
54–55 — — — Wolf jumps out and bites you
56–57 — — — You suffer an incident of extremely low blood sugar
58–59 — — — Authority or enemy identifies you
60–61 — — — You recognize the opponent’s fighting technique, as if trained by the same mentor
62–63 — — — Phone call from the fire department alerts you that your home is on fire
64–65 — — — Painful coughing fit!
66–67 — — — Something you bumped into noisily falls apart, attracting nearby foes
68–69 — — — You and your foe mutually disarm each other and switch weapons
70–71 — — — Same distinctive rash appears on you and your opponent
72 — — — You slip and fall face‑down into a puddle of mixed gore, getting
Weird at the Core

some in your mouth; it has an intriguing taste

73–74 — — — Something nearby catches on fire, perhaps with a lot of toxic smoke
75–76 — — — Opponent uses your momentum to slam you against a wall or other hard
surface, which for some reason is very sticky and holds you in place
77–78 — — — Foe’s attack makes your back, elbow, or neck crack in a satisfying
way, but there’s a lingering feeling that it’s a serious injury
79–80 — — — Foe refers to you by a nickname only known to or used by close personal friends
81–82 — — 01–06 Soft tune plays from nearby, distracting you with a moment of delight
83–84 — — 07–12 String of floating lanterns floats past overhead, distracting you
85–86 — — 13–18 Ball, horseshoe, or similar object (probably unrelated to the current
situation) is thrown too exuberantly, and it hits you
87–88 — — 19–24 That annoying guy you always try to avoid sees you and comes over
89–90 — — 25–30 Unexpected sneeze ruins the attack, negotiations, attempt at stealth, etc.
160
91–92 — — 31–36 Pirates choose that precise moment to attack
93–94 — — 37–42 Foot slips on a piece of buttered toast that had fallen earlier with its buttered side down
95–96 — — 43–48 You produce an embarrassing, protracted noise
97–98 — — 49–54 Very attractive person appears and says something flirtatious in a thick accent
99–00 — — 55–60 You slip to one knee, but instead of striking, your foe uses their
weapon to lift your chin to look you in the eye
— 01–05 — — Your weapon takes sides against you
— 06–09 — — Cursed doll that’s been waiting all this time in the shadows finally strikes
— 10–14 — — Angel of Death appears and glances speculatively at you
— 15–18 — — Psychic message bursts into your consciousness, pleading for help
— 19–22 — — Red tentacles reach from concealment and try to pull you into the darkness
— 23–26 — — Demon materializes, drawn by the commotion
— 27–30 — — Your weapon and shield suddenly gain sentience, and their personalities clash
— 31–35 — — Groundhog‑like beast’s head emerges from a hole and latches onto your ankle
— 36–39 — — Eclipse!
— 40–43 — — Noise draws the attention of a hunting dragon
— 44–47 — — Episode of narcolepsy happens at least once a week
— 48–51 — — Resting place of an ancient, imprisoned death god is accidentally breached
— 52–55 — — Attack rebounds/ricochets from the target, hitting a third party
— 56–59 — — Something about the encounter reawakens your
repressed memory of a traumatic event
— 60–63 — — Weapon becomes annoyed with your weak attacks and
gently injures you in order to get you to focus
— 64–67 — — Foe’s blood splashes into your eye, and you
can feel it working its way past your eyeball
— 68–71 — — Foe deflects an attack by revealing an extra limb and batting
your weapon aside with a buckler
— 72–75 — — You trigger a post‑hypnotic suggestion implanted by an unknown foe
— 76–79 — — Foe suddenly and inexplicably turns red and grows larger,
stronger, and more vicious
— 80–83 — — One of your magic items flares up, draining some of your
life energy but also making a vicious bite attack on your foe
— 84–88 — 61–67 Quicksand!
— 89–92 — 68–74 Impish fairy falls from the sky,
hitting you on the head and
causing a magical concussion
— 93–96 — 75–80 Your soul is knocked out of your
body; your body slumps as if dead,
but the out‑of‑body experience
gives you insight about your foe
or a related situation
— 97–00 — 81–86 Foe’s weapon verbally taunts
your weapon, which shakes
and cowers in humiliation
— — 01–15 — Chunk of falling
space debris hits you
— — 16–29 — Your pet or close family
member dies
— — 30–43 — Your lunch liberates itself from
your stomach and forces you to
recognize it as a sentient creature
with a chip on its shoulder
— — 44–57 — Top half of your head slides off,
as if cut perfectly with
an infinitely sharp blade
Weird at the Core

— — 58–71 — Deorbited satellite

falls on you
— — 72–86 — You suddenly realize you’re
involved in a psychic battle
against this foe, and you’ve
been slowly losing
— — 87–00 — Severe head wound blurs your
vision, but you can temporarily
see (or hallucinate) intangible
jellyfish monsters feeding on
everyone’s emotions
— — — 87–93 Many frogs with very sticky tongues decide to use them to stick to you all at once
— — — 94–00 Clown shows up, honks his nose, and throws a pie in your face
161
 When you need a quick idea for an adventure for your fantasy game,
short or long, this list has what you need.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Chance‑met mercenary band helps stranded wayfarers, but in
return for their aid, they want help breaking into “the Machine”
04–05 — — — Village children have gone missing; old man Rufus says they’ve been
eaten by the dead tree at the center of the village cemetery
06–08 — — — Astromancer’s mystic observatory was buried and lost in a
magical sandstorm; a recently acquired antique scroll offers
clues for finding it again
09–10 — — — Caravanserai was a popular stop, but travelers now stay away ever
since the incessant sound of manic laughter began drifting from inside
11–12 — — — Gargantuan relief carving of a ram’s head begins “wailing” as wind
issues from its hollow mouth on a steep mountainside
13–14 — — — Hyena‑headed bandits have set up on the road; they charge a toll of
one finger per traveler, to be added to a giant pot of ever‑simmering finger stew
15–17 — — — Species of big, intelligent snakes have long lived in harmony with the nearby
village; that peace is shattered when a clutch of snake eggs is stolen
18–20 — — — Handbill posted in the town square promises a lucrative payment for anyone
willing to write the king’s daughter a ballad she enjoys
21–22 — — — Priest is found murdered in their temple sanctum; the murder weapon
seems to be a lute, discovered still stuck in the body
23–24 — — — The Barrens—a wide expanse of rusting iron—is said to be the corpse of the missing
god of smiths; legend says finding her sacred hammer will bring her back
25–26 — — — City watch grabs the PCs on trumped‑up (or actual) charges and dumps them
in the city prison or involuntarily confines them to a hospital
27–29 — — — Caravan pulls up and parks outside of town; however, no mounts or people accompany the wagon
30–31 — — — Document recovered from the estate of an elderly recluse who died names a
PC as executor, but it warns them to be careful of the color blue
32–33 — — — Merchant begins selling deeds to already‑owned properties and parcels of land; if pressed, they
explain all the current owners will be dead soon enough when the “gologoths emerge”
34–35 — — — Noble hires an architect—and the PCs as guards—to build a secret redoubt beneath their palace;
what the characters don’t know is that the noble plans to seal them all in to keep the secret
36–37 — — — Sealed gates of the ancient tower swing open once a year; no one knows what happens then, because
everyone in the area evacuates until the sun rises and the gates are found shut once more
38–39 — — — Map to the “Fortress of the Mythweaver” that the characters paid dearly for turns out to be false,
leading travelers instead to a hungry dragon’s lair (conveniently eliminating unhappy customers)
40–42 — — — Assassin priests of Orozhel offer a mighty bounty to anyone willing to name themself
an assassination target and survive the period from sunset to dawn
43–44 — — — Embassy of goblins from the nearby mountains pleads with city rulers to outlaw dungeoneering in their lands
45–47 — — — Everyone’s favorite barkeeper has disappeared; a strange tunnel extends up
from beneath the storeroom in the back, and it smells of vinegar
Weird at the Core

48–49 — — — Wizard uses enchantments to get the person he loves to return his feelings,
but local folks discover this and want his head on a pike
50–52 — — — Temple of the god of avarice coins its own currency and introduces it at a
generous exchange rate; the coins encourage greed and selfishness
53–54 — — — Sorcerer has created a magical diving bell for her search of a powerful
artifact at the bottom of the sea; she's looking for crew
55–56 — — — Messenger is killed by bandits and left by the side of the road; one of
the messages he was to deliver contains a treasure map
57–59 — — — Folks in the tavern begin playing a new kind of game involving roleplaying;
clerics from the nearby temple claim it is a tool of demons
60–61 — — — King puts a bounty on the head of any and all goblins; but there are some
162 goblins living on the edge of a city that aren’t evil—they’re scared
62–63 — — — Lord’s “trained” lions escape into the wilderness, and he wants them
returned to him unharmed; they don’t want to go back
64–65 — — — Army of ghouls comes in the night, moving across the land, proclaiming
any graveyard they come upon to belong to them
66–67 — — — Monstrous cultists attack and occupy churches in the area, convinced that if they
dedicate enough of them to their evil gods, those demonic entities will be summoned
68–70 — — — Queen dreams that she is threatened by assassins who will poison her clothes;
she forbids any clothing in the palace until the assassins are caught
71–72 — — — Priests from a minor church start selling indulgences and access to their deity’s
section of heaven in an attempt to raise money for temple renovations
73–74 — — — Ancient monolith found over an open tomb warns of the release of a
demon who eats empathy if the tomb is ever opened
75–77 — — — Dwarf raiders from the mountain halls are stealing every bit of wine, ale, and
spirits they can find, claiming a dire need to appease a deity’s wrath
78–79 — — — Characters are hunted for a series of crimes they are blamed for but have
no memory of committing
80–82 — — — Everyone who visited the Three‑Armed Barbarian (a tavern in the old city)
last night is found dead this morning with their left foot missing
83–84 01–02 — — Characters chat up a duchess at a masquerade and learn that she believes her
husband and other nobles are being controlled by “intelligent plants”
85–86 — — 01–05 Intelligent dream has holed up in the head of the village healer and won’t come out
until someone agrees to return with it to the secret astral realm of Marrow
87–89 — — 06–10 Sentient sword hires adventurers to find its “sister blade” that it was separated from at quenching
90–91 — — 11–15 Eccentric wizard living in a tree house with dozens of pet birds hires the characters to deliver
a flock of tiny, peeping chicks safely to a friend in a nearby city within the week
92–94 — — 16–20 Civil war has broken out among the fey species, apparently over a stolen (misplaced?) custard chocolate pecan cake
95–97 — — 21–25 Man who is allergic to magic and sneezes when it is around is threatened
by a group of mystical thieves operating in the area
98–00 — — 26–30 Brewery’s tainted batch is causing hallucinations, which wasn’t too
much of a problem until the wizards got hold of it
— 03–04 — — Insect‑like creatures with books for heads steal a child, proclaiming
her to be the queen of their new Revelation Nest
— 05 — — Required prophesied relic lies in the hoard of a dead dragon whose vengeful ghost still guards the lair
— 06–07 — — Vizier’s assassin flees into the land beyond the mirrors
— 08 — — Terrified halflings describe seeing a “headless pony” galloping through
the valley, trailing fog and neighing frenziedly
— 09–10 — — Many shopkeepers in the merchant’s quarter wake up to discover their right
hands have become petrified and immovable sometime in the night
— 11–12 — — Someone wearing a pointy wizard hat falls in the street, screaming, “My hat is trying to eat my head! Help me!”
— 13–14 — — Series of demonic possessions all seem to begin with the victim eating pie produced from a nearby bakery
— 15–16 — — Abandoned keep of Redturret is rumored to retain an unlooted treasury
claimed by the ghost of a mountain destroyed by mining
— 17 — — People in the area are granted the ability to fling curses if they first pray
at the newly established green‑glowing shrine of Gibbeth
— 18–19 — — Fishers report that, starting about a week ago, more and more fish caught in the river have two or more heads
— 20–21 — — All the red soil the village kids excavated from a pit outside of town turns out to be
the clotted blood of a buried, still‑sleeping giant of immense stature
Weird at the Core

— 22–23 — — Plague afflicts the village; each time a victim succumbs, flying, fluttering, fanged
shadows pour from the corpse and look for new victims to infect
— 24–25 — — Somewhat embarrassed, wakizashi‑wielding mummy wearing a royal circlet over her funerary
wrappings wants help getting back into the crypt of the Ninja Queen, but she won’t say why
— 26 — — Zombies rise and begin to walk, but their hellish hunger is for worked and forged metal of any kind
— 27 — — Abandoned ship drifts into harbor; a chamber aboard is kitted out to enable
someone to perform surgery designed to attach fish flesh to humans
— 28–29 — — One or more characters wake with tattoos they don’t remember commissioning; the tattoos all feature
the same mothlike creature with human eyes and iridescent wings that seem to slowly flutter
— 30–31 — — Mysterious someone begins secretly working against the interest of the PCs
— 32–33 — — Map that the characters are using is revealed as a palimpsest; the older, revealed writing is a page
from the Dread Demonicon that wants to be reunited with the tome it was torn from 163
 — 34–35 — — Babies in the region begin being born without souls; apparently, a demon has pierced the
metaphorical realm where souls congregate before they’re able to be ensouled, eating its fill
— 36–37 — — Slagged metal and shattered stone debris rain from the sky over a large city; some of the
burned coins recovered have a mint date from about two weeks in the future
— 38–39 — — Two young lovers try to meet in secret despite the prophecy that should
they ever kiss, the earth will swallow their town
— 40 — — The Magnus Diamond was recovered by adventurers from a nearby dungeon,
but then it ate them and now threatens the entire town
— 41–42 — — Minstrels who long ago played at a tavern return as ghosts, and the owner doesn’t want them there
— 43–44 — — Young people playing a flirty game of matchmaking find the game’s matches
are magically compelled into love; one of them is secretly a witch
— 45–46 — — Mage guild wants to install magical streetlamps in the city; they neglect
to mention the streetlamps draw wayward spirits
— 47–48 — — Portal opens to a land that seems to be exactly like this one, except the elves are dwarves and the dwarves are elves
— 49–50 — — Dungeon lies within an ancient dragon, and within that dungeon lies another dragon
— 51–52 — — Crystalline humanoids tunnel up from deep beneath the surface and attempt to set
up a colony by driving away or subjugating the people they encounter
— 53–54 — — People in a town become terribly sad; the sadness is contagious and seems to
be the work of a horrible entity that lives in the mayor’s cellar
— 55–56 — — Sightings of a ghost ship sailing across the desert lead to
speculations of ancient pirate treasure beneath the sand
— 57–58 — — Dwarven miners have struck a vein of solidified sorcerous power deep
underground and have no idea what to do about it
— 59–60 — — Butcher reports that his wares are “coming back to life” and no one knows why
— 61–62 — — Someone is setting the ships in the harbor ablaze; witnesses claim to
have seen a creature that can transform water into fire
— 63–64 — — Creature is abducting people and stealing their eyes;
worse—unknown to anyone—it’s building something with them
— 65–66 — — Demons disguised as regular people open a comedic theater production
that damns the souls of anyone who laughs during their performance
— 67–68 — — Bardic College’s annual festival of songs, poetry, and dancing
erupts in controversy when one student accidentally releases a chaotic
spirit that garbles speech and inspires violence
— 69–70 — — Members of—or freelancers hired by—an organization dedicate themselves
to finding and sealing away dangerous artifacts, while the PCs are charged
with finding a demon‑forged spear before more cities are destroyed
— 71–72 — — Alchemist’s shop has been burgled, and the alchemist is concerned
because among the items taken is a “live medusa head”
— 73 01–07 — Wizard has to flee their tower because chaos magic has turned all the spells
in their spellbook into dangerous incarnations of raw power
— 74–75 — 31–35 Magical plague infests the library, eating words and phrases from the books and scrolls
— 76–77 — 36–40 Ring of rotating water dozens of feet in diameter rises from the lake and just hangs
there, spinning, albeit slower and slower as if counting down to something
— 78–79 — 41–45 City’s water supply is being drained by a many‑headed creature that is gradually
converting the liquid to wondrous displays of light and color
— 80 — 46–50 Human‑sized beetles with crimson carapaces are seen dancing in the
light of the first full moon since the ground shook
Weird at the Core

— 81–82 — 51–55 Bodies of the ruling family are found with their heads removed and
replaced with the sewn‑on heads of toy pig plushies
— 83–84 — 56–60 Ice sculpture of every person who ever lived in the nearby keep, including
current residents, is found deposited upon the snow after a winter storm
— 85–86 — 61–65 Hive intelligence in the bodies of thousands of tiny, firefly‑like insects
wants to join a traveling circus; the performers are terrified of
the swarm and seek exterminators
— 87–88 — 66–70 Wagon‑sized glowing eggs brought back from an expedition to the mysterious
West decades ago and put on display unexpectedly begin to hatch
— 89–90 — 71–75 Human parents raise an abandoned child with devil‑like horns and fiery
eyes as their own and seek aid in defending their family against the
neighbors’ ever‑increasing death threats
164
— 91–92 — 76–80 Old ruined tower is suddenly standing tall and in pristine condition, with light coming from inside
— 93–94 — 81–85 Any animal entering a particular field gains intelligence, speech, and a
mind of their own; farmers angrily blame a young druid
— 95–96 — 86–90 Books in a large library gain sentience and mobility; they develop a personality based
on their contents, and some of these books are about pretty terrible things
— 97–98 — 91–95 Sorcerer’s staff was broken; to repair it, a special bough from a tree
growing in the land of dreams must be harvested
— 99–00 — 96–00 Dogs across the countryside stand up on their hind legs, their eyes
glowing green, and bay with one voice, “She is coming”
— — 08–14 — Apocalypse dragon of the outer voids slowly shepherds a meteorite the
size of the entire kingdom toward an undefended realm
— — 15–21 — Falling star hits a nearby hilltop, leveling it; a strange glowing blue ooze swirls in the bottom of the cooling crater
— — 22–28 — Prestigious wizard’s college is pulled into the earth by hundreds of purple tentacles
— — 29–35 — Runaway cart hits a sorcerer in the market; their disguise is ruined as they are revealed to be
a skin suit operated by intelligent spiders spying on the populace before invading
— — 36–43 — Group of thieves begins using otherworldly weapons—laser swords, slug‑throwing
rifles, disintegrating blasters—when they’re doing crime
— — 44–50 — Newly discovered ancient manuscript purports to offer those who undergo its laborious ritual a
shortcut to godhood; many try, but so far, all attempts end in a messy explosion of flesh
— — 51–57 — Gargantuan mechanical monster ravages the realm; every person it captures alive is
processed into fertilizer for newly planted crops of towering blue mushrooms
— — 58–64 — Insidious plot to snuff out the sun succeeds; to save everything, characters must figure out how to rekindle its light
— — 65–71 — Friend acts erratically at a party; everyone assumes they are drunk until
their face falls off and tiny, clicking black bugs spill out
— — 72–78 — Out‑of‑control spell creates dozens of duplicates of a quirky wizard,
and that’s soon to be hundreds, and then thousands…
— — 79–85 — Man with a wasp nest for a head attacks merchant caravans with a swarm of his mastered insects
— — 86–92 — Mad conqueror has made a deal with a demon so that he can control the
flow of time; he slows it down for those defending the land
— — 93–00 — Set of celestial keys, each composed of a different unearthly metal and strung on a crystal ring,
drops from the sky like a meteorite and lies in a glowing crater at the center of town

Weird at the Core

165
 Use this list to determine something odd about a particular school.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Innovating in the field of reading the future in bowel movements
03–05 — — — Holds classes only in full sunlight; instruction pauses if clouds obscure the light
06–08 — — — Has a championship‑contender underwater fighting team
09–11 — — — Prides itself on its injury‑free toddler parkour program
12–14 — — — Night school with a sunspot appreciation class
15–17 — — — Ocean plumbing course partners with navies around the world
18–20 — — — Sand‑sorting workshops appreciated by both geology and glass‑blowing students
21–22 — — — School is within a zeppelin that visits locations pertinent to the day’s lessons
23–25 — — — Recycling curriculum includes course on scavenging and salvaging after the apocalypse
26–28 — — — Teaches improvised weapon training
29–31 — — — Most audited course offered is “CHEM C10H03N: Cooking Meth for Fun and Profit”
32–34 — — — Ethical etymology program includes courses on developing vaccines for houseflies
35–37 — — — Uses classical Victorian flower‑arranging techniques in its snake‑arranging course
38–40 — — — Is located in a secret room atop the Eiffel Tower
41–43 — — — Has no set location; all lessons are taught on the move in walking classes located somewhere in the
region—it’s different each day
44–46 — — — All the senior teaching staff wear blue medical gloves everywhere, never taking them off
47–49 — — — Marketing program offers advanced degrees in woke‑washing
50–52 — — — Advertises its course on internet trolling through paid social media ads
53–55 — — — Was one of the first institutions to offer courses on orbital‑debris amelioration
56–57 — — — Features a yearly seminar on adaptive gaslighting
58–60 — — — Provides instruction for nonreligious exorcism techniques
61–63 — — — Requires all students to take a course on the basics of brinkmanship; it is non‑negotiable
64–66 — — — Teaches courses on visualizing higher math with pins and thread
67–68 — — — All communication from teachers is via hand‑delivered printouts
69–71 — — — Provides workshops on successfully filling out official documents that would otherwise make you pull
your hair out
72–74 — — — Teaches effective push‑polling techniques
75–77 — — — Offers courses related to overcoming anti‑phishing practices
78–79 — — 01–06 Lauded for their centipede ranching program
80–82 — — 07–12 Built upon pontoons so that if it floods, the entire structure floats
83–85 — — 13–18 Roller coaster physics program has the highest dropout rate
86–88 — — 19–25 “Punderful” pun crafting course is offered by its classics department
89–91 — — 26–31 Controversial course on cryptozoology
92–94 — — 32–37 At least 50 percent of the students in its thumb‑wrestling course rate it with a thumbs up
95–97 — — 38–43 Classes are held underwater; students must provide their own scuba or snorkeling gear
98–00 — — 44–49 Students are encouraged to cosplay, but to stick to one character each semester
Weird at the Core

— 01–03 — — Offers a course on recognizing lizard people who are pretending to be regular people
— 04–06 — — Offers a course on histories of the way things never were
— 07–09 — — Antiquated in methodology, teaching, and advocating for the handloading of ghost rounds
— 10–13 — — Charges students a monthly fee, extracted in blood
— 14–16 — — Features a cross‑functional earthquake instigation course
— 17–19 — — Requires all students to take an asteroid redirection course
— 20–22 — — Sports medicine program includes improvised surgery course
— 23–25 — — All of the teachers are former violent criminals who have been rehabilitated through invasive
brain surgery
— 26–28 — — School is a psychic space created by a powerful psion, and all the students attend it mentally
— 29–31 — — Students are placed in generic exoskeletons to provide anonymity and protection from hazards
166 — 32–34 — — Classes are experienced as background characters in educational films and VHS tapes
— 35–37 — — Documentary transmissions about the present sent from the future (which is about their history)
— 38–41 — — Necromancy 101 course “recycles” biology course materials
— 42–44 — — Students hate its subspace engineering practicum
— 45–47 — — Course for vampires adapting to the present day includes lessons on how to use wifi and indoor
plumbing
— 48–50 — — Espionage program includes courses on encoding messages in DNA
— 51–53 — — Students undergo regular spot exorcisms
— 54–57 — — Features the only private investigation certification that includes a course in recognizing and reporting
mutants
— 58–60 — — Only sommelier program to offer courses on soul‑sipping techniques that don’t kill the prey
— 61–63 — — Anthropology, media studies, and biology departments collaborate on a course focused on the history
and culture of zombies
— 64–66 — — Prepares middle‑aged and older students for learning by requiring they take brain plasticity treatments
— 67–69 — — Trade program for refrigerator repair includes course on applied Bose‑Einstein condensate (matter cooled
to near absolute 0 temperature) creation and use
— 70–72 — — Popular energy drink company sponsors its course teaching students how to surf atmospheric currents
— 73–75 — — Martian paleontology program includes a trip to Area 51
— 76–78 — — School mascot is a live pterodactyl brought back from extinction by genetic engineering
— 79–81 — 50–55 Every classroom has a spirit board engraved on the floor, and lessons are taught by summoned ghosts
— 82–84 — 56–61 Sentient books can recite what is written in them, but they can’t extrapolate ideas or interpret nuances
— 85–87 — 62–67 Provides instruction in wizarding law
— 88–90 — 68–74 Most popular weekend course is a fine art of illusion generation workshop
— 91–94 — 75–80 Certain professors will accept coin to tutor students in advanced shapeshifting
— 95–97 — 81–87 Circus school includes animal handling classes taught by tigers
— 98–00 — 88–94 Occurs only during an eclipse
— — 01–13 — Renowned for their banned sorcery courses; the best and worst student each year are sacrificed
to demons
— — 14–26 — Features a lecture series about animating the recently dead with recycled electronics
— — 27–38 — Students are linked by a hive mind for classes, allowing all of them to learn identical material at the
same pace
— — 39–51 — Timed tests are performed in free fall,
with parachutes deployed only when
the test is finished
— — 52–63 — Jellyfish‑like instructor injects
messenger RNA into the students to
directly upgrade their brains with
information
— — 64–75 — Professor who teaches theory
and practice of time travel hails
from two thousand years in
the future
— — 76–88 — Earth and atmospheric
science department offers
supplemental courses on
star modification
— — 89–00 95–00 School is built on the far
side of the moon
Weird at the Core

167
 Everyone knows it’s dangerous to
venture too far from town. It gets
odd out there in the unexplored
places. Nature is weird.
I S G W WEIRDNESS
01 — — — Cave filled with soporific, invisible gas
02–03 — — — Tar pit that traps and pulls under the unwary
04–05 — — — Fissure in the earth from which crying or tortured screams constantly echo
06 — — — Permanent cloudbank over the hill that looks like the head of the last person buried under the hill
07–08 — — — Hard‑to‑see gap in reality hangs several stories above the ground and leads to the past
09–10 — — — Inflatable balloon accumulation that’s miles in diameter; it’s the “Sargasso Sea of the skies”
11–12 — — — Canyon that gradually transforms the sound of any echoing yell to a final, faint “Fuck no!”
13 — — — Region where dandelions grow to the size of houses, and so do the insects
14–15 — — — Sound, including speech, is shifted down an octave in the region
16 — — — Everything in the area is soon covered in a precipitate of frost‑like salt crystal,
which suffocates seedlings, insects, and small animals
17–18 — — — Any creature that enters this cave is marked by a red, chalky tattoo‑like mark resembling an eagle’s eye
19–20 — — — Artificial fibers and synthesized materials that are brought into this glen quickly degrade and fall into dust
21 — — — Cockroaches swarm in fractal patterns across a jumble of boulders
22–23 — — — Hornlike double spires electrically jolt anything that passes between
them—sometimes just a spark, other times a lethal bolt
24–25 — — — Hole that slowly sucks in objects and structures (and the surrounding ground itself )
26–27 — — — Delicate mist of drifting sap from flora in the area makes every surface as sticky as glue to artificial substances
28 — — — In the spring, highly allergenic pollen in the area causes most animals
and other creatures to go into anaphylactic shock
29–30 — — — Cave that soon expels any creature or object that enters or is placed inside
31 — — — Region of ancient flora and fauna that have been extinct elsewhere for millions of years
32–33 — — — Secret garden tended by crows
34 — — — Tall grass hides a strange variety of gravestones and markers
35–36 — — — Faeries dance and cavort in a glade; they mock and insult anyone who comes near
37–38 — — — Large stones in the valley slide and roll about of their own accord
39 — — — Inside the fruit of a large tree grow the larvae of centipede‑like creatures; if
awakened, they eat everything and will continue to grow without limits
40–41 — — — Fallen boughs amid the trees swirl up as if in a cyclone if anyone comes too close
42–43 — — — Normal‑appearing ground has the consistency of pudding, and anything atop it sinks
44 — — — Trees are easily climbable, but halfway up, they are covered in a uniquely
powerful adhesive secreted by a treetop predator
45–46 — — — Leaves of the trees make perfectly formed masks for people; look hard enough, and you’ll find your own face
47–48 — — — The grass is actually thin green worms that bite and nibble at anything that comes close
49 — — — Tree branches, rocks, fallen leaves, and old bones comprise a naturally occurring
Rube Goldberg‑like device that slowly fills a pit with seeds
50 — — — Corpse rests in the clutches of stony arms protruding from a large boulder, but the arms are (no longer) animate
51 — — — Giant corpse lies washed up on the shore of a lake; intelligent, fist‑sized parasites feast upon it and defend it
52 — — — Massive polyp hangs down from the top of a cliff, dripping ooze that smells sickly sweet
53–54 — — — Rocky creatures that inhabit the ground use vibrations to communicate
55–56 — — — Building‑sized turtle shell is used as a den by a mother bear and her cubs
57–58 — — — From atop the hill, sounds as quiet as voices can be heard from miles away if one concentrates
59–60 — — — When it snows in the valley, the animals all gain antlers made of ice
61 — — — Giant frog in the middle of the pool defends the tadpoles there like a mother bear
Weird at the Core

62–63 — — — Small, squirrel‑like animals flourish in the area, reproducing by splitting into two
64 — — — Leaves on a reddish bush compel anyone ingesting them to murder the person they love the most
65 — — — Living trees and plants of a large swath of the forest are made entirely of ice
66–67 — — — Small stream serves as the home of a monstrous crocodile far too large to fit in the water, but it somehow does
68–69 — — — Glowing cube floats amid the trees, avoiding anyone coming close
70–71 — — — Each tree in the woods bears the face of a person yet to be born
72–73 — — — Symbols used by a long‑dead civilization are freshly sketched in the dirt
74 — — — Crevice amid some loose rocks oozes forth a nutritious, tasty paste
75–76 01–02 — — Migrating hot spring
77–78 — — 01–06 Tomato grove that moves around, though never when anyone is watching
79 — — 07–11 Permanent area of low‑lying, violet‑hued fog that smells like strawberry ice cream
168 80–81 — — 12–17 Hot spring geyser sprays coffee latte
 82 — — 18–22 Tiny village of 3‑inch (7.5 cm) tall people lies in a clearing
83–84 — — 23–27 Birds in the unexplored woods live in clearly artificial birdhouses made of painted wood, but no crafter is evident
85–86 — — 28–32 Tree uses its branches to dust off and clean anything or anyone nearby
87 — — 33–37 Tree stump is covered in eyes
88–89 — — 38–42 Stones along the path have big red lips singing, whispering, and even flirting with passersby
90–91 — — 43–48 Mist fills the woods at night, softly singing tunes that conjure images of another, older forest
92 — — 49–53 Beautiful painted wooden door (locked) lies on the ground; if opened, it leads
into a building in a nearby town, oriented 90 degrees askew
93–94 — — 54–58 Golden tree standing amid a copse of other normal trees is always bathed in sparkling light
95–96 — — 59–63 Vines hang from branches and tangle along the ground; their spores cause people
to forget all the individual names they know—even their own
97–98 — — 64–68 Ring of mushrooms grows on the ground; anyone standing within it can understand any spoken language
99–00 — — 69–73 Trunk of a very large tree is riddled with holes; the wind plays recognizable music when it blows through them
— 03–05 — — Pit from which a constant tapping, banging, and thumping emerges, but no source can be found
— 06–08 — — Plateau defended by prehistoric pterodactyls
— 09–10 — — Never‑ending storm
— 11–13 — — Field of sweet clover that stays summerlike all winter long
— 14–15 — — Each time it rains, mud in the valley slowly expels naturally mummified corpses of a lost civilization
— 16–17 — — Rocky greenish plain pulls random memories out of wayfarer’s heads,
adds in memories pilfered from earlier travelers
— 18–19 — — Seeds that germinate in the area, no matter what kind; all of them shoot up into
single pale stalks that grow miles high (if given enough time)
— 20–22 — — Plants and animals in the area all grow hedgehog‑like spines
— 23–24 — — Activity in the valley causes purple‑flowered plants to sprout, detach,
and swarm on rootlet legs like a disrupted ant colony
— 25–27 — — Lemonlike fragrance of a tall stand of trees growing at the center of the
forest cures most kinds of diseases in living creatures
— 28–29 — — Region of plants and trees that are made of bones and blood vessels
— 30–32 — — Body of water that seems only a few dozen yards across, but if entered, is revealed as a vast sea
— 33–35 — — Grassy area over which ball lightning constantly darts and plays
— 36–38 — — All the wolves in the area are made of animate woven roots
— 39–40 — — Wooden staircase rises up from an empty glen, leading nowhere
— 41–42 — — Pond 10 feet (3 m) deep or more is raised above ground level, as if the water is held by invisible walls
— 43–45 — — Cliffside looks like a human face, with two waterfalls on either side like long hair; she is intelligent, and she speaks
— 46–47 — — Human/insect hybrids sing as they build a giant mound 100 feet (30 m) tall as their city
— 48–50 — — Craggy rock formation remains covered in frost and ice year round despite warm or even hot temperatures
— 51–52 — — Outcropping of rock extends from the top of the canyon wall; underneath,
gravity is reoriented and plants and trees grow upside down
— 53–55 — — Anyone who passes beneath the rocky arch loses their shadow
— 56–57 — — Trees here occasionally turn to liquid, and then reform again a few minutes later
— 58–59 — — Branches of the trees and other plants wrap around to form a round tunnel that leads to the distant past
— 60–62 — — Large shards of colored glass grow like plants from the ground
— 63–64 — — People who speak into a narrow ravine hear their voice echo, then gain an
extra mouth so they can speak with two voices at once
— 65–66 — — Vines of a plant in the area can be used as is to serve as electrical cables
— 67–68 — — Stone statue of a woman stands alone in the wilderness, but if you
return to the spot later, she’ll be in a different position
— 69–71 — — What looks like a continuation of the wilderness is actually a very realistic image
on a screen; behind the screen is a desk and a shelf of books
— 72–74 — — Anyone near the waterfall expressing negative emotions is attacked by a gigantic eel that lives in the pool beneath it
— 75–76 — — Trees that bleed real blood when cut and have bones within their branches and trunk
Weird at the Core

— 77–79 — — Bubbling mud pool that projects telepathic thoughts about philosophical topics
— 80–81 01–15 — Psychic resonance from a massive, scarred tree makes nearby creatures act as if affected by rabies
— 82–84 16–29 — At the top of a hill, the sun or moon (depending on what time it is) is very close; they talk to anyone on the hill
— 85–86 30–44 — Deer whose head is a small apple tree is guarded by other deer who are uncharacteristically violent
— 87–89 45–58 — River that runs with literal blood; a coven of peaceful vampire witches lives nearby
— 90–91 — 74–78 Grove of trees that defends itself from logging with articulate branches that have fingerlike appendages
— 92–94 — 79–84 Those who pass through the forest begin to grow bark
— 95–97 — 85–89 Waterfall that seems to start in midair dozens of feet in the air
— 98–00 — 90–94 If you reach into the waterfall, you can pull out a tool or weapon you desire
— — 59–72 — Storm of lone socks, random pencils, keys, and single shoes that sometimes blows through
— — 73–86 — Anyone that comes close to a pile of fae skulls stacked in a clearing slowly turns into a gelatinous blob
— — 87–00 95–00 Near a small stream, dozens of lost dogs and cats have gathered, each eager to be the companion of a human 169
 Whether they race along the ground, clear the strangest
terrain, or fly through the air, vehicles are an important part
of most sci‑fi. Use this list to generate a weird vehicle of
any kind. If you want a flying vehicle and you like the idea
presented as a ground vehicle (or what have you), just
change it. Flying shark that carries passengers in its mouth?
Great. Car that moves by altering reality around it? Awesome.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Omni‑wheel two‑passenger ground transport that rolls over most terrain
03–05 — — — Wheeled throne that transports the traveler in a seated style grand enough for royalty
06–07 — — — Hovering square that moves slowly but can carry hundreds of tons of cargo; it must be pulled by another vehicle
08–10 — — — Tentacle‑like biomachine that seats two; it can swim or squirm across any surface, including walls and ceilings
11–12 — — — Vehicle with completely rubberized spheres instead of tires; the spheres can spin in any direction
13–15 — — — Smart device app with a “ride summon”; when summoned, a hook reels down from
orbit, gently grabs the traveler, and swings them to their destination
16–17 — — — Long skateboard‑like platform with enough room for a few dozen people standing
single file; it hangs down from a suspended monorail track
18–19 — — — Undersea buggy with pressurized cab that runs along the ocean floor; it can also drive on land
20–21 — — — Hover platform just large enough for one person to stand upon
22–23 — — — Rocket cycle designed for aliens that hang from it upside down
24–26 — — — Miniature flyer that can be expanded to its full size on command
27–28 — — — Gigantic cybernetic quadruped with a built‑in passenger compartment and controls to “drive” the creature
29–30 — — — Glider that can negate or increase the gravity affecting it as needed
31–33 — — — Tall tripod walker equipped with a powerful heat ray and a sign mounted
on its front that says, “Cover your mouth when you cough”
34–35 — — — Automated farm harvester refitted with armored plates and weapons
36–38 — — — Pod that manipulates gravity to move from gravity well to gravity well
39–41 — — — AI‑controlled spaceship that hates organic beings and is unkind to passengers
42–43 — — — Walker that moves like a seven‑legged spider
44–45 — — — Mountaineering vehicle with treads on all sides—including the top—so that it can move in any orientation
46–48 — — — Egg‑shaped passenger compartment on top of motorized hips and legs that walk, jump, and run
49–50 — — — Sleek cockpit surrounded by a metal ring that pneumatically extends
thousands of tiny rod‑feet to walk or climb like a starfish
51–52 — — — Giant war robot’s head that’s been refitted to carry passengers and move using hover technology
53–54 — — — Composite of the front halves of two flying cars attached back to
back; it can move forward or backward equally well
55–56 — — — Helicopter with solid‑state blades (its lift is generated by vibration instead of rotation)
57–59 — — — Starship designed to look like an 18th-century opera house
60–61 — — — Robotic mastodon that is controlled by a driver inside it
62–63 — — — Vehicle that is essentially a big toothed wheel that grinds up whatever it rolls over
64–66 — — — Floating platform pulled by huge reptilian oxen for horizontal movement
67–68 — — 01–04 Gargantuan alien flying creature outfitted with a hanging gondola for passengers
69–71 — — 05–08 Flying reptile with saddle
72–73 — — 09–12 Sharklike swimming beast that carries passengers and breathable air in its mouth
74–75 — — 13–16 Kitelike powered wings in a harness that allow the pilot to fly great distances
76–78 — — 17–19 Poncho that inflates and uses an unfoldable gondola to lift several people high into the atmosphere
79–80 — — 20–23 Flying machine made to vaguely resemble a bat; it comes complete with flapping wings
81–82 — — 24–27 Cybernetic horse
83–84 — — 28–30 Worm‑shaped tunneling vehicle
85–87 — — 31–34 Humanoid mech that looks like a well‑known cartoon character but
is actually an armored and armed war machine
88–89 — — 35–38 Humanoid battle mech that looks like a knight with a sword and shield
Weird at the Core

90–91 — — 39–41 Retro‑style, two‑person flying saucer with a domed top and lights around the perimeter
92–93 — — 42–45 Vintage automobile with antigravity devices instead of wheels
94–96 — — 46–49 Dragonfly‑shaped plane with large wing‑vanes that collect solar
energy and function as a solar sail when in space
97–98 — — 50–53 Ornithopter that looks like a giant bronze bird and flies by flapping its wings
99–00 — — 54–57 Flying vehicle resembling a sword, with solar panels on the blade
— 01–02 — — Open‑air two‑person skimmer that runs on dozens of alien biological legs
— 03–05 — — Single‑passenger bubble‑flyer that exists only for the duration of a single trip
— 06–07 — — Powered boots that run the passenger great distances
— 08–09 — — Self‑powered coach large enough for several people; it can be folded to suitcase size when not in use
— 10–11 — — Multiperson sky sled that slides on a self‑generated streak of hard light that slowly fades in the vehicle’s wake
— 12–13 — — Umbrella‑like device with an anti‑grav field that’s activated when its canopy is
170 extended; the handle controls speed and direction for a single rider
— 14–15 — — Automobile of an earlier era refurbished to run on water
— 16–18 — — Train‑like series of cars; the “engine” lays down track composed of virtual particles
in front of it at need, and the track evaporates within a few minutes
— 19–20 — — Tubelike object resembling a handheld rocket launcher with unfoldable handlebars and footpads; when in use,
it can fly a single user long distances with its ion jet, and when not in use, it can be worn on the user’s back
— 21–23 — — Starship that crosses interstellar distances by altering reality in a small
bubble around it, thereby rewriting the laws of physics
— 24–25 — — Star cruiser powered by alien excrement
— 26–27 — — Starship that can split to become a dozen smaller ships
— 28–29 — — Submarine made of flexible bio‑materials so that it literally swims
— 30–31 — — Starship that “sails” along massive gamma ray bursts
— 32–34 — — Colonizing ship with all the colonists in a giant vat of stasis gel
— 35–36 — — Terminally ill blue whale kept alive with cybernetics; its gut was converted to cargo and crew space
— 37–38 — — Starship that somehow convinces the speed of light through sweet talk to allow the ship to bypass it
— 39–40 — — Long chain of individual triangular prisms connected in a series like train cars; pivots at the
joints allow it to twist into many configurations for speed, observation, and defense
— 41–42 — — Flyer that is technological in nature but powered by sorcery
— 43–45 — — Starship that can be controlled only by someone with massive psychic powers
— 46–47 — — Train car‑sized replica of the moon, with compartments for the pilot,
passengers, a tiny restaurant, and an observation deck
— 48–49 — — Unique hoverboard that isn’t particularly fast, but it can alter time around itself to increase its effective speed
— 50–52 — — Hollow amber dodecahedron, with each facet containing a different kind of
fossilized creature (mosquitos, snails, spiders, beetles, and so on)
— 53–54 — — Bullet‑shaped submersible that alters the viscosity of water to eliminate drag and approach supersonic speeds
— 55–56 — — Bus‑sized wheeled aquarium for use by aquatic creatures (or landwalkers who love to swim)
— 57–58 — — Floating array of curved lenses that generates movement force by bending light, gravity, and space
— 59–60 — — Flyer made of intelligent goo; it can change shape or even split into multiple vehicles
— 61–63 — — Spaceship that psychically makes you forget you ever saw it
— 64–65 — — Interstellar spacecraft that’s secretly powered by demonic power
— 66–68 — — All‑terrain walker that gained sentience and ran away
— 69–71 — — Hovercraft powered by a fear of the ground
— 72–73 — — Device that creates energy bubbles around passengers that float to preprogrammed destinations
— 74–75 — — Flyer that uses sonic waves to keep aloft, destroying things beneath it with horrific sounds
— 76–77 — — Starship the size of a medium star that moves by creating massive gravity singularities in front of it
— 78–79 — — Naval aircraft carrier refitted with engines that allow it to fly
— 80–82 — 58–61 Boat with force‑field sails that can unfurl a surface area many times that of solid sails
— 83–84 — 62–65 Swarm of bioengineered flying insects that transports the traveler
— 85–87 — 66–69 Bioengineered dinosaur with a howdah
— 88–89 — 70–73 Saucer‑like craft with a cloaking field that makes it look like a run‑down barn or a bale of hay
— 90–91 — 74–77 Living starship that refuses to move until it is complimented and given a treat
— 92–93 — 78–80 Hollowed‑out seed of gigantic alien plant, covered in pale hairs that propel it through the air like it’s swimming
— 94–95 — 81–84 Long flexible ribbon made of a prototype ceramic‑plastic material;
it can move through the air or water like a snake
— 96–97 — 85–88 Interstellar spacecraft made of specially treated wood
— 98–00 — 89–92 Chemically preserved, building‑sized jellyfish fitted with plastic doors and internal cabins
— — 01–06 — Passenger is granted mental control of a motorized avatar at the
location they desire instead of actually going there
— — 07–13 — Cabin composed of force that’s hurled for miles (or down from orbit); it
crashes at its destination, while stasis protects its passengers
— — 14–20 — Missile that’s been converted to a personal skimmer; fast but lethal if it ever crashes
— — 21–26 — Phase pod; silvery egg‑like shape that can drop through the surface of a planet and
ascend to reach the opposite side of that planet within just a few minutes
Weird at the Core

— — 27–33 — Ship that uses an entire star as its engine, focusing its output in whatever direction it wishes
— — 34–39 — Starship that stops time, travels interstellar distances, and then restarts time so as to travel instantaneously
— — 40–46 — Starship that travels 1% faster than whatever craft it is nearest
— — 47–53 — Starship with a core powered by a captive deity
— — 54–59 — Single‑use pill filled with drug‑producing nanobots that temporarily rework the user’s body
into a dense meaty sphere with the ability to crawl, roll, bounce, or (in short bursts) fly
— — 60–66 — World War I biplane made out of hard light
— — 67–72 — Invisible pan‑dimensional vehicle that casts a shadow similar to a
contemporary car, but distorted and with tentacles
— — 73–79 — Spaceship that inadvertently destroys any planetary body nearby when it goes into warp
— — 80–86 — They just put massive engines on a planet and said go!
— — 87–93 93–96 Giant mechanical gorilla with a passenger compartment
— — 94–00 97–00 Train that moves through space, with robotic hands placing track in front of it and tearing it apart behind 171
 Bar patrons, people in the village
square, the true power behind the
throne, or the person held prisoner by
the mad wizard—these folks are the
weird ones in the fantasy realm.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Man’s tears spread misery like a disease
03–04 — — — Juggler tosses magical fire
05–06 — — — Dragon missing a leg due to an injury; the stump is cauterized with gold
07–08 — — — Farmer grows secret crops at night
09–10 — — — Woman’s child disappeared down a well; she insists she can still hear him
11–12 — — — Two men smoking cigars; the smoke reveals a deep secret from anyone who can smell it
13–14 — — — Wizard seeking the secret moon words that can harness the power of the full moon
15–16 — — — Goblin seeking to repair damage its people inflicted in a recent attack
17–18 — — — Sheriff looking for a thief who stole all the shoes from a nearby village
19–20 — — — Priest who follows the teachings of the god of petty things
21–22 — — — Child singing a song that describes some of the PCs’ past deeds
23–24 — — — Knight on a quest to slay any creature that cannot pronounce the three names of her god
25–26 — — — Man with prosthetic legs made of bones
27–28 — — — Extremely tall dwarf
29–30 — — — Hideously ugly elf
31–32 — — — Angry avian humanoid with his wings clipped
33–34 — — — Man with algae for hair
35–36 — — — Drunk gets intoxicated by not drinking alcohol, sobers up the more he drinks
37–38 — — — Woman speaks only in anagrams
39–40 — — — Man with the flesh of his arm burned away, leaving only bones, but it is still functional
41–42 — — — Woman appears to have her face tacked on to her head by iron nails
43–44 — — — Woman surrounded by hovering, lit candles orbiting her
45–46 — — — Knight rides a muscular giraffe
47–48 — — — Merchant constantly trying to sell his wares, even in a crisis situation
49–50 — — — Boy can whistle to stop or start the rain
51–52 — — — Little girl is shockingly strong
53–54 — — — Woman with the legs of a deer
55–56 — — — Woman’s head has been replaced by a floating porcelain mask
57–58 — — — Old man with tree branches for hair, where birds nest
59–60 — — — Bald man with eyes all over his head
61–62 — — — Paladin wears armor made of stained glass, magically hardened
63–64 — — — Woman with a prehensile braid at the back of her head, 4 feet (1 m) long
65–66 — — — Zebra centaur with a long black and white mohawk
67–68 — — — Man with a metal mask that looks like the sun
69–70 — — — Woman with feathers instead of hair
71–72 — — — Woman with glowing teeth, fingernails, and eyes
73–74 — — — Man with a dungeon map tattooed all over his face, neck, and chest
75–76 — — — Knight with a heart so holy and pure that it glows with golden light you can see through his chest and armor
77–78 — — — Apprentice mage with the words and gestures of a few spells written on their hands and arms
79–80 — — — Man with chalk‑white skin, hair, and clothing
81–82 — — — Woman can cause any glass she touches to briefly flare with light
83–84 — — — Wizard with long robes; the hems are lifted from the floor by imps
85–86 — — — Dwarf with rectangular eyes
Weird at the Core

87–88 — — 01–07 Roguish rake wields a blade that harms only royalty
89–90 — — 08–14 Dog that can talk from midnight to dawn
91–92 — — 15–21 Butterfly who wants to learn to use a sword
93–94 — — 22–28 Sorcerer appears ugly during the day but is very attractive at night
95–96 — — 29–35 Smith that can forge wood to make it as hard as steel
97–98 — — 36–42 Woman with freckles that detach and can be taken like curatives
99–00 — — 43–49 Woman with artificial arm made out of still‑growing tree branch
— 01–02 — — Cursed man spits roses
— 03–04 — — Lion that can summon and control the ghosts of creatures it has eaten
— 05–06 — — Sentient hornet’s nest hosted in the branches of a mobile tree
— 07–08 — — Everburning flame that is the avatar of a distant sun
172 — 09 — — Ghost of a virus
— 10–11 — — Minstrel exists only in the spring and summer
— 12–13 — — Android stranded on this planet aeons ago, who has taken up mercenary work
— 14–15 — — Knight clad in armor crafted from the whitewaters of a raging river
— 16–17 — — Barbarian’s eyes can freeze people solid with a glare
— 18–19 — — Woman clutches a thick, iron‑bound tome that burns anyone else who touches it
— 20–21 — — Ghost of a man cursed to walk the earth carrying his dead children on his back
— 22–23 — — Man can speak with insects
— 24–25 — — Spirit that had inhabited a mirror; the mirror is now shattered, and so is the spirit
— 26–27 — — Woman cursed so that if she ever sees her own naked face, she dies
— 28 — — Orc with a living snake rather than a left arm
— 29 — — Woman replaced her fingers with knives
— 30–31 — — Child already knows the name of everyone he meets
— 32–33 — — Woman believes she’s controlled by a person in another reality and this is all just a game
— 34–35 — — Librarian who can talk to books
— 36 — — Man has been cursed to be a dragonfly
— 37 — — Woman can absorb any liquid into her flesh and expel it later out of her hands
— 38–39 — — Powerful wizard who can use magic only from 3:14 p.m. to 3:49 p.m.
— 40 — — Man with brass orbs replacing his hands and feet that allow him to levitate
— 41–42 — — Woman swims through the air as though it is water
— 43–44 — — Man is the personification of Monday
— 45–46 — — Woman made of brittle black glass
— 47–48 — — Woman with a flaming sphere for a head that can loose smaller fireballs
— 49–50 — — Man can find almost any answer in any book he looks through
— 51–52 — — Minstrel performs by singing along with trained musical bats
— 53–54 — — Horseshoe crab has been transformed into a human but still thinks and acts like a crab
— 55–56 — — Hulking barbarian doesn’t believe in magic and somehow it doesn’t work on him either
— 57–58 — — Centaur, but instead of having the body of a horse, it’s a giant tortoise with a shell
— 59 — — Merchant seems to be able to conjure whatever tiny, inexpensive things people need
— 60 — — Man with tiny planets and moons orbiting his head
— 61–62 — — Thief with an extra arm hidden away to help with pickpocketing
— 63–64 — — Warrior with an extra set of eyes that charm anyone they fight
— 65–66 — — Twins wield potent magical powers when touching
— 67–68 — — Woman with blossoming flowers all over her body
— 69 — — Man with tentacles coming out of his eye sockets
— 70–71 — — Sorcerer’s arm is composed of animate fire
— 72–73 — — Woman whose head is a pyramid of glass lit from within
— 74–75 — — Halfling insists on keeping a lit candle on his shoulder
— 76–77 — — Priest with a clock for a face
— 78–79 — — Wizard riding a giant centipede
— 80–81 — — Transparent man filled with water and jellyfish
— 82–83 — — Woman with dark spectacles that read “6” in the lenses; can split into six different versions of herself
— 84 — — Man with apelike arms rather than legs
— 85–86 — — Goat‑headed humanoid in a dapper suit of clothes carrying a jeweled scepter
— 87–88 — — Thief with lock picks and skeleton keys instead of fingertips on one hand
— 89 — — Woman with mouths on the backs of her hands that speak with voices different than her own
— 90 01–09 — Man with an eyepatch, but behind the eyepatch is a tiny demon
— 91–92 — 50–56 Cat spins webs like a spider
— 93 — 57–63 Man whose limbs are made from spun gold so that they look like musical bars and notes
— 94–95 — 64–70 Elf trails rainbows behind her wherever she goes
— 96–97 — 71–77 Man with a keyhole in his forehead, looking for the key
— 98 — 78–85 Woman a few feet off the ground at all times, carried aloft by dozens of birds on strings
Weird at the Core

— 99–00 — 86–93 Warrior bleeds flower petals

— — 10–18 — Assassin is actually a cloud of invisible razors
— — 19–27 — Woman is a living matryoshka doll; other women dwell inside her
— — 28–37 — Intelligent spellbook and the wizard it controls
— — 38–46 — Woman covered in spiders, including crawling out of her eyes and mouth
— — 47–55 — Warrior with a coal furnace for a chest and a smokestack rising out of one shoulder
— — 56–64 — Woman wearing a blindfold with an eye in her breastbone and holes throughout her flesh that lead to utter
darkness
— — 65–73 — Man with four legs, four arms, and a spiderlike head
— — 74–82 — Man can transform into a swarm of flies whenever he wishes
— — 83–91 — Woman can split in half; inside is all tentacles
— — 92–00 94–00 Acolyte with body odor so potent it causes those nearby to faint 173
 This list has to carry a lot of weight—it contains whole worlds! When the PCs stumble
through a planar portal, warp to a new planet, or cross the sea to see what lies beyond the
horizon, use this list to spark an idea, a concept, or a theme for the newly discovered realm.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Humanoid robots are a mostly accepted part of the labor force
03–04 — — — A space elevator grants cheap access to space‑derived resources normally beyond grasp
05–06 — — — Seismically unstable; earthquakes and volcanoes are common
07–09 — — — Composed of millions of miles of tunnels
10–12 — — — Covered in deserts featuring dragonflies with poisonous stingers
13–15 — — — Known for groves of trees that grow fleshy pears that taste like smoked sausage
16–17 — — — The populace reveres the sun so much that many are blind from staring at it
18–20 — — — One common variety of tree drops ship‑like flowers, especially during seasonal floods
21–22 — — — Lightning storms are common, drawing rocky humanoids from their caves to dance in the electricity
23–24 — — — The air is deficient in oxygen, making strenuous tasks difficult
25–27 — — — Mostly covered in desert, featuring crystalline sand that throws prismatic reflections everywhere when the sun
is high
28–30 — — — Intelligent creatures killed sometimes turn up again, emerging from the night as something changed
31–33 — — — Meteor showers are always visible, sheeting down from the skies, day or night
34–35 — — — Covered in ancient impact craters, most of which contain primeval forests growing up from the crater floors
36–37 — — — Ruled by an immortal being that commonly walks in disguise among the population, watching
38–40 — — — Music is banned, repeat offenders face steep fines, imprisonment, and eventually death
41–43 — — — Floating jellyfish‑like creatures fill most ecological niches; many are herbivores, but some giant kinds are
deadly predators
44–45 — — — Covered in glaciers; some settlements are found in deep fissures
46–47 — — — Riddled with underground, prehistoric tunnels bored by a long‑extinct species
48–49 — — — Dust devils are so common that it’s only when they stop that the population becomes concerned
50–51 — — — Many among the population are employed as archeological raiders, mostly looking for sealed stone casks
containing exotic and delicious prehistoric wine
52–53 — — — Is habitat to a local type of vicious red‑furred rodents who would grow to the size of elephants elsewhere
54–56 — — — Occupied by a small population; they can’t conceive or give birth biologically and thus rely on a sort of magical
cloning
57–58 — — — Always under attack by a dreadful being that can phase through matter and feed on others’ fear
59–60 — — — Ruled by criminals from a much more advanced society that became trapped here, using their tools to awe
unsophisticated locals
61–62 — — — Artificially constructed environment populated by the descendants of the original test subjects placed here by
its creators
63–65 — — — Is the domain of a pantheon of ancient Greek gods
66–67 — — — Exists within a drop of water
68–69 — — — Insects, not mammals, are the dominant life form; human‑sized, intelligent praying mantis‑like people make up
most population centers in a quasi‑medieval society
70–71 — — — Dozens of disparate populations exist in a vast complex of separate preserves, each sealed off from one another
but connected by secret corridors
72–73 — — — Refugees and lost scavenge for survival among continent‑sized masses of garbage falling from other worlds,
lands, and dimensions
74–75 01–02 — — Experienced a nuclear war
76–77 — 01–05 — The populace seems real and believes themselves to be real, but are merely the crude toys of invisible beings in
a higher dimension
Weird at the Core

78–79 — 06–09 01–05 Every creature is a variety of clockwork mechanism that somewhat mimics natural life; living visitor bodies
begin slowly transforming to clockwork as well
80–82 — — 06–10 An advanced civilization lives in balance with the environment
83–84 — — 11–15 Populace menaced by a sleeping sickness that is passed psychically instead of virally
85–86 — — 16–20 Every intelligent creature’s shadow is doubled, one normal and one alien
87–88 — — 21–25 Gases belched forth from the ground at random intervals are effectively equivalent to laughing gas
89–91 — — 26–30 At night, everything is covered in a forest that fades away in daylight
92–93 — — 31–35 The sky is usually yellow but sometimes fades to green
94–95 — — 36–40 Always shadowed by a gargantuan moon, fixed immovably overhead
96–97 — — 41–45 Ruled by a handful of children that are thousands of years old but are physically unchanging; most of the
population reaches adulthood and dies naturally in old age
98–00 — — 46–50 Music with no obvious source constantly plays in the background, usually mood‑appropriate to whatever’s
happening in any given area
174 — 03–04 — — Smothering layer of colorful fungus covers all
— 05–06 — — Rain is strongly acidic
— 07–09 — — Populace knows that their days are numbered thanks to an approaching catastrophe
— 10–12 — — Large population centers are threatened by genetically altered rats that hunt at night
— 13–15 — — Religion centers around an ancient alien ship that landed but never opened
— 16–18 — — People have the option to (for a fee) upload their consciousness into a virtual “afterlife” instead of dying
— 19–21 — — Biological virus warfare between rival populations means personal fashion includes airtight bodysuits
— 22–23 — — Sea inhabited by aquatic organisms bounded by the vacuum of deep space
— 24–26 — — Most population centers are floating cloud cities
— 27–29 — — No longer has an atmosphere; here and there, remnants of the population live in small pressurized outposts
— 30–32 — — Includes bees that build with sandstone, creating city‑like groupings of stalagmite spires
— 33–35 — — Gravity sometimes changes to half normal (or even less)
— 36–38 — — Features earthbergs drifting across the sky and other floating islands
— 39–41 — — Home to a shambolic trio of kaiju that occasionally rise up to fight each other, inevitably destroying population
centers
— 42–43 — — Exists entirely within an ancient artificial structure built by long‑dead but far more technically advanced
creatures
— 44–46 — — Populated by a people whose marriage ceremonies result in merging of the two into one new being
— 47–49 — — Mostly reduced to anti‑magic wasteland after all‑consuming war; few remaining population centers shelter in
lamps seized from djinn
— 50–52 — — Caught in a time loop about twenty‑six hours long
— 53–54 — — Most of the population converted into living, distributed nodes in a single AI hive mind always looking to
expand into new wetware
— 55–57 — — Is somehow the literal and physical manifestation of a popular horror fiction in another realm
— 58–60 — — The population is keen on body modification, especially with electronics and prosthetics that greatly enhance
their physical and mental abilities
— 61–62 — — Population centers consist of bubble‑like protected keeps, plus a few larger cities, floating through endless
molten rock
— 63–65 — — Is a nearly perfect recreation of Earth during the height of the Roman Empire
— 66–68 — — Is the literal collective unconscious of modern humans
— 69–71 — — People live in towns and villages on a vast, rarely moving humanoid body they believe is their murdered god
— 72–74 — — Hundreds of highway lanes going in either direction, clogged with rusted‑out cars with dead (or undead)
occupants
— 75–77 10–13 — Exists only as a virtual space or simulation within a computer
— 78–80 14–17 — Exists within multiple half‑broken spacecraft moored together with tractor beams
— 81–82 18–21 — Is a realm of utter darkness; light burns and maddens the many pale, eyeless creatures and people that reside
here
— 83–85 22–25 — Rival undead monarchs, each served by macabre unliving servitors, constantly war for control of a shattered
cemetery realm
— 86–88 — 51–55 Everything is alive, even the mundane, such as the ground, objects, clothing, and food
— 89–91 — 56–60 The zombies don’t want to eat brains (much); they want to reintegrate into society
— 92–94 — 61–66 Every word spoken echoes a few times before fading, sometimes even whispers
— 95–97 — 67–72 Is peopled and textured entirely by dreams that were forgotten and memories that faded to nothing in another
realm
— 98–00 — 73–78 Seems to be completely drawn in pencil and crayon, with a hint of watercolor shading
— — 26–29 — Time moves 100 times faster than elsewhere
— — 30–33 — Fell to demonic invasion decades earlier
— — 34–37 — Variable number of suns makes seasons unpredictable and sometimes catastrophic
— — 38–41 — A petrified, continent‑sized celestial forms the core
— — 42–45 — Who would’ve guessed the neural implant market would become a tool of dystopian control?
— — 46–49 — Time‑traveling shenanigans by opposed forces threaten to completely wreck everything
— — 50–53 — Shaped like a moon‑sized cube; gravity becomes nearly nothing at the edges and corners
— — 54–57 — Exists within a black hole
— — 58–62 — Is shaped like a ring; weird gravitational forces mean “down” points outward past the outer edge of the ring (so
Weird at the Core

that the inner curve of the ring is the only safe place to stand or build)
— — 63–66 — Is entirely dependent on a central energy source derived from a transdimensional white hole
— — 67–70 — Is a single insular city that exists behind walls of magical force keeping an apocalypse at bay
— — 71–74 — Is covered to an unknown depth in all directions with human bones
— — 75–78 — Is a collection of ancient ruins from hundreds of different dead civilizations tumbling through space
— — 79–82 — Is slowly collapsing as it and another dimension destructively merge
— — 83–86 — Is a city‑sized enclave of stranded time travelers that exists outside of time and space, booted from the
timestream by their attempts to meddle with it
— — 87–91 79–83 Made of cheese
— — 92–95 84–89 Manifests itself as a moon‑sized tree
— — 96–00 90–94 Dreamt by a sleeping god
— — — 95–00 Magic replaces electricity; accidents lead to curses and transformations rather than electrocutions and fires
175
 This list is to generate magic items when you need one.
To just make a modification to an existing item,
such as a strange appearance, a side effect, a
requirement for functioning, and so on, refer
to Weird Magic Item Modifications.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Invisible armor
02–03 — — — Wand that makes colorful orbs that explode when touched
04 — — — Magic bow you must whisper a secret to each time you use it
05–06 — — — Skirt that turns into tentacles
07 — — — Gloves that allow you to feel the world around you up to
20 feet (6 m) so you can “see” with your eyes closed
08 — — — Wand that conjures big rocks into the air to fall where you desire
09–10 — — — Gem that conjures a ghostly bard who sings songs about your greatness
11 — — — Globe that precisely displays where you are on the planet
12–13 — — — Bottle containing a small demon that will emerge and read a book to you aloud
14–15 — — — Scepter with an eye at one end that will tell you what’s going on behind you if you ask
16 — — — Bracelet that can confer a false memory to someone
17–18 — — — Ring that squeezes your finger (and inflicts a little bit of
damage) if someone is magically spying on you
19 — — — Mask made of crudely sewn burlap and straw that allows you to terrify a victim when you wear it
20–21 — — — Ring that makes it so that no one that knows you can recognize you
22–23 — — — Sword that is stored on your forearm as a tattoo
24 — — — Bow that creates and fires snakes as arrows
25–26 — — — Slate tablet that spells out the name of whomever it touches
27 — — — Candle that, when burned halfway down, uncovers a rune of magic that makes you stronger
28–29 — — — Handheld computer that taps into your brain and makes casting spells easier
30 — — — Black disk that shows the position of any living creature in a 50‑foot
(15 m) radius as if it were a little map with you in the middle
31–32 — — — Ring that extends a tentacle to intercept certain ranged attacks coming at you
33 — — — Book containing everyone’s name and current location,
but it takes an hour to find the right name
34 — — — Sword that is covered with mouths on the blade so the blade bites rather than cuts
35–36 — — — Magic sword that you have to convince to allow you to enter a battle
37 — — — Boots that allow you to make great leaps but make your legs look like those of a frog
38 — — — Arrow that sends its target to be imprisoned in a cyst in their least favorite elemental plane
39–40 — — — Roll of unbreakable duct tape; it can be cut, but not torn or broken
41 — — — Boots that walk for you when you’re tired
42–43 — — — Umbrella that fires destructive eldritch bolts when held like a gun
44 — — — Rusted, ramshackle axe that is actually a potent weapon against dragons
45 — — — Arrows that heal rather than harm
46–47 — — — Box that can hold an infinite number of muffins
48 — — — Box filled with tiny musicians that pop out and play when the box is opened
49 — — — Glasses that give x‑ray vision but make your own clothing invisible
50–51 — — — Bag of tiny hairballs, each of which turns into an angry cat when thrown
52 — — — Mace that drains the color from whatever it strikes, turning it into shades of grey
53–54 — — — Seashell‑encrusted staff that covers foes in clinging sea stars, making it difficult for them to move
55 — — — Playing card that transforms you into an animate deck of cards that can
Weird at the Core

take different shapes, slip between narrow cracks, and so on

56 — — — Preserved finger of a saint that allows you to dream of the future if placed under your pillow
57 — — — Arrowhead that killed a king and is now an amulet that allows
you to resist any type of supernatural control
58–59 — — — Bracelet that oils wearer on demand
60 — — — Red scale harvested from a dragon that protects wearer from
the fear and fire that live dragons use on foes
61 — — — Mug that fills with stewed iguana on demand
62–63 — — — Spectacles that give the wearer’s eyes a purplish, spooky gleam
64–65 — — — Socks that become soulbound to the wearer; they’re impossible to lose
66–67 — — — Old coin of exotic mintage that transfers holder onto an
interdimensional path scratched across the multiverse
176
 68 — — — Ring that prevents the wearer from telling the truth
69 — — — Spyglass that allows you to see your closest ally, no matter their location
70–71 — — — Wind‑up clockwork bee that harasses whomever you designate
72–73 — — — Potion that gives you an unearthly singing voice
74 — — — One‑person sled that flies through the air on command
75–76 — — — Collar for a cat that allows them to walk on walls or ceilings
77 — — — Lipstick that allows the wearer to speak without moving their lips
78 — — — Candle that—if you inscribe your name in the wax—gives you strength while it burns
79–80 — — — Ring that allows a caster to cast a spell and make it appear
as though someone else nearby cast it instead
81 — — — Powder that, if inhaled, grants a powerful sense of smell—so much so that you can
track like a bloodhound and not get surprised by anyone sneaking up on you
82–83 — — — Red handkerchief that, when placed on the ground, turns invisible
and explodes with flame if someone walks over it
84 — 01–06 — Powerful magic armor that offers great protection, but the gaunt
faces etched in the metal won’t stop moaning balefully
85 — — 01–06 Ring you can wear on your finger that is also (or can also be) a very small portal
86–87 — — 07–12 Flower that sprays pollen that makes people lose their action to sneezing
88 — — 13–19 Piece of glass that, when looking through it, shows what a person looked like as a child
89–90 — — 20–25 Amulet that allows you to hear sounds made by ghosts
91–92 — — 26–31 Collar that allows you to change into the form of a dog, but you can’t change back for a day
93 — — 32–38 Stuffed stag’s head that can fly very fast, as directed, and
can carry one person if they hang on tight
94–95 — — 39–44 Key that can open any lock, but it screams “We’re here!” very loud when used
96–97 — — 45–50 Gloves that give the wearer perfect pencraft (or, should the opportunity present
itself, perfect typing skills), as long as they don’t mind the occasional profanity
98 — — 51–56 Bulky green pill that gives the imbiber green fur
99–00 — — 57–62 Ceramic mask that you can ask three questions; it answers two with the truth, and one with a lie
— 01–07 — — Portable, invisible, fist‑sized hole that allows you to put your hand through objects
— 08–14 — — Potion that makes it so a target you choose is unaware of your entire existence, forevermore
— 15–22 — — Painting that lets you hide inside as a part of the image
— 23–29 — — Spoon that allows you to trap a target in a giant iron pot with a lid
— 30–36 — — Metal sphere with mechanism for creating an iris‑like opening;
inside is an eye‑searing brilliance not unlike the sun
— 37–43 — — Amulet that allows the wearer to turn to liquid for a short time each day
— 44–50 — — Mirror that shows how those reflected in it will die
— 51–57 — — Brazier that allows you to toss in a slip of paper with a person’s
name on it; that person will suffer burning pain
— 58–64 — — Calling card with nonsense words on it, but whomever you show
it to reads exactly the words you tell them are there
— 65–71 — — Tall top hat in which lives a large spider that does as the wearer commands
— 72–79 07–11 — Staff that summons a creature or person from fiction to aid you in a task
— 80–86 12–16 — Amulet that turns into a small demon that can swallow up to six different potions
and then deliver them to you on command through the stinger in its tail
— 87–93 17–21 — Skinning knife that leaves a creature and its detached skin alive; it also
allows creatures, regardless of their size difference, to switch skins
— 94–00 22–27 — Silver key that can lock (but not unlock) anything that closes
or seals, even if that thing has no lock or latch
— — 28–32 — Armor that becomes magma on command; the wearer is immune to its heat
— — 33–38 — Tiny brass snake that you can swallow, and it will eat any poison in your body
— — 39–43 — Potion that lets you know exactly what it’s like to be eaten alive
— — 44–48 — Glove that erases the first creature or object rubbed by it from reality
Weird at the Core

— — 49–53 — Bit of dust that, when tossed in the air, alters probability in
the area and makes unlikely things happen
— — 54–58 — Energy pistol that wields itself as you command
— — 59–63 — Two six‑sided dice with glowing eye icons instead of 1s; if rolled
and two eyes come up, roller’s eyes catch fire
— — 64–69 — Poison that makes you incapable of using magic in any way (through item, spell, or ability)
— — 70–74 63–68 Ring that allows you to eat and digest stones
— — 75–79 69–75 Dagger that makes you look exactly like the last person it killed
— — 80–84 76–81 Gem that turns a dreaming person’s dreams into reality
— — 85–89 82–87 Wand that causes a plant to suddenly grow 1,000 times its size
— — 90–95 88–93 Necklace that allows you to talk to a large body of water
— — 96–00 94–00 Crystal orb that changes the current season to spring
177
 Sometimes, you need more than just trumpets and
drums. Use this list when you’re describing musicians in
an alien civilization. Or an orchestra of elves. Or simply
a bunch of weirdos on the radio.
weirD
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Played on glass stemware
04–07 — — — Played on feathers
08–11 — — — Formed by advanced mathematics
12–15 — — — Played on geometrically perfect spheres
16–19 — — — Played on a harp strung with famous people’s hair
20–23 — — — Played on plumbing pipes
24–27 — — — Street with musical paving stones
28–31 — — — Aggressive, driving tones tuned to a frequency designed to hype people up
32–35 — — — Drum set made of repurposed swords and daggers
36–38 — — — AIs (AI‑generated music)
39–42 — — — Rain, wind, and other weather effects
43–46 — — — Monotonous drone that some hear as dynamic music
47–50 — — — Vibrational frequencies that generate harmonies with the listener’s bones and muscles
51–54 — — — Backmasking
55–57 — — — Hidden messages
58–61 — — — Lyrics entirely made of numbers
62–65 — — — Nonsense lyrics in a foreign language that seem to make sense
66–69 — — — Calms people dramatically
70–73 — — — Was impressed in a sculpture; plays when the mouth is touched
74–77 — — — Becomes clear to underwater listeners
78–81 — — — Was recovered from tombs sealed thousands of years ago
82–85 — — 01–06 Coffee mugs filled with hot liquid to various levels and clinked together
86–88 — — 07–13 Laughs, snorts, and chortles of delighted people
89–92 — — 14–19 Amplified insect sounds
93–96 — — 20–25 Figures revealed in the pages of a pop‑up book
97–00 — — 26–32 Summons fish if near water
— 01–02 — — Played on instruments made of stone
— 03–05 — — Played on an instrument requiring four hands
— 06–07 — — Played on sheet music inscribed on someone’s back
— 08–10 — — Played on sheet music disguised as a map
— 11–12 — — A piece from one of the PCs’ favorite artists, but the song is one they’ve never heard before
— 13–14 — — Eerie whistling coming from nowhere
— 15–16 — — Radiation
— 17–18 — — The last thoughts in dead brains
— 19–21 — — Stellar weather
— 22–23 — — Autotuned speeches of political figures
— 24–25 — — Conveys itself through scent
— 26–27 — — Conveys itself through color
— 28–29 — — Conveys itself through texture
— 30–31 — — Can be heard only by dogs
— 32–34 — — Can be found only in static
— 35–36 — — Refreshes like sleep
— 37–38 — — Erases people’s memories
Weird at the Core

— 39–40 — — Becomes audible only when the tape is sped up ten times
— 41–42 — — Maddens rats, crows, and other similar‑sized creatures
— 43–44 — — Gets stored in chemicals that must be combined to hear it
— 45–46 — — Traditionally has cymbals made of human bones accompanying it
— 47–49 — — Seeps up from fissures in the earth
— 50–51 — — Releases itself as a certain ice sculpture gradually melts
— 52–53 — — Sounds the same forward or backward
— 54–55 — — Weakens and cracks specific materials (stone, plaster, cedar, and so on)
— 56–57 — — Soothes distressed skin like medicated lotion
— 58–59 — — Becomes inaudible if the listener is wearing anything on their head
— 60–62 — — Slowly mixes in another song each time it’s played
— 63–64 — — Always makes the listener feel like they’ve heard it before
178 — 65–66 — — Instantly becomes an earworm
— 67–68 — — Steals the performer’s voice for several hours
— 69–70 — — Etches the lyrics onto nearby surfaces
— 71–72 — — Always takes exactly three minutes and seven seconds to perform
— 73–74 — — Changes its lyrics to predict the singer’s future
— 75–76 — — Makes listeners’ internal organs glow
— 77–78 — — Cleans skin like soap but causes a mild rash
— 79–81 — — Identifies the singer’s soul mate, wherever they are
— 82–83 — — Makes everyone hate it, no matter how well it is performed
— 84–85 — — Has almost‑accurate visual displays of the lyrics accompanying it
— 86–87 01–08 — Causes anxious feelings in people from a certain city
— 88–89 — 33–38 Portions of a living turtle’s shell being pressed
— 90–91 — 39–45 Musical clothing
— 92–93 — 46–52 Eels
— 94–96 — 53–59 Gets stored in soap bubbles The Spirit of the Radio
— 97–98 — 60–66 Makes listeners drunk The being that had been held in
— 99–00 09–16 67–72 Negates hunger, as if listeners were eating junk food check by all the transmissions
— — 17–23 — Dying people’s screams and radio waves in constant
— — 24–31 — Completely telepathic use on Earth has finally broken
— — 32–39 — Tells the future loose. It seeps out of every radio
— — 40–47 — Can be heard only by deaf people receiver and transmitter still
— — 48–54 — Compels you to like it while it is playing in use. The decrease in signals
— — 55–62 — Sounds different when played with the left hand in active use and saturated
instead of the right
frequencies gradually weakened
— — 63–70 — Charges nearby batteries
the walls of its prison. Now this
— — 71–77 — Can be appreciated only by people who undergo
a specific brain operation mysterious being seeks only
— — 78–84 — Kills the performer once the performance is done solid white noise and creates
— — 85–92 73–79 Distorts specific wavelengths of light, causing halos it through the screams of its
and shimmers victims and the destructive
— — 93–00 80–86 Enables telepathy with nearby cats crash and crunch of every
— — — 87–93 Played on xylophone made of glass slippers object it encounters.
— — — 94–00 Manifests itself through dreams

Weird at the Core

179
 Need to know more about that person
riding in the turbolift or pulling up in
their air speeder? This list is for you.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Woman can psychically project desired images onto any viewscreen
03–04 — — — Independent android miserable since they developed emotions
05–06 — — — Humanoid alien with massive antlers, the tips of which burn blue
07 — — — Pilot whose ship is infested with alien bugs
08 — — — Gaseous alien seeks to inhabit a solid body somehow
09–10 — — — Man with a device that repairs any other device, but repairs last only a few minutes
11–12 — — — Psychic can read minds, but only when terrified for his life
13–14 — — — Famous musician who can perform only while being sexually pleased by a robot
15–16 — — — Gambler with a hidden implant that allows him to cheat in various ways
17–18 — — — Man can identify any substance by tasting it, including inedible substances
19 — — — Woman drunk on alien music
20 — — — Android seeking its designer to kill them
21–22 — — — Maintenance tech addicted to electrical shocks like a narcotic
23–24 — — — Cyborg with body parts that detach and act independently
25–26 — — — AI that has nothing to do but open and close a single door
27–28 — — — Man displaced from the 18th century but has adapted to life in the future quite well, thank you
29–30 — — — Man with an eyepatch covering a tiny cybernetic blaster
31 — — — Multifunction handheld beam weapon with an onboard AI that’s broken free of its programming
32–33 — — — Human whose golden‑hued hand can short out any electronic device they touch
34–35 — — — Alien moves by puffing out jets of perfumy‑smelling gas to slide along surfaces
36 — — — Alien senses its environment purely through gravity; has limited ability to manipulate gravity
37 — — — Alien looks like a puffball of many different kinds of arm appendages (some
mechanical) and gives everyone it meets a small toylike gift
38–39 — — — Psychic always telling everyone what they’re thinking at that moment
40 — — — Ex‑spacer who steers every conversation to a warning about space travel
41–42 — — — Android perpetually gloomy because its maker is dead
43 — — — Salesman with “just the perfect skimmer” for whomever he meets
44–45 — — — Fashion model with many pieces of tanzanite embedded into her flesh
46–47 — — — Man believes the world is flat, and that anything that suggests
otherwise (even starships, aliens, etc.) is a hoax
48–49 — — — Woman with facial tattoos that resemble a calaca mask from that
Dia de los Muertos celebration back on Earth
50–51 — — — Android demands to be referred to as a “constructed person”
52–53 — — — Mechanic can’t help but comment on the efficiency (or lack thereof ) of every device he sees
54–55 — — — Person constantly taking different pills for different reasons
56–57 — — — Man terrified of robots, androids, or other artificial persons
58–59 — — — Woman always wears an environment suit to protect from filth and germs
60–61 — — — Minister from an ancient religion trying to find anyone of the same faith
62 — — — Man collecting donations for the old space captain’s home
63–64 — — — Man always wears a gas mask for some reas—wait . . . that’s not a mask.
65–66 — — — Neanderthal kidnapped from the past using time travel; doesn’t want to go back
67 — — — Cyborg whose memory disc is malfunctioning; can remember only the past 72 hours
68–69 — — — Space pirate whose ship interior is styled as an 18th‑century galleon named The Black Waters
70–71 — — — Botanist who extracts sugar from selectively bred lettuce to turn into green cotton candy
72–73 — — — Antique dealer specializing in 20th‑ and 21st‑century disposable plastic containers
Weird at the Core

74–75 — — — Philosopher searching for meaning using chicken‑focused thinking

(why they cross the road, if they came before eggs, etc.)
76 — — — Technician who specializes in repair of CO2 scrubbers and salt‑water hydrogen
splitters; hovertruck allows them to ignore crumbling infrastructure
77–78 — — — Neurohacking psychiatrist who treats patients by installing nanotech in their brain
79–80 — — — Old war vet with residual failing combat prosthetics, but sometimes
still can enter bullet‑time combat mode
81 — — — Youngster constantly plugged into a VR starship piloting game
82–83 — — — Deposed Queen of the Moon looking for work
84 — — — Geneticist whose gain‑of‑function viral research caused the plague that wiped out the Mars colony
85–86 — — — Confused astronaut from the 1960s; the last thing they remember is
a bright flash during a ground test of their spacecraft
180
 87 — — — Rebel recruiter looking to sign up people to help topple the current
power structure in favor of letting the AI run everything
88–89 — — — Fully augmented android “armored” in a massive battle mech; looking for a place to get a drink
90 — — — Drug dealer whose pick‑me‑ups and take‑me‑downs work only in VR
91–92 — — 01–08 Woman addicted to chewing an alien leaf that turns her lips purple
93 — — 09–16 Alien with no arms but an extendable, prehensile tendril in a cavity in its head
94–95 — — 17–24 Purple alien with purple clothing and equipment that surreptitiously
attempts to dye its surroundings the same color
96–97 — — 25–32 Robot is also a refrigerator, happy to hand out cold ones to all who thirst
98 — — 33–40 Nine-foot (2.5 m) tall purple alien who communicates using secreted
aromas that range from pleasant to disgusting
99–00 — — 41–49 Detective whose robot sidekick is a flying crimson sphere that likes to blare sirens and flash lights
— 01–03 — — Shapeshifting alien whose appearance is dictated by the thoughts of those nearby
— 04–06 — — Alien appears human but is actually a shell filled with a colony of fungus
— 07–09 — — Levitating crystal that speaks telepathically
— 10–12 — — Alien is actually two distinct beings fused together
— 13–15 — — Cyborg with parts clearly cobbled from a government warship, still emblazoned with their symbols
— 16–18 — — Man willing to set himself on fire to be more intimidating in battle
— 19–21 — — Soldier from a theocratic society relies on prayer drugs to augment his body
— 22–24 — — Mentalist creates webs of psychic energy to trap people or connect them telepathically
— 25–27 — — Alien that eats cybernetic implants
— 28–30 — — Alien that can heal with a touch, but someone nearby suffers pain and weakness
— 31–33 — — Android is actually a drone for an intelligent starship in orbit
— 34–36 — — Synthetic suit filled with about a dozen furry, many‑armed aliens that act as one being
— 37–39 — — Cyborg carries an interdimensional door in its palm through which
it sometimes confers with intelligent cockroaches
— 40–42 — — Alien colony organism that looks like a writhing mass of yellow worms
— 43–45 — — Cyborg whose organic parts have died but is still clumsily functioning
— 46–48 — — Woman looking for her brother who disappeared into a spatial warp
— 49–51 — — Alien humanoid with transparent skin allowing others to see the
symbiotic, lamprey-like beings moving about its organs
— 52–54 — — Woman looking to find someone to murder her clone
— 55–57 — — Alien appears human but takes in food and liquid by absorbing it through their skin
— 58–60 — — Alien looks like a human but with four arms; one arm is elaborately tattooed
— 61–63 — — Man with an entire nation of microscopic beings on his face;
you can see some of the structures they’ve built
— 64–66 — — Obelisk of alien stone with a graven face of a human; intelligent and moves by hovering
— 67–69 — — Woman can extend filaments from her hands to infest and control mechanical devices
— 70–72 — — Humanoid alien with multiple arms radiating from its neck
— 73–75 — — Flesh‑android constructed fully from synthetic “meat” (is a vegan)
— 76–78 — — Masked man with an equation holstered at his belt; he is better at math than you
— 79–81 — — Reconstructed personality of moral philosopher Adam Smith (writer of The Wealth
of Nations); sometimes commandeers mobile electronic devices as avatars
— 82–84 — 50–58 Small game device has achieved sentience
— 85–88 — 59–66 Alien that feeds on colors
— 89–91 — 67–75 Uplifted cat with cybernetic arms with hands
— 92–94 — 76–83 Perfect clone of one PC that they didn’t know about
— 95–97 — 84–92 Superintelligent gorilla who can speak (with a proper British accent)
and has patented an innovative style of monocle
— 98–00 — 93–00 Alien being composed of bluish gas; carried in glass bubble by talkative old woman
— — 01–10 — Intelligent star that communicates via fluctuations in surface luminosity
Weird at the Core

— — 11–20 — Woman controlled by two warring energy beings

— — 21–30 — Robot haunted by ghosts that are possessed by demons
— — 31–40 — Three glowing green dots, moving as if directed from an invisible laser
pointer; multiplies to form green glowing words to communicate
— — 41–50 — Mind‑wiped body of a condemned criminal now holding a newly decanted intelligence from another world
— — 51–60 — Half-mile (800 m) long living barnacle-like alien adapted to outer space
— — 61–70 — Average‑looking humanoid that’s actually an android remotely controlled from another timeline
— — 71–80 — Rude, but highly evolved sentient math equation most beings cannot
perceive (due to lack of awareness, rather than ability)
— — 81–90 — Woman with plasma torch implants instead of incisors
— — 91–00 — An instance of the awakened fungus Armillaria embodied in a
special body prosthesis customized for fungus
181
 Underwater adventures are often
already atypical. Make yours even
more interesting with one or more
of these locations.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Cave that is constantly changing shape due to tectonic and volcanic activity affecting it
04–06 — — — Trench that descends nearly 7 miles (11 km) below the surface
07–09 — — — Cavity where sharks paint the walls with streaks of ochre mud using their fins, creating cave art
10–12 — — — Prison where air‑breathing inmates are fitted with purposefully clunky, prone‑to‑breaking‑down breathers
13–15 — — — Forest of cnidarians (sea fans, sea whips, jellyfish, and so on)
16–18 — — — Graveyard of drowned humans, preserved and “artfully” arranged to float at different levels
based on the length of chain connecting them to the seafloor or anchor
19–21 — — — Nadir of an ever‑swirling whirlpool
22–24 — — — Reverse tower descending into the sea
25–26 — — — Whale graveyard
27–29 — — — Contemporary city drowned by rising seas
30–32 — — — Classical amphitheater
33–35 — — — Graveyard of hundreds, maybe thousands, of sunken ships from every time period within a gargantuan underwater cavern
36–38 — — — Mining installation with facilities to keep air‑breathing miners alive for months at a time
39–41 — — — Penguin hut built from fish bones containing bubbles of trapped air
42–44 — — — Cavern whose interior walls and ceiling are smothered in slowly crawling sea stars, each bearing a single central eye
45–47 — — — Cavern covered in glowing yellow crystal outcrops
48–50 — — — Secret science base run by a shady corporation
51–53 — — — Stonehenge‑like ancient structure, but larger and submerged for thousands of years
54–56 — — — Breeding reef for goblin sharks
57–58 — — — Region covered in a heap of illegally dumped barrels containing radioactive waste
59–60 — — — Covered in giant kelp‑like plants that “burp” human‑sized bubbles of gas,
easily mistaken for breathable air but actually poisonous
61–63 — — — Ever‑burning purple flame that (instead of smoke) creates hard foamlike chunks of brittle
stone that litter the area and trail off in the direction the current flows
64–66 — — — Large flat area with a black and white chessboard that’s occupied by sea‑themed
playing pieces (seahorses for knights, dolphins for bishops, and so on)
67–69 — — — Open temple with tall pillars and a central shrine to a humanoid figure
built out of bones, shells, and other debris
70–71 — — — Gigantic whale carcass, half‑rotted and riddled with forearm‑sized bullets; it
supports a thriving ecology of scavengers and opportunists
72–74 — — — Half‑size duplicate of a well‑known statue or monument on the surface world
75–77 — — — Rolling plain dotted with house‑sized mirrors,
partially obscured by sand and organic debris
78–80 — — — Dumping ground for damaged, cracked, and otherwise ruined spherical diving bells,
all of which have obviously been dragged here from elsewhere
81–83 — — 01–09 Large castle made of coral and inhabited by a vampire
84–86 — — 10–18 Plaza featuring a “fountain” that sprays colorful, heavier‑than‑water sands
87–89 — — 19–26 Submerged facility offering medical procedures to give humans gills
90–92 — — 27–34 Market staffed primarily by intelligent human‑sized crabs
Weird at the Core

93–94 — — 35–42 Seamount carved to resemble a massive lobster

95–97 — — 43–50 “Dance” hall for scuba divers
98–00 — — 51–58 Amusement park that was above water
before it sank and was abandoned
— 01–03 — — Constructed single‑room space filled with air
where a particular population of fish execute
their society’s wrongdoers
— 04–05 — — Chasm where a nuclear test was held;
all the creatures here are clearly showing
signs of mutation, including extra eyes,
limbs, and heads

182
— 06–07 — — Castle shrunk to fit inside a drop of water
— 08–10 — — Tavern that serves underwater species alcoholic
drinks in sealed containers
— 11–13 — — Bubble of blue‑green water about 30 miles (48 km) in diameter floating in space, filled with life
— 14–15 — — Wreck of a spacecraft, some sections open to water, other parts still sealed
— 16–18 — — Temperature‑controlled, pressure‑controlled, highly oxygenated “corridor” of water through the coldest, darkest deeps
— 19–20 — — Forest of jagged metal fronds hunted by eel‑like creatures with dozens of glowing eyes set along their fins
— 21–23 — — Still‑pressurized cabin of a sunken submarine sitting on the seafloor, haunted
by ghosts of the crew that died of cold and starvation
— 24–25 — — Fortress made of unmelting ice inhabited by robots designed to jet quickly through the water
— 26–28 — — City of intelligent octopuses
— 29–30 — — Cave lair of yellow‑haired water spiders the size of dolphins that snag prey on land, then
transport them to the cave to “cure” them in loops of waterproof webbing
— 31–32 — — Sunken wreck of a massive warship that’s “crewed” by human corpses in rotting uniform; the
corpses are controlled by squid‑like creatures who call the wreck “Gift That Fell”
— 33–35 — — Gestation vault filled with translucent eggs in which translucent‑skinned humans lie unmoving
— 36–37 — — Crystal sculpture garden that accurately models many different solar systems; it’s maintained by intelligent jellyfish
— 38–40 — — Massive pyramid topped with a golden metallic point that sometimes discharges yellow electrical bolts through the water
— 41–42 — — Colossal plastic cube covered in a close‑fitting metallic net; it periodically and randomly
creates sea surges that grow to become tsunamis that crash on distant shores
— 43–44 — — Cemetery where corpses are frozen into blocks of metallic ice
— 45–47 — — Maze of drowned tunnels haunted by a robot shark
— 48–49 — — Drifting, miles‑wide iceberg whose lower, submerged regions contain passages tunneled
by technological aliens whose machinery keeps the iceberg from melting
— 50–51 — — Region where the water is stained a translucent red and maintains itself as
a continuous unit, defying regular underwater currents
— 52–54 — — Coliseum where undersea monsters fight each other for merpeople
— 55–56 — — Fungus garden; ingesting the right kind gives visions of living a life beneath the waves,
while ingesting the wrong kind infests eaters’ brains with fungus
— 57–59 — — Burial mound of an unknown prehistoric civilization
— 60–62 — — Mt. Rushmore‑sized set of humanoid faces carved into the sides of a deep ravine
— 63–65 — — Acres of cairns, each marked with a headstone and covering the remains of a human‑sized octopus
— 66–68 — — One-mile (1.6 km) long hemispherical replica of the moon (lying on its flat side, round side up)
— 69–70 — — Platoon of human zombies wearing similar clothing; they’re pale and bloated, but they’re still waiting for orders
— 71–73 — — Warm area around an active hellmouth, dotted with corpses of air‑breathing demons who passed through it and drowned here
— 74–75 — — Series of stone pylons that bounce bubble rings off of each other like a strange game of “hot potato”
— 76–78 — — House‑sized chunk of burning metal, with flames continuously shifting across
its surface; oxygen is depleted in the nearby water
— 79–80 — — Hydrothermal vents surrounded by red and white feathery worms; if disturbed,
the worms contort to look like eels, squares, or faces
— 81–83 — — Ancient dragon that was turned to stone and broken into several large parts from impacting the ground
— 84–85 — — Castle‑sized bubble with rippling edges that’s actually a spherical portal to a location 200 feet (60 m) in the air
— 86–88 — 59–67 Inside a building‑sized clamshell
— 89–91 — 68–75 Temple of living coral inhabited by orca wearing seashell adornments, apparently in worship of a massive sea anemone
Weird at the Core

— 92–94 — 76–83 Buried city of intelligent snail‑like creatures with translucent shells and branched tails that can be
used like fingers; they breed “smart coral” to achieve amazing technological heights
— 95–97 — 84–92 Kelp forest tended by turtle people
— 98–00 — 93–00 Region along the seafloor where house‑sized sponges grow
— — 01–25 — Hidden city built into the walls of a deep‑sea trench where evolved species
of dinosaurs took refuge from the mass extinction event
— — 26–50 — Metallic island visible on the surface; it’s merely the tip of a massive, drowned metal sculpture of a strange humanoid entity
— — 51–75 — City of R’lyeh
— — 76–00 — Trench where pressure is many times higher than normal; anything dropped in it is crushed down to subatomic dust

183
 No one is going to take on a quest to throw that object into a volcano. That thing is not going
to change the world. There might be some magic in it, or there might not. (Feel free to add
"supposedly" to any item description here that breaks your campaign’s reality too much.) These
are the interesting but not powerful objects that a character might encounter in a game.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Backpack with a number of secret compartments
02–03 — — — Teapot with a hidden reservoir for poison
04–05 — — — Bottle of pills that says, “Do not take”
06–07 — — — Chair held together by powerful magnets
08–09 — — — Deck of cards that can be read only underwater
10–11 — — — Bag of tools meant to be attached to the ends of tentacles
12–13 — — — Self‑propelled skateboard
14–15 — — — Shirt made from the skin of a ghost
16–17 — — — Cell phone that conceals a switchblade knife
18–19 — — — Mutation‑o‑meter
20–21 — — — Cemetery ladder; it’s reserved for restless spirits
22–23 — — — Plastic wrap that cools whatever it covers
24 — — — Syringe for feeding parasites
25–26 — — — Can of instant campfire
27–28 — — — Radio that plays only weird transmissions
29–30 — — — Exploding tin of strong mints; it’s all the rage for spies
31–32 — — — Shin guards advertised to protect the owners of big dogs from happy whacking tails
33–34 — — — Tabletop RPG supplement filled with weird topics
35–36 — — — Keyboard that makes clown noises instead of clacking when keys are pressed
37–38 — — — Slide whistle whose sound is somehow erotic
39–40 — — — Under‑car harness, designed to hold a person safely under a moving vehicle
41–42 — — — Purple spectacles through which everyone appears without body hair
43–44 — — — Mobile phone case that punitively shuts on owner’s fingers if they’ve
spent too much time goofing around on the internet
45 — — — Fungus bandages designed to promote healing, but they look horrific
46 — — — Mouthguard for beginner vampires
47–48 — — — Bell that induces hunger in those who hear it ring
49–50 — — — Dog mask that barks and growls
51 — — — Bigfoot suit; it’s a bit musty
52–53 — — — Hammer that is basically harmless against flesh
54–55 — — — Pitch‑black contacts that allow the wearer to see the emotional state of anything in view
56–57 — — — Lick‑and‑stick temporary tattoo sheet that also contains a hallucinogen
58 — — — Phone camera attachment that takes pictures that ignore the subjects’ skins
59 — — — Mouth prosthetic worn to guarantee ability to reproduce the Castilian lisp
60–61 — — — Stuffed chupacabra
Weird at the Core

62 — — — Clown wig, nose, and shoes

63–64 — — — Telescoping rod for tipping cows
65–66 — — — Toddler hood; put it over the baby’s head when they’re crying to
calm them (it doesn’t cover the mouth or nose)
67 — — — Self‑cleaning socks
68 — — — Wooden doll with two heads
69 — — — Prescription bottle filled with live maggots
70–71 — — — Wrapper with used gum that always tastes fresh
72–73 — — — Coin that picks up local radio signals when held in your mouth
74 — — — Blanket that muffles sound

184
75–76 — — — Möbius strip with a never‑ending list of capybara facts and real‑life murder descriptions
77 — — — Well‑cut car keys that (usually) can start most cars, at least for a few minutes
78–79 — — — Alarming zine about how a major media company uses subliminal messaging
80 — — — Travel‑sized pack of cotton balls full of spider eggs
81–82 — — — Cheat booklet of video game maps that match up to interesting buildings
83 — — — Pair of nice leather gloves that make the wearer’s right hand twitchy
84–85 — — — Boots with a built‑in holy water sprayer
86 — — — Piano with alchemical symbols on the keys
87 — — — Beautiful red gold ring that leaves a permanent red gold mark on the wearer’s skin
88–89 — — — Calabash pipe engraved with the word “CROATOAN”
90 — 01–13 — Mobile phone loaded up with dozens of cursed videos
91–92 — — 01–09 Chicken slippers; they warm your feet, and sometimes lay eggs
93 — — 10–18 Protective mirror‑bright ant spray; it keeps ants safe from kids with magnifying glasses
94 — — 19–27 Cute doll with a dangerously strong hydraulic grip
95–96 — — 28–36 Wearable prehensile bunny ears
97–98 — — 37–46 Self‑propelling ball that bonks anyone that tells a pun
99–00 — — 47–55 Potato with eyes that move to look at nearby things
— 01–04 — — Mallet made of stone but as light as wood
— 05–09 — — Lantern that doesn’t shed light, but nullifies it
— 10–14 — — Book written in colors
— 15–18 — — Knife covered with moss like an old rock (which always returns even if cleaned)
— 19–22 — — Babysitter chain; it keeps unruly children in place
— 23–27 — — Margarita pitcher that transforms any liquid poured into it (except lime juice and tequila) to blood
— 28–31 — — Mirror that slowly creeps around on walls and floors, on spider legs, unless tethered
— 32–35 — — Sports coat that slims and lengthens the wearer; it becomes dangerous if worn too long
— 36–40 — — Stethoscope that reads thoughts
— 41–44 — — Grave marker with an AI simulation of a dead person’s personality;
they’re able to hold a realistic conversation
— 45–48 — — Gloves made of jellyfish tissue that grant the wearer a stinging touch
— 49–53 — — Ghost spray; a spiritual repellent that keeps murderous ghosts at bay
— 54–57 — — Pill that disengages the part of the brain that paralyzes the body during dreams
— 58–62 — — Prosthetic made from a still‑living tentacle
— 63–66 — — Wind‑up watch that counts time remaining in the wearer’s life
— 67–71 — — Earplugs that also give the user the sensation of eating ice cream
— 72–76 — — Duck call that makes a noise unlike any creature’s call, ever
— 77–81 — — Can of spray paint that changes color every few minutes
— 82–86 — — Bullhorn with a dial to add various accents
— 87–90 — — Carton of child’s clay that becomes as hard as steel when exposed to strong sunlight
— 91–95 — — Battered compass that points toward Lake Verret, Louisiana
— 96–00 — 56–64 Toy‑sized car that is actually a real, perfectly miniaturized vehicle
— — 14–26 — Oven that turns anything cooked within it into cake
— — 27–38 — Piece of candy possessed by a demon
— — 39–50 — Intelligent brick with eyes and a photographic memory
— — 51–62 — Lawn mower fueled by meat
— — 63–74 — Food tin showing a happy smiling family;
small print reveals the processed
Weird at the Core

— — 75–87
meat slab inside is made from them
— Penny that randomly adds
The Cave
razor blades to nearby candy Two teenagers return to town from
— — 88–00 65–73 Picture frame that shows hiking in the nearby hills. They report that they
image taken from one of the came upon a cave they’d never seen before, even
viewer’s most recent dreams though it lay in an area they’ve explored before. The
— — — 74–82 Box that opens only cave is filled with colorful cardboard boxes of different
when fed soup sizes and shapes and they claim they didn’t open any
— — — 83–91 Utterly indestructible boxes or take anything from the cave (evidence suggests
frying pan
otherwise). Further investigation reveals that all boxes seem
— — — 92–00 Earthworm elongator
to be filled with different objects of brightly colored plastic and
metal, but so far no one has been able to identify any of them.
185
 All forms of government are pretty weird
if you think about it. Might as well choose
one of these weird ones rather than just
making yet another hereditary monarchy.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Robots seized power when the revolution came, but unexpectedly,
they didn’t kill off or enslave the humans
04–06 — — — Land is ruled by the religious leaders of a faith no one follows anymore
07–08 — — — Random individual drawn by lottery once every year from the entire population of adults in the country
09–10 — — — Ruling council of twelve; the degree of influence that each possesses
waxes and wanes according to the constellations
11–12 — — — Political parties earn “ruling dollars,” based on their share of the vote, and use them
in a high‑stakes game of poker in which the winner forms the government
13–15 — — — The people all cast their votes for their head of state, but the top
six candidates then have to fight it out in the arena
16–17 — — — Oldest person in the land selects all those who hold political offices of any sort
18–20 — — — Any who can slay the demon dragon Philgus shall rule the kingdom, but no one has succeeded yet
21–22 — — — Run by four different families, each ascending to prominence for six years before one of
the other three takes their position in a pattern laid out thousands of years ago
23–24 — — — All the leadership positions are filled by people who have at least five children, at
least one of whom is forced to work in one of the society’s most dangerous roles
25–26 — — — Hereditary monarchy, but it always skips a generation
27–28 — — — Ruling council where each member belongs to a culture that
was once conquered by a now long‑gone empire
29–30 — — — Each leader is replaced by the person who kills them, but only
if they are killed by a very specific sort of poison
31–32 — — — Ruled by the weak, the meek, and the humble, for only they can be fair to all (or at least that’s the idea)
33–34 — — — Each monarch chooses a replacement from the pool of all
people who have no direct relationship to them
35–37 — — — Best comedians are selected to hold office
38–39 — — — Government service is based on seniority, so you work your way up to president
from where you started, like sewer cleaner, ditch digger, etc.
40–41 — — — Leadership changes once a week, so in theory everyone might get a chance to lead the government
42–44 — — — Everyone votes on every single issue; it’s a nightmare
45–47 — — — Leaders are chosen solely from rehabilitated prisoners
48–49 — — — Chancellor is chosen from among the greatest thieves in the land; ultimately determined
by a series of increasingly difficult challenges that test the candidates’ thieving skills
50–51 — — — Anarchy: no centralized authority, just whatever people want to do
52–53 — — — Ruled by a drinking (and governing) club that meets every Thursday
54–55 — — — Ruled by whichever warlord has lately seized power
56–57 — — — Every few years, a civics test is distributed; those who perform best either
are put in a position of power or retain their current one
58–60 — — — Puerarchy: a government composed of children
61–63 — — — Physicians govern, attempting to do no harm and promoting a society free of pain
64–65 — — — Culture that reveres ancestors chooses foundlings to lead
because they don’t have any birth‑family biases
Weird at the Core

66–67 — — — Candidates are automatically disqualified if they haven’t lived in poverty for the past year
68–69 — — — Leaders must be able to recite the country’s constitution from memory; whoever
gets the furthest without making an error rules for the next two years
70–72 — — — Only a person who was born on the first day of the year and who is a
specific age (currently 34) is allowed to lead; when they step down, the age
requirement for the next leader drops by one (33, then 32, and so on)
73–74 — — — Chosen leaders must remain nude for the duration of their time
in office, regardless of the weather or other factors
75–76 — — — Thirty citizens are chosen at random, and then that council votes out their own members until
there are only seven left; these seven hand‑pick an additional seven, then those fourteen elect
a leader from their ranks, and the remaining thirteen advise the leader on all matters
77–79 — — — Every crafting guild chooses one representative on a governmental council, and
186 the council elects a triumvirate to rule the country for three years
80–81 — — — Council of people who have given birth to at least three children; each has
a number of votes equal to their number of living children
82–83 — — — Council of representatives conducts a census every seven years; this census
determines the ethnic populations in the country, which determines how many
people each ethnic group gets to choose for the next council cycle
84–86 — — 01–09 In accordance with the prophecy, once each generation a girl with a
birthmark shaped like a dragonfly is sought out and elevated
87–88 — — 10–18 Ruling class are all people who prove their excellence in a complex, strategic board game
89–90 — — 19–27 Lottery is held; the winner picks someone who then picks someone
else to be the leader and appoint all other offices
91–92 — — 28–36 Leader gets a 1-inch (3 cm) square tattoo every day; they must
step down when they have no more uninked skin
93–95 — — 37–45 Natural redheads are considered touched by the gods and are the only people allowed to lead
96–98 — — 46–54 Council of dhampirs represents the living and undead citizens from a position of neutrality
99–00 — — 55–63 Most massive person becomes the leader; this policy leads some candidates to swallow
metal nuggets to artificially (but legally) increase their apparent mass
— 01–05 — — Voice that comes up out of the hole in the old temple sometimes and issues decrees that must be obeyed
— 06–09 — — Many positions of power are held by shape‑shifting reptilian humanoids who pose as regular people
— 10–14 — — Major decisions are played out by dozens of randomly determined,
pre‑registered tabletop RPG groups first before being enacted
— 15–18 — — All positions of power are held by androids built specifically for those roles
— 19–22 — — The richest people form the government, but once they take a
seat of power they must give up all their wealth
— 23–26 — — All citizens enter a psychic fugue state when an important decision
needs to be made so that it is made by a single fused mind
— 27–30 — — Figurehead ruler is selected by lottery; the real power is held by mysterious aliens
— 31–35 — — Cynarchy: a pack of dogs rules
— 36–39 — — Pronouncements ring out from a series of huge, widely distributed, black marble cubes
in an echoing voice that each person hears as the voice of a departed loved one
— 40–43 — — Leaders are cryogenically frozen for sixty years and then thawed to serve; theoretically, this
reduces corruption because their businesses and families have moved on without them
— 44–47 — — Councilors are constantly kept high from a drug that gives mental clarity
and empathy, but there is a high risk of lethal overdoses
— 48–51 — — Candidates must win a costume contest where they dress as one of the
country’s founding nobles; the judges are the ghosts of those nobles
— 52–55 — — Mysterious golden crystal emits a deadly radiation, but those who
survive gain mutations and are given leadership roles
— 56–59 — — All public servants must be a direct descendant of a particularly fecund immortal
— 60–63 — — Ruled by hereditary priests of a minor goddess of politics (the pantheon and people respect
her, but she has almost no authority outside the direct application of political power)
— 64–68 — — Nonbinary immortal being chooses a mortal to lead; that mortal then rules for
the duration of their life and also becomes the immortal’s spouse
— 69–72 — — Leader must have served in the country’s military; however, upon taking office, they
must sever their dominant hand and swear on pain of death never to initiate war
— 73–76 01–10 — Heads of state are literally preserved heads in vats; magic keeps them animate enough to govern
— 77–80 11–20 — Head of state is an immortal god who has grown senile and cranky
— 81–84 21–30 — Monarch must swallow six magic (and semi‑sentient) stones that give them varied
powers relating to leadership and law; however, the stones can tear themselves free if
they sense the monarch is corrupt or acting against the collective will of the people
— 85–88 — 64–72 A god comes down from on high and anoints seven different people who then form a ruling council
— 89–92 — 73–82 The true rulers are cats, but the cats’ dictates are interpreted by their human handlers
— 93–96 — 83–91 President remains as head of the government as long as they can
survive in the very haunted presidential mansion
— 97–00 — 92–00 Once every ten years, the Great Blue Tree produces seeds; anyone who can manage
Weird at the Core

to grow a new sapling from one of these seeds is made emperor for ten years
— — 31–40 — Candidates are sent hurtling into the multiverse; the first to return gets to be king or queen
— — 41–50 — Leaders are appointed by a hereditary monarch, but the leaders serve by
being killed so that their ghosts actually hold the position
— — 51–60 — Single artificial intelligence runs everything, but if they ever make an error, they are destroyed and
reality resets back to when they were first built so that whatever caused the error can be corrected
— — 61–70 — People are sent into the future, and then they return to guide society
with the information they learned during their time travels
— — 71–80 — Prime minister is elected for life from a pool of willing candidates, but
if they ever make a mistake, they are executed horribly
— — 81–90 — Edicts are handed down by a council of angels and demons
— — 91–00 — Candidates must voluntarily submit to a series of tortures; only those who
complete all six painful mutilations are judged worthy to lead 187
 Curses are a mainstay of fantasy, but sometimes
it’s hard to come up with something beyond “doom
for you and yours” or some such. Below are ideas
for truly odd and interesting curses brought on
by magic, misdeeds, or magical misdeeds.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Requires and craves sugar as strongly and as needfully as a vampire craves blood
04–06 — — — Unless and until a mental puzzle is solved each morning, they are unable to move
07–08 — — — Akin to lycanthropy, but they grow smaller and more cockroach‑like
09–11 — — — Becomes mute for several minutes or hours whenever they cast a spell or interact with a magic object or feature
12–13 — — — Slowly but ceaselessly grows excess skin, to the point of immobility if not periodically cut off
14–16 — — — Always sees their own face as that of their most hated enemy when they look into a mirror
17–19 — — — Everyone always loses track of them, forgetting that they’re in a room or nearby unless routinely reminded
20–21 — — — If they aren’t strapped down when they sleep, their sleepwalking form rises and tries to jump from the highest nearby point
22–24 — — — Whenever they successfully avoid a magic attack, the magic bounces to attack their nearest ally
25–27 — — — Falls under the secret command of an evil dragon set on conquest
28–30 — — — Haunted by a water spirit that continually whispers urges to return to the sea
31–33 — — — Beverages all taste like vinegar to them
34–36 — — — Occasionally possessed by a ghost that works against their ideals until they can regain control of their body again
37–39 — — — Cannot hear, except when holding their breath
40–41 — — — Sees everyone else’s face as undifferentiated blank expanse of skin
42–43 — — — Their touch kills dogs, cats, and other small animals that seek human contact
44–46 — — — Plagued with radical honesty; no white lie is too small to be ignored and corrected
47–49 — — — Doomed to detest the silken, creamy glory that is mayonnaise
50–51 — — — Can’t help but renege on any promises or agreements they make
52–54 — — — Becomes invisible at inconvenient and dangerous times, such as when crossing a busy
intersection, when they’re trying to get someone’s attention, and so on
55–57 — — — Can’t sense loved ones
58–59 — — — Remembers events only up until the moment they were cursed; after that, they
can remember events only for about ten minutes before their memory resets
60–62 — — — Forced to become human (for an animal or other nonhuman victim)
63–65 — — — Rendered mute each time they try to say something kind or helpful
66–68 — — — Hears the same line of a song in their head over and over and over
69–70 — — — Grows lighter and lighter over time until they have a negative weight
71–72 — — — Feels ten times the discomfort or pain from hot and cold temperatures
73–75 — — — Their mother now hates them
76–78 — — — Their land is constantly plagued by poor weather
79–81 — — — Anything they make turns out poorly
82–84 — — 01–06 Their sleep is filled with such wonderful dreams and
contentment that they never desire to leave bed
85–87 — — 07–12 Develops an overpowering, hysterical fear of sheep
88–89 — — 13–18 Compelled to spend all their waking hours making shoes for ants
90–91 — — 19–24 Smells like rotten eggs and skunk spray to everyone but themself
92–94 — — 25–30 Sings anything they say
95–97 — — 31–35 Ages hours or days each time they feel joy
Weird at the Core

98–00 — — 36–41 Must always speak in rhyme

— 01–03 — — At unpredictable times, a great demonic fist slams down from on high to flatten them
— 04–06 — — Any time they are magically healed, the portion of affected skin grows back with purple scales
— 07–08 — — Whenever they steal, loot, or salvage something that doesn’t belong to them,
purulent sores leaking clear fluid open up across their skin
— 09–11 — — Draws the notice and ire of any ghost in the area
— 12–13 — — Their continued presence in an area draws an ever more devastating sandstorm until they move on
— 14–15 — — Face is erased, leaving only tiny pinholes for eyes, ears, nostrils, and a mouth on a blank expanse
— 16–18 — — Turns into a statue in bright light; is contagious
— 19–21 — — Malevolent supernatural forces compel them to subconsciously etch strange
runes onto every surface unless they constantly concentrate
188
— 22–24 — — Their touch causes gold to dissolve
— 25–27 — — Becomes a mannequin during the day and can operate as a person only at night
— 28–30 — — Unable to say or write a specific (but likely important) word
— 31–33 — — Rash forms threatening words on their skin: “SATAN CLAIMS THIS ONE”
— 34–36 — — Solid surfaces give way to their tread as if they were walking on a 6-inch (15 cm) layer of sucking mud
— 37–38 — — Hands replaced with thin metal tongs
— 39–41 — — Surrounded by deafeningly loud engine noise
— 42–44 — — Specific vicious bird follows and harasses them, reappearing every day even if killed
— 45–47 — — Turns to stone at 23 years of age; is hereditary
— 48–49 — — Teeth begin falling out; when each finally does, it transforms into a vicious, enamel‑covered scorpion
— 50–52 — — Dies in a bloody fashion and their ghost is forced to haunt the bloodstain
— 53–55 — — Becomes the target of a vengeful clan of vampires
— 56–58 — — Anytime something fortunate or lucky happens to them, a friend, family
member, or associate (current or past) suffers a calamity
— 59–61 — — Can’t leave a specified 10‑foot (3 m) square area of their own volition , and will wake up there again each morning if removed
— 62–64 — — Cannot see or hear people of a gender other than their own
— 65–66 — — Gains several pounds every day
— 67–69 — — Has constant visions of a violent and disturbing future, and they’re always wrong
— 70–71 — — Their country is attacked by its enemies
— 72–74 — — Obnoxious birds follow them wherever they go, stealing things, making noise, and befouling the area
— 75–76 01–07 — Surprisingly flammable; their skin additionally melts like wax in the presence of a flame
— 77–78 08–13 — Periodically gives birth (regardless of gender) to weird, milk‑colored snakes
— 79–81 14–20 — Has the power to attempt one wish a day, but the results always have unintended, unfortunate consequences
— 82–83 21–27 — Skin lesions form, swell, and pop to release crawling ticks that reinfest them or spread to those nearby
— 84–86 28–34 — Attracts and causes chaotic, disruptive events, from restaurant fires to angry gremlin invasions
— 87–88 — 42–46 Whatever they eat changes as they chew or swallow into squirming, odiferous, rancid‑tasting bugs
— 89–91 — 47–52 Can no longer perceive their dearest love in any way and, furthermore, has no memory of them anymore
— 92–94 — 53–58 Whenever they ask for help, they turn into a frog and cannot return to normal until they significantly help someone else
— 95–97 — 59–64 Body slows down, skin roughens, and hair turns greenish, until eventually they
are transformed into a gnarled tree that roots itself in place
— 98–00 — 65–70 Each day they wake as a new random animal
— — 35–41 — Eyes periodically transform into small birds and fly off unless caged in the eye socket
— — 42–47 — Head continues to double in size each day, and while they continue to live, they soon do not live well
— — 48–53 — Skin becomes so adhesive that dropping objects or even walking is very difficult
— — 54–60 — Has not one, but two forms of lycanthropy, so they are a werewolf and a werebear, each with its own rules
— — 61–67 — Each day they don’t tell their demonic companion a new joke that the demon finds funny, it
bites off another piece of their flesh, starting with fingertips and working up
— — 68–73 — Polyp growing on their skin is actually a “bud” of them that eventually splits off into a new, hateful version
— — 74–79 — Can be nourished only by eating excrement
— — 80–86 — Each day they wake up in the body of another random person who also suffers the same curse
— — 87–93 — Keeps them alive but doesn’t alleviate wounds, suffering, or aging; over time, they are more and more afflicted
— — 94–00 71–76 Whenever they defecate, the poo eventually animates and transforms into a grubby little, trouble‑making fey creature
— — — 77–82 Everyone they know learns their deepest secret
— — — 83–88 Can no longer hear music
— — — 89–94 Becomes the hated enemy of houses, apartments, and other domiciles
— — — 95–00 Every night, they are visited with a wonderful dream that always ends too soon
Weird at the Core

The Message
An envelope arrives, delivered by courier from an expensive and speedy service. The address is
correct, but the name on it, Sigmund, matches none who reside there. Once opened, its brief
message reads: “Once [PC name–preferably an occupant of the house] and [other PCs’ names] are
dead, you can begin digging up the treasure in the basement and then bury their bodies in the hole
you make. If anyone asks, just say that the former occupants sold the house to you, left town in
a hurry, and that’s all you know.” It is signed, “Miriam.” It’s only then that the reader might
notice the message is dated one week in the future.
189
 om?
magic come fr e?
Where does er d r iv
the hyp
What powers erson lift a bus
th at p
How can ? Use this li
st to
ei r h ead
over th n ea r thly
here the u
determine w ates fr o m .
power origin
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Ancient repository for nuclear waste
03–05 — — — Energy released at need when specifically kilned and
dyed polyhedron‑shaped pottery is shattered
06–07 — — — Rage produced by an internet troll’s posts
08–10 — — — The jalopy Old Man Reynolds renovated; that last upgrade changed everything
11–12 — — — Seventeen specific items of clothing (hat, pair of shoes, necklace,
and so on) fashioned by a mysterious clothier
13–14 — — — That purplish mold that grows just above the baseboards
15–16 — — — Specific ululation that’s hard to reproduce, but it sounds something
like an ancient Swedish herding call to bring in the cows
17–18 — — — Ice
19–20 — — — Teeth collected from executed murderers
21–22 — — — Umbilical cords
23–24 — — — Bluish fungus that grows on Mars in the permafrost
25–26 — — — Particular strain of COVID-19 that was caught
27–29 — — — Obscure song that exists only on the physical albums
made from a few dozen original presses
30–31 — — — The Large Hadron Collider
32–33 — — — Palindromes
34–35 — — — Found poetry
36–37 — — — Alliteration
38–40 — — — Social media dislikes
41–43 — — — Hidden wavelength of light found only
when using a specific prism
44–45 — — — Delicious curry from one specific
failing restaurant
46–47 — — — Conflict diamonds
48–49 — — — Your perfectly groomed and styled hair
50–51 — — — Flames of fire fueled by burning
first editions of famous books
52–54 — — — Two‑dollar bills
55–56 — — — Social media followers
57–58 — — — Cigarettes
59–60 — — — Erotic dreams
61–63 — — — Lucky dice
64–65 — — — Lead paint
66–67 — — — Cosmetic surgery
68–69 — — — Eyeballs
70–72 — 01–08 — Teen angst, especially that produced by witches
73–74 — — 01–05 Honey from beehives whose drone workers collected
nectar from specially grown fields
75–76 — — 06–10 Morning dew collected from the carapace of a specific kind of desert spider
77–78 — — 11–15 White‑hot hatred between two betta fish kept in separate but adjoining tanks
Weird at the Core

79–80 — — 16–20 Cognitive dissonance created when the caster juxtaposes their strong
views against animal cruelty versus their love of cheeseburgers
81–83 — — 21–25 Coffee
84–85 — — 26–30 Dried and ground-up faeries snorted like an inhaled drug
86–88 — — 31–35 Seven consecutive nights of visiting each of the Three
Mountains of Oblivion while dreaming
89–91 — — 36–40 Music played and heard backward
92–93 — — 41–45 Excised memories burned in special flames
94–96 — — 46–50 Thirtieth day of February
97–98 — — 51–55 Talking bullfrog named Hullabaloo who’s also known for his chain-smoking
99–00 — — 56–59 Paste made from crushed snails and spiders
— 01–03 — — Fickle attention of a patron in a demonic realm
190 — 04–05 — — Singular book of spells passed down through the family
— 06–08 — — Fiendish loan sharks that offer magical abilities at steep interest rates
— 09–11 — — Distant red star; when occluded by other celestial bodies, magic temporarily fails
— 12–13 — — Shimmery mineral mined from the earth; once, there was a lot more of it
— 14–16 — — Bodies of previous magical practitioners killed, petrified,
and stored in a giant underground vault
— 17–19 — — Distant ancestor who must remain alive (though not necessarily
free to act on their own) for the magic to flow
— 20–22 — — Massive machine tended by all manner of beings, all of them good with a wrench
— 23–25 — — Ancient artifact that holds an entire alternate dimension in
a palm‑sized shard of crystal set in an amulet
— 26–28 — — Closely guarded recipe that produces a satisfying biscuit that also
confers temporary magic ability according to biscuit variety
— 29–31 — — Accumulated nerves from enduring the rites conducted in the Temple of Blood Ice
— 32–33 — — Writing of a completely novel pangram
— 34–36 — — Gasoline burned with a slow fire flame
— 37–39 — — Spread of a magical disease similar to bubonic plague
(must infect thousands of people, at minimum)
— 40–42 — — Quantum entanglement
— 43–45 — — Linked beast that exists in another parallel dimension
— 46–48 — — Hairs from Merlin’s beard
— 49–51 — — Any of a number of strange unidentifiable devices left
behind by a transdimensional accident
— 52–54 — — Perfectly sung tones of space whales
— 55–56 — — Emotional energy of resentment against your children
— 57–59 — — Phlogiston (but don’t tell scientists it’s actually real)
— 60–62 — — Burning of “controversial” children’s books
— 63–65 — — Liquid that looks black because it absorbs all visible light
— 66–68 — — Ghost of a woman trapped in a cabinet
— 69–71 — — Mondays
— 72–73 — — Bog mummy flesh
— 74–76 — — Opposite of nudity
— 77–79 — — Polyandric relationships
— 80–82 09–16 — Children’s screams
— 83–85 — 60–64 Magic skimmed from the laughter of anyone who responds to the quipster’s last joke
— 86–88 — 65–69 Serene and perfect understanding of cats
— 89–91 — 70–74 The nightmares of plants
— 92–94 — 75–78 Ancient articulated mask that never comes off once it’s worn
— 95–97 — 79–83 Face‑blind godlike entity that can only recognize the “correct” people
deserving of power if they’re wearing a special kind of hat
— 98–00 — 84–87 Hypothalamus glands of elves
— — 17–25 — Blood of an entity from a prior universe
— — 26–33 — Chunk of nihonium hit by lightning
— — 34–41 — Idols made of dark matter
— — 42–50 — Heart of a child that is removed and consumed according to a particular occult rite
— — 51–59 — Adrenaline of a cyborg
— — 60–67 — Body parts of a barely living dismembered god
— — 68–75 — Fatigued time particles
— — 76–84 — Your own brain tissue
— — 85–92 88–91 Enormous sea beasts that sometimes stride on their many legs
across the waves to gather a prophesied sacrifice of souls
— — 93–00 92–95 Moon‑sized red eye orbiting near Earth
Weird at the Core

— — — 96–00 Collected spittle of a monster encountered in a nightmare

The Homeless King

A man presents himself to the civic leaders of the town,
claiming to be the King of the Neglected City, monarch of all
the streets and those who live on them unhoused. Dismissed
as a “hobo” with mental illness, the king is placed in jail.
His subjects consider this an act of war in response and
gather as a well-organized militia larger than any would have
guessed possible to launch an assault and free their king.
191
 Use this list when you need to answer the
question “Where is it?” Whether it’s the last
known location of a holy relic, where the
captured king is being held, or where the
center of the magical effect will take place,
this list will provide intriguing answers.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Town in an area with frequent earthquakes and tremors
03–05 — — — Castle at the foot of a now‑active volcano
06–08 — — — Castle in a deep ravine, reachable only from above
09–11 — — — Dungeon built within the roots of a giant tree
12–13 — — — Castle at the top of a staircase that winds around a pillar in a cave
14–16 — — — Dungeon that was once a giant insect hive
17–18 — — — Castle made entirely of brilliant red stone
19–20 — — — Dungeon whose entrance is at the bottom of a lake
21–22 — — — Tower built in the middle of a river
23–24 — — — Castle under siege
25–27 — — — Haunted gallows
28–30 — — — Sacred site surrounded by a wall of old swords
31–32 — — — Secret subterranean cove used for smuggling
33–34 — — — Cave reached by entering a massive tree and passing through
passages cut into the trunk and roots
35–36 — — — Bridge made of spiderwebs
37–38 — — — Ice cave church with a pipe organ also made of ice
39–41 — — — Fortress made from the bones of the queendom's vanquished foes
42–44 — — — Island that is actually the head of a gigantic statue
45–46 — — — Secret room built within a giant idol
47–48 — — — Vault suspended from the ceiling of a large cave
49–50 — — — Nest of giant eagles high in the mountains
51–53 — — — Field of bones stretching as far as the eye can see
54–55 — — — Entire town standing within shallow water
56–57 — — — Town built upon short stilts with wooden bridges
instead of streets
58–60 — — — Town laid out so that, from above, it forms a
magical rune
61–62 — — — Site between two utterly identical trees
63–64 — — — Fortress where all the walls bear intricate
glowing runes
65–66 — — — Keep made of razors
67–69 — — — Secret spot beneath the innkeeper’s son’s bed
70–71 — — — Tower made entirely of obsidian
72–73 — — — Castle next to a massive wall made of ice
74–75 — — — Palace where everything is sized
appropriately to giants
76–77 — — — Tower atop an absurdly precarious
Weird at the Core

cliff overlooking the sea

78–80 — — — Lost Chapel of Found Children
81–83 — — — Den of the Techno Thief
84–86 — — — Maproom of Forbidden Locales
87–88 — — 01–05 Tower made to look like a knight standing tall
89–90 — — 06–10 Castle that is within a
gigantic statue of a horse
91–93 — — 11–15 Town built within and around a giant mushroom
94–95 — — 16–20 Maze of smoky glass
96–97 — — 21–25 Magical library where all the books
are chained to the wall

192
98–00 — — 26–30 Tower with no door
— 01–02 — — Tower built half within a waterfall
— 03–04 — — Fortress built within the skeleton of an epic beast
— 05–06 — — Series of floating towers connected by bridges and stairs
— 07–09 — — Lake of ashes
— 10–11 — — City at the bottom of a lake built within a series of huge air bubbles
— 12–14 — — Shrine made of magical rings
— 15–16 — — Fortress within a dark cloud that looks like a pile of skulls
— 17–19 — — Dungeon where the gravity shifts orientation from chamber to chamber
— 20–22 — — Magical pool held aloft by a giant stone hand
— 23–24 — — Bridge made of dead giant insects
— 25–26 — — Town within the workings of a giant clock
— 27–29 — — City hidden within a candle flame
— 30–31 — — City built upon the eyeball of a titanic creature
— 32–33 — — Ghostly castle that appears only at the full moon
— 34–36 — — Temple inside a giant hornet’s nest
— 37–38 — — Castle in the heart of an eternal storm
— 39–40 — — Underwater market that sells wishes
— 41–42 — — House where each room is a different facet of a lustrous jewel
— 43–44 — — Wizard’s home inside a living megalodon shark
— 45–46 — — Safehouse hidden within the imagination of an eagle
— 47–48 — — Shrine within a tree made of solid steel
— 49–50 — — Castle with one buoyant tower chained to the ground so it won’t float away
— 51–53 — — Manor house without angles or straight lines
— 54–56 — — Gondola suspended beneath a flying whale
— 57–59 — — Palace within a crystal embedded in the skull of a dragon
— 60–61 — — Painting of a castle
— 62–63 — — Temple forever decaying but never completely collapsing
— 64–65 — — Lair next to a portal to Hell
— 66–67 — — City made of crab shells of all sizes
— 68–69 — — Site on the other side of a door beyond which the overhead sun is bloated and red
— 70–71 — — Palace made of mirrors that draw truth from all within
— 72–74 — — Hospital of Pain
— 75–76 — — Exiled Isle
— 77–78 — — One of the three Towers of the Reborn God
— 79–80 — — Cathedral of Steel Words
— 81–82 — — Pavilion Behind the Floorboards
— 83–85 — 31–35 Church built within a large (still‑living) tree
— 86–87 — 36–41 Dungeon reached via a portal in the mouth of a giant beast
— 88–89 — 42–46 Matched pair of impossibly tall towers that are connected by bridges at a few levels
— 90–92 — 47–51 Town in the sky where every building is held aloft by a balloon
— 93–95 — 52–56 Tower made of pure light in a lake of pure shadow
— 96–97 — 57–62 Tavern inside the dreams of a sleeping dog
— 98–00 — 63–67 City of glass where the streets are silver light
— — 01–09 — Hidden fortress on the dark side of the moon
— — 10–18 — City built into a giant snail shell
— — 19–27 — City where the streets are literally paved in gold
— — 28–36 — Waterfall of fire
— — 37–45 — Castle where flesh disappears and all within are living skeletons
Weird at the Core

— — 46–54 — Temple with glass floors built above an active volcano

— — 55–63 — Island in a pool of a dead god’s blood
— — 64–72 — Constantly teleporting castle
— — 73–82 — “Backstage” area behind reality
— — 83–91 68–72 Town of buildings made of smoke
— — 92–00 73–78 Sea made of swirling letters, originating from the explosion of a magical book
— — — 79–84 Manor house made of flowers
— — — 85–89 Castle within a soap bubble
— — — 90–94 Tiny boat floating in a cup of tea
— — — 95–00 University beneath the city’s streets that’s run by mice and other small creatures

193
 Although they most often appear in a PC’s
background, a mentor can also take a major role
in the campaign. Or maybe the PCs need to learn
something new, and finding a mentor to teach
them is a part of the adventure. Regardless, use
this list to generate an interesting teacher.

I S G W Weirdness
01–04 — — — Ordinary skull; almost as good a mentor as when they were alive
05–08 — — — Woman who always carries a hammer to demonstrate her often‑violent metaphors
09–12 — — — Nonbinary martial art sensei who fights with two sticks that are more deadly than swords
13–16 — — — Trapped faerie passed down through the generations; they offer good advice despite bondage
17–20 — — — White‑haired centenarian who lives in a van equipped for their wheelchair
21–24 — — — Experienced general that only addresses matters of war and combat
25–28 — — — Full‑bodied author that knows when to give advice, and when to bite their lip
29–32 — — — Gardener whose wisdom is wide‑ranging, but it’s rooted in matters botanical
33–36 — — — Robed man who always seems absorbed in his files and yet never misses anything
37–40 — — — Custodian who teaches the lessons of life through daily chores
41–44 — — — Kind‑hearted (but rather obtuse) warrior whose accidental insights on life are remarkably poignant
45–48 — — — Popular motivational speaker’s administrative assistant
49–52 — — — Ghost of a doctor whose teachings are explicitly about torture and murder
53–56 — — — Illusionist who believes the art and narrative potential of magic tricks can be improved upon
57–60 — — — Book that imparts wisdom through quotes on a random page
61–64 — — — Cultlike public access television program that takes phone calls from viewers
65–68 — — — Irradiated chimpanzee from the NASA Apollo program
69–72 — — — 1998 desktop microcomputer with a monochrome amber monitor
73–76 — — — Murmuration of starlings
77–80 — — — Shadowy figure wearing a motorcycle helmet
81–84 01–03 — — AI trained on copaganda shows and serial killer documentaries
85–88 — — 01–10 Silver‑eyed child who speaks with an eloquence far beyond their tender years
89–92 — — 11–20 Exceptionally empathetic frog who knows all of their mentee’s dark secrets
93–96 — — 21–30 Greatest mime who has ever lived
97–00 — — 31–40 Patch of hallucinogenic mushrooms
— 04–06 — — Floating hologram of a human head that speaks in pure tones
— 07–09 — — Reformed demon that can speak from long experience
— 10–12 — — Elderly rat implanted with a neurochip
— 13–15 — — Glass vessel containing the animate head of a spellcaster—maybe human, maybe a fiend
— 16–18 — — Phantom that appears only when it rains
— 19–21 — — Voice that speaks out of shadowed spaces
— 22–24 — — Deep-sea creature who gives you advice telepathically from the bottom of the ocean
— 25–27 — — Lake that speaks to you in Morse code by smashing its rocks together
— 28–30 — — Field of clovers that whispers wisdom in the wind that only one person can hear
— 31–33 — — Uploaded consciousness of a dying genius
— 34–36 — — Face in a thundercloud
— 37–39 — — Psychic entity that manifests only in crowds of exactly 77 people
— 40–41 — — Intelligent fetal pig in a jar of formaldehyde
— 42–44 — — Famous bullet that gained sentience
— 45–47 — — Demonic creature in the shape of a goldfish, but it weighs 100 pounds (45 kg)
— 48–49 — — Your evil doppelganger counterpart from a mirror universe
Weird at the Core

— 50–52 — — Immortal left hand of a Greek god (who refuses to identify himself)
— 53–55 — — Subscription to tomorrow’s newspaper
— 56–58 — — Angelic voice that is heard only during your seizures
— 59–61 — — Gargoyle who animates only at night under the new moon
— 62–64 — — Cold War‑era briefcase nuke and its safety protocol computer
— 65–67 — — Swamp witch
— 68–70 — — Creepy voice from the storm drains
— 71–73 — — Pacifist vampire
— 74–76 — — Mysterious child with a neck like a giraffe
— 77–79 01–10 — Minor deity who lives as a human sex worker
— 80–82 11–19 — Reflections in a pool of blood that you coughed up
— 83–85 — 41–50 Hovering globe that talks in a constructed language that only the mentor and mentee share
194
— 86–88 — 51–60 Deck of cards that always tells you exactly what you need to hear
— 89–91 — 61–70 Bones of your great‑grandfather, who always hated your side of the
family, but is willing to do his duty to you anyway
— 92–94 — 71–80 Last dodo bird
— 95–97 — 81–90 Half‑alive typewriter
— 98–00 — 91–00 Spooky cartoon wolf
— — 20–28 — Dolphin in a landsuit
— — 29–37 — Immortal whose memories stretch back several thousand years
— — 38–46 — Animatronic robot that has seen better days
— — 47–55 — Microscopic creature that implants itself into its mentee’s brain and
communicates aeons of wisdom in exchange for being hosted
— — 56–64 — Your older, time‑traveling self
— — 65–73 — Multidimensional entity that has no concept of the past or future, only the present
— — 74–82 — Nonhumanoid extraterrestrial that is unnervingly attractive
— — 83–91 — Thing that can speak only through unbaptized babies
— — 92–00 — Tree stump made of human flesh

Weird at the Core

195
 I S G W Weirdness

E
01–03 — — — Chew and then swallow 500 sticks of gum very curse or strange malady
04–05 — — — Have them undergo electroshock therapy always has an equally odd
way to lift it. Use this list when
06–08 — — — Implant a metal plate under their scalp you need a way to alleviate a
09–10 — — — Eat the droppings of cattle fed a specific diet curse or ailment on a person.
11–13 — — — Pray to Geoff, the god of biscuits
14–16 — — — Convince them to change their mind about a deeply held belief
17–18 — — — Remove a portion of their lower intestine
19–21 — — — Drink a bottle of Doctor Good
22–24 — — — Force them to swear off playing games for the rest of their life
25–26 — — — Sip a tincture made from saved umbilical cord blood
27–29 — — — Incant over them from a book called The Hidden Lords of Emptiness
30–32 — — — Give them an angry cat to cuddle with for ten minutes each day
33–35 — — — Bury them in a snowbank overnight
36–38 — — — Implant a Doctor on a Chip™ brain implant
39–40 — — — Feed them pills formulated from the bowel contents of a healthy person
41–43 — — — Give them ambrosia to drink
44–45 — — — Cover the affected portion of their anatomy in raw veal
46–47 — — — Bleed them from their elbow until they are almost dead
48–49 — — — Give them a twenty-four‑hour ice bath
50–52 — — — Relax in a sixteen‑hour steam bath
53–55 — — — Give all their material possessions to charity
56–58 — — — Read the complete works of Shakespeare, three times
59–61 — — — Anoint their head with oil beneath the heart of a mountain
62–64 — — — Get them to personally end a major war
65–67 — — — Place them in the Maze of Eternity and make them find a way out on their own
68–70 — — — Have them apologize to everyone in the city
71–73 — — — Rub them with the fat of a pig whose last meal was grains
seasoned with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
74–76 — — — Write confessions to 77 different saints and pray to each for forgiveness
77–79 — — — Steal a million dollars from a person and give it all to pet charities
80–82 01–03 — — Confine them in a room blasting rock music while
backward‑masked words rebuke the affliction
83–85 — — 01–07 Pluck thirteen hairs from their scalp each day for thirteen days
86–88 — — 08–14 Have them sing a song that has never been heard before, and will never be heard after
89–91 — — 15–21 Write “Abracadabra” over and over, subtracting one letter from the end with each repetition
Weird at the Core

92–94 — — 22–28 Have them sleep beneath a tree that has never beheld conflict
95–97 — — 29–35 Race a snail and lose
98–00 — — 36–42 Find three needles in three different haystacks
— 04–06 — — Hold them underwater for a few minutes
— 07–08 — — Apply a particular fungi to every orifice daily
— 09–10 — — Make them watch schlocky horror movies at least six hours a day
— 11–13 — — Make them swallow a live bird
— 14–15 — — Infect them with a bacteria that eats curses
— 16–18 — — Pull a version of them from an alternate reality that’s all right
— 19–20 — — Let spiders run all over their body
196
— 21–23 — — Beat them with a club made from Yggdrasil, the World Tree
— 24–25 — — Apply a true relic excised from the body of Camillus de Lellis, a saint of healing
— 26–27 — — Use nanotech
— 28–29 — — Snort ground bullets that have been used to kill someone
— 30–31 — — Make them smoke 101 cigarettes in one sitting
— 32–33 — — Force them to kill their dearest loved one
— 34–36 — — Get them to spit into the fires of Mt. Thunderall, a forbidding volcano
— 37–39 — — Transform them into a completely different species
— 40–42 — — Use their blood to write a description of their affliction,
then attach it to a body about to be cremated
— 43–44 — — Drink the urine of seven righteous people
— 45–47 — — Tear out their fingernails and leave them as an offering to the bat god
— 48–50 — — Inject them with a military super‑soldier drug and endure the
long list of temporary physical and mental side effects
— 51–53 — — Have them live for six days wearing a plush costume
that resembles themselves
— 54–56 — — Have at least three of their best friends get drunk at an
engagement party and scream their worst qualities at them
— 57–59 — — Inhale the dying breaths of at least three different hospital patients
in the same night
— 60–62 01–07 — Subject them to free fall for at least one minute
— 63–65 08–14 — Brand them with a poker that’s been heated
in a fire kindled from the bones of a saint
— 66–68 15–21 — Choke down powdered angel wings until it’s all gone
— 69–71 22–28 — Alter their genes so they’re no longer susceptible
— 72–74 29–35 — Bathe them in the blood of a ghost
— 75–77 36–42 — Spend a night sleeping in the Darkest House
— 78–80 43–49 — Have them travel faster than the speed of light
— 81–83 50–56 — Spend 24 hours in a sensory deprivation tank while
tripping on LSD, cannabis, and psilocybin
— 84–86 57–63 — Pull an all‑nighter as a cashier at a low‑quality
fast‑food restaurant with a clientele consisting
of high school students and drunks
— 87–89 — 43–49 Leave them out in a faerie circle for seven nights
in a row
— 90–91 — 50–56 Give them a spoonful of snail syrup every
few hours
— 92–94 — 57–63 Replace their teeth with those made
of gold and silver
— 95–97 — 64–70 Have them make love to their worst enemy
Weird at the Core

— 98–00 — 71–78 Drink blood squeezed from the Blarney Stone

— — 64–70 — Have them admit to every sin they’ve
ever committed
— — 71–78 — Expose them to gamma radiation
— — 79–85 — Let them die, then resurrect them
— — 86–93 — Infect them with an even worse condition
— — 94–00 79–85 Find Merlin in hopes that he will provide
the cure
— — — 86–92 Have them kiss a turtle that loves them
sincerely and without reservation
— — — 93–00 Prime the king to dream of them
197
 Love is weird. Use this list to determine some of
the details about a romance that occurs in the
campaign. Maybe it’s a legendary tale, or maybe
it’s going on right now, down the street.
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Two people in love for years have only ever interacted online
04–05 — — — Pining neighbors interact only by thumping in code on the wall between their apartments
06–08 — — — That throuple interacts only at live performances of the musical Cats
09–10 — — — Romance between the cook and diner lasted only as long as the number of recipes in the cookbook
11–12 — — — One sits every night hunched over their laptop, composing love sonnets; the other is a chatbot
13–14 — — — Two gun enthusiasts who send each other used practice targets; good spreads indicate the depth of their affection
15–16 — — — Romance lives between the lines of an advice column, related by the letters of one person, and the columnist’s replies
17–18 — — — When a foul ball put a baseball fan in the hospital, romance sprang up between the batter and the injured fan’s nurse
19–20 — — — They’ve developed a deep affection for a certain portrait over the course of many museum visits
21–22 — — — They romantically laminate all the spiders they find to mail to their paramour; “None of these will ever scare you again.”
23–24 — — — What was supposed to be a one‑night stand turns into an amazing soulmate situation
25–27 — — — Someone falls in love with their own name and can’t bear to spend time with anyone else
28–29 — — — One person unknowingly online‑romances several of their in‑person friends, using (renamed) fictional personas
30–31 — — — Murderous clown falls for a mortician—the only person who can always make them laugh
32–33 — — — Gallant hero and the exploited minion of the hero’s villainous rival
34–35 — — — Two geographically and culturally distant lovers communicate only by
computer translation and a sign language they invented
36–37 — — — Prisoners in two adjacent cells who haven’t seen each other in a decade but can hear each other speak
38–39 — — — Desperate criminal and the kind nobleman they kidnap for ransom
40–41 — — — Captains of rival sports teams, each leading a double life
42–43 — — — Doctor who supports dying by physician‑assisted suicide, and the ghosts of several people who asked to be euthanized
44–45 — — — President of a small but proud country and the anarchist revolutionary trying to topple the government
46–47 — — — Letter carrier who loves true crime podcasts and a serial killer mailing taunts to the police
48–49 — — — Two attorneys who met while managing opposite sides of a very bitter and public celebrity divorce
50–51 — — — Presidents of the local Star Trek and Star Wars fan clubs
52–53 — — — Two hermit introverts who correspond by mail
54–55 — — — Tourist from a small town and a wax sculpture of an old‑timey ship captain in the big city
56–57 — — — Physicist and a fleeting particle existing only fractions of a second before decaying
58–59 — — — Tax accountant and the IRS auditor charged with finding evidence of malfeasance
60–61 — — — Roasted turkey, bacon, Chihuahua cheese, and avocado sandwich and a delivery driver
62–63 — — — Dermatologist and a skin condition resembling a green giraffe that a patient seeks treatment for
64–65 — — — Big‑time author agent and a writer of smutty porn that’s too ridiculous for most to take seriously
66–67 — — — High school counselor and the proctor for college placement exams who is around only one day each year
68–69 — — — Football coach and a particular set of shoulder pads that no one (other than the coach) is allowed to use
70–71 — — — Psychiatrist and the pretend‑personality they’ve fostered in their own mind
72–73 — — — Two epidemiologists; one studies the effect of binge‑watching TV, the other hepatitis from tattoos
74–75 — — — Wedding planner is cursed to fall in love with every bride whose wedding they put together
76–77 — — — Couple who met at the funeral of someone they both hated; now they have all their dates at funerals
78–79 — — — Every year, one of them proposes and the other always says yes, but they will never get married
80–81 — — — They hate each other, but they hate everyone else in the world more
82–84 — — 01–04 Man has fallen in love with his goldfish
85–86 — — 05–08 Suitor attempts to woo their love by overwhelming the object of their affection with mint‑flavored gifts
87–88 — — 09–12 They met in the doctor’s office, both waiting to get earlobe contouring surgery
89–90 — — 13–16 He can fall in love with people only when he’s wearing glasses
91–92 — — 17–20 Polycule who uses an elaborate (and perhaps magical) board game to decide their romantic events and who participates
Weird at the Core

93–94 — — 21–24 Impoverished woodcutter and the dryad whose perfect tree would provide him a lifetime of income
95–96 — — 25–28 Baristas from rival coffee franchises across from each other in a busy mall
97–98 — — 29–32 Long‑haired cat and a weird purple spot on the wall
99–00 — — 33–36 A speech therapist and someone who speaks in pick‑up lines; they developed their dialect to understand each other
— 01–03 — — One is a night nurse, while the other is a newly converted vampire who hasn’t yet started craving blood
— 04–06 — — Mirror reflection falls in love with a vain person
— 07–08 — — Two Frankenstein monsters whose parts come from the same corpses feel an irresistible attraction for each other
— 09–10 — — Immortal being in a childlike body desperately seeks a way to change themselves, as to please their true love
— 11–13 — — Two supernatural beings of opposite natures ( fire and water elementals, demon and angel, and so on)
— 14–15 — — Two immortals in love whose sex lives have grown stale, so they wish to
spice things up with other people and new experiences
— 16–17 — — Married couple who are semi‑aware zombies continually devour each other’s brains
198
— 18–19 — — Two aliens from different species flee an interplanetary war by hiding among humans
— 20–22 — — Human cultist in a relationship with the demon imprisoned in their back tattoo
— 23–24 — — Two radically different species whose differences in size, toxicity, natural environment, or
other factors prevent physical intimacy and limit them to platonic affection
— 25–27 — — Soulmates who have each dreamed of the other’s death since they were children
— 28–29 — — Sorcerer and their magically resurrected spouse, who the sorcerer claims is subtly
different than they were in life, though no one else notices the change
— 30–32 — — Photographer and the ghost who appears only in the print photographs they take
— 33–34 — — Magical construct made of silver, and the wizard who created them (who has since been infected with lycanthropy)
— 35–37 — — Mortal scions of two different heads‑of‑pantheons, whose parents refuse to admit that any other deities exist
— 38–39 — — Centaur and a horse rancher
— 40–41 — — Lich and their great‑great‑great‑grandchild who is an adult necromancer
— 42–43 — — Sunny priest of joy and a dour priestess of misery; together they feel balanced, stable, and supported
— 44–46 — — Former god of death and the mortal who taught them what it is to truly live
— 47–48 — — Sentient starship and the group of awake colonists who tend to it on its generations‑long journey
— 49–50 — — AI controlling a set of robotic organs in a human patient and the robot vacuum in the patient’s home
— 51–53 — — Cursed ring trying to prove their sincere affection for a hero who cares for them but resents their clinginess
— 54–55 — — Garbage monster clinging to the bottom of a dumpster and a compassionate
peace officer still uncorrupted by the system
— 56–57 — — Ghoulish creature living in the attic of a decaying old theater, and the geriatric ticket‑taker they befriended long ago
— 58–60 — — Demigod of fax machines (barely clinging to life) and the angel of modems
— 61–62 — — Two background characters in one copy of a classic film who exist only when played on a big screen
— 63–64 — — Ghost of a dead writer (clinging to their attic typewriter in hopes of finally finishing their Great American
Novel) and the ghost of a murder victim (whose body is buried under the house’s concrete floor)
— 65–67 — — May and December fall in love, but in order to be together, they have to get rid of all the other months between them
— 68–69 — — Two people who literally carry their baggage from past relationships in suitcases that they keep under their bed
— 70–72 — 37–40 After several lifetimes of falling in love, two people cynically reflect on their past
relationships and dance around committing to each other again
— 73–74 — 41–44 Dream persona enters reality every morning to search for their partner,
but their memories reset every time the partner sleeps
— 75–76 — 45–48 Shapechangers explore and experience each other’s ever‑changing bodies
— 77–79 — 49–52 Ghostly lovers keep failing to get people from two star‑crossed families to fall
in love, which would free the ghosts from a curse on them
— 80–81 — 53–56 Two lovers cursed to remember each other only on the nights of a full moon
— 82–83 — 57–60 Childhood toy given life by the love of a human child, who’s now grown up; the toy wonders if they have better options
— 84–85 — 61–64 Cursed intelligent item loves a specific person and can’t help that they cause misfortune with their very presence
— 86–87 — 65–68 Werebeast with two partners, one of whom they interact with only while human and the other only while shapeshifted
— 88–90 — 69–72 Personification of the color rose and a demonic minion of the enemy of sight
— 91–92 — 73–76 Sea captain and the nature spirit of a melting iceberg, both seeking to find a way to stabilize their relationship
— 93–95 — 77–80 Wolf and a sheep, both awakened to sapience by a lonely druid, and both rejected by their own kind for being different
— 96–98 — 81–84 Centaur and a mermaid (but they’re worried about what their future children would look like)
— 99–00 — 85–88 Couple who plays Spin the Bottle with the ghosts in their house every Friday night
— — 01–05 — They underwent horse reassignment surgery to be with their equine love
— — 06–10 — Person feels genuine love for the composted soil made from the corpse of their dead spouse
— — 11–15 — They marry the alien whose UFO landed on their father
— — 16–20 — Time traveler in love with their own distant ancestor or descendant
— — 21–26 — Two biotechnologists upload their minds into the internet so they can be together forever
— — 27–31 — Immortal whose partner can’t die as long as the immortal remains in love with them
— — 32–36 — Scientist and a nonhumanoid robot controlled by their dead spouse’s brain in a vat
— — 37–41 — Scientist and their spouse’s three clones (most clones didn’t survive the process)
— — 42–47 — Serial killers who mutilate their victims in an elaborate game of one‑upping each other’s “love letters”
— — 48–52 — Lovers from parallel universes can interact for only a few moments each day when the dimensional barriers are thin
Weird at the Core

— — 53–57 — Two recently awoken coma patients bond over surviving a shared nightmare lasting several years
— — 58–62 — Vampire’s servitor and the intelligent swarm of flies that live in his festering wounds
— — 63–68 — Remorseful planet‑eating monster and the drifting moon that belonged to its most recent meal
— — 69–73 — Pig fetus in jar of formaldehyde who has seen far too much in its centuries of
existence and a bog mummy who gets what the pig is going through
— — 74–79 — Anthropomorphized curse of the Scottish play and one of the aliens who crashed at Area 51
— — 80–84 — Throuple who consists of three different versions of the same person from different timelines
— — 85–89 — Two people in different universes who can communicate their love only
by singing karaoke at a bar that exists in both worlds
— — 90–95 89–92 Kindly person who leaves food out for strays attracts the eye of the deity of lost pets
— — 96–00 93–96 Humanoid and their sentient weapon (every few years, their minds swap)
— — — 97–00 Paramour who returns nightly to a lover who exists only in their dreams
199
 Demons take on many roles in games, from
servitors summoned by wizards to the deadliest of
enemies to the literal manifestation of evil in the world.
Demons should always be off‑putting, disorienting, and
difficult to truly understand. Use this list for any demon
you need in your campaign.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Has a long red tongue that is a separate intelligent being that whispers advice to the demon
03–04 — — — Fused with a remnant of a previous victim that’s always screaming in pain or begging for aid, unless gagged
05–06 — — — Always accompanied by a pride of cats
07–08 — — — Seems truly contrite and apologetic for every horrible thing it does
09 — — — Leaves a stinking trail of slime wherever it goes, attracting flies, maggots, and insects
10 — — — Has a ragged, bleeding wound instead of a mouth
11 — — — Has an insectile head that can scamper off and take actions separate from the demon’s body
12–13 — — — Possesses horrific magical powers that work only when the temperature is below freezing
14–15 — — — Cannot exist on this plane unless it has contact with solid earth
16–17 — — — Takes the form of a silver ring that tempts the wearer to steal, and makes them quite good at it
18–19 — — — Drinks blood and takes the form of an arrow used by archer demons
20–21 — — — Resembles a five‑year‑old human child; moves to new orphanage when the previous one is ultimately destroyed
22–23 — — — Has hollowed eyes that were plucked out by an enemy who keeps them to ensure the demon’s obedience
24–25 — — — Fires its metallic‑tipped claws like a burst of machine‑gun fire; regrows its spent claws in just a few moments
26–27 — — — Makes other creatures vomit uncontrollably with its mere presence
28–29 — — — Always munching on a big bowl of greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and crunchy kitten bones
30–31 — — — Takes the form of a huge pile of decaying fallen autumn leaves; small
animals and kids that get too near are never seen again
32–33 — — — Made up entirely of swarming rats with bald human heads
34–35 — — — Takes up the form of a coin with two sides; one side depicts a demonic
head that whispers secrets and temptations
36–37 — — — Usually manifests as a stain on the floor or wall; never observed in motion, but each day gets bigger or closer
38–39 — — — Always tells the truth; never shades it, or lies by omission
40–41 — — — Communicates nonverbally by quickly scrawling words on a scroll, using the blood of a nearby victim as ink
42 — — — Triggers a vivid recollection of all the beloved pets you’ve outlived
43–44 — — — Insists on wearing human clothing; currently prefers Victorian garb
45–46 — — — Appears human but with granite grey flesh and yellow eyes; speaks
rarely in a tone that sounds like grinding tectonic plates
47–48 — — — Barely escaped an encounter with a paladin; lost an arm and now has
a charred flesh stump bearing a holy symbol brand
49 — — — Uses its two extra yet smaller arms to grip iron symbols of evil that fling daggers of burning darkness
50–51 — — — Travels the mortal realms, attempting to fix situations caused by a devil’s bargain gone wrong (for the devil)
52–53 — — — Has grown weary of violence but can’t disobey orders as a demonic soldier
54–55 — — — Takes the form of a beautiful butterfly, but its wings are razors
56–57 — — — Freezes any liquid it touches and even makes shapes with it (an aquatic demon)
58–59 — — — Skulks the city at night and preys upon evildoers amid their crime
(as they are fair game for their souls to be stolen)
60 — — — Leaves its victims with a terrible, twisted grin when they die
61–62 — — — Appears only when someone deeply craves revenge, and offers assistance and advice
63–64 — — — Bears a staff of solidified hellfire and a goat head
65 — — — Carries a trumpet that sprays ichor and gore when blown
66–67 — — — Appears as a large grasshopper with a much larger, monstrous, and many‑armed shadow
68–69 — — — Resembles a humanoid bundle of clanking, barbed chains and pulls its targets in two with its iron grip
70–71 — — — Living as a tree; attacks anyone near it if it’s chopped or burned
72–73 — — — Can only harm people named Henry
74–75 — — — Makes inanimate objects much larger or much smaller
Weird at the Core

76–77 — — — Are twins that suffer only the wounds inflicted on the other (not on themselves)
78–79 — — — Riddled with holes on its flesh; the holes host nesting insects and biting worms
80–81 — — — Bangs on a drum that deafens all nearby
82–83 — — — Looks like an eyeball and lives in a man’s empty eye socket
84 — — — Makes people lethargic and unmotivated (demon of depression)
85–86 — — — Possesses only one power—to find small lost items of minor significance
87 — — — Shows you the last few moments of a dead loved one’s life
88 — — — Spews garbage, sewage, and random refuse (waste)
89–90 — — — Remains invisible unless it’s sleeping
91–92 — — — Knows precisely when every mortal will die, as it is the demon of clocks
93–94 — — 01–09 Corrects everyone’s grammar
95–96 — — 10–18 Has a second head that’s always cracking wise
19–27 Narrates their intentions and actions by singing jolly‑sounding songs
200 97–98 — —
99–00 — — 28–36 Possesses a handkerchief and savagely attacks anyone that uses it to blow or wipe their nose
— 01–03 — — Constructed of iron and crystal that requires occasional charges from lightning strikes
— 04–05 — — Recalls one important secret from each victim it previously killed
— 06–07 — — Armored with living insects
— 08–09 — — Looks like a tiger whose stripes are each a separate serpent that can act independently
— 10–11 — — Rides within a small cyclone that it controls
— 12–13 — — Can change its shape to become a small building, usually one full of traps and torture rooms
— 14–15 — — Made up entirely of rusted, oil‑stained engine parts
— 16–17 — — Rides a bulky, smelly, ruinously loud machine it calls a “motor‑sickle”
— 18–19 — — Seems to be an impressively large female figure that literally sloughs off smaller demonspawn
— 20–21 — — Bleeds acidic ichor from where lances and spears pierce its flesh; uses the weapons for its own if needed
— 22–23 — — Possesses a 1969 Chevy Nova now filled with gore on the inside
— 24–25 — — Makes hideous, gut‑churning meals and forces people to eat them
— 26–28 — — Exists only as words on a page, tempting readers to do evil
— 29–30 — — Has a giant, smiling mouth in its belly that eats only those who commit the sin of gluttony
— 31–32 — — Has a device not unlike radar, but it detects souls and measures them for good or evil
— 33–34 — — Has black and red stripes; when it wishes, these stripes animate and
become whips and tendrils that it can use as weapons
— 35–36 — — Looks like a little girl handing out flowers, but the flowers collectively
are the demon and attack with hidden mouths
— 37–38 — — Has strangling vines for limbs and a mouth that blooms with teeth (an evil plant demon)
— 39–40 — — Formed of flaming excrement
— 41–42 — — Constantly starves; has a cleaver that will do anything for meat
— 43–44 — — Possesses two horns that are also demons; they’re bonelike creatures fused to the primary demon’s head
— 45–46 — — Appears human, with poisonous snakes for arms, a snake’s flicking
tongue, and the ability to swallow other creatures whole
— 47–48 — — Wormlike shapes writhe just beneath the skin of this pale, bloated demon
— 49–50 — — Feeds on emotions, especially negative ones (an undead demon skull)
— 51–52 — — Takes the form of a sword that can be wielded, and bites as much as it slashes
— 53–54 — — Has horrible scars, the head of a stag, and lightning for antlers
— 55–57 — — A burping, flatulent, blood‑smeared demon with a voice like an angel when it chooses to sing
— 58–59 — — Mannequin‑like demon with mirrorlike skin that magically attacks as
victim sees their own reflected gaze in the demon’s face
— 60–61 — — Names a person and a letter; afterward, that person experiences
horrible pain when they say words using that letter
— 62–63 — — Made of clay that can form tiny creatures from its flesh and animate them
— 64–65 — — Cries often, but its tears are razor blades
— 66–68 — — Controls televisions, radios, telephones, and other communication devices
— 69–70 — — Kills and devours people, and then controls their ghost
— 71–72 — — Has a humongous stature and plenty of flesh that can be mined for rare substances
— 73–74 — — Has lightning for fingers
— 75–76 — — Claws victims, making wounds that are actually screaming mouths
— 77–78 — — Turns back time, but only if a human sacrifice is made in their honor
— 79–81 — — Uses a shotgun loaded with tiny unholy symbols like buckshot
— 82–83 — — Opens up and encases someone in its spiky interior like an iron maiden
— 84–85 — — Swims in the blood vessels of its victims as a microscopic demon shark
— 86–87 — — Carves off strips of its own flesh to use as whips
— 88–89 — — Spits nails like an automatic rifle
— 90–91 — — Causes its tiny, demonic, T‑rex arms to stretch up to 50 feet (15 m)
— 92–93 — 37–45 Feeds off of any cruel or unkind statement, but is driven away by sincere compliments
— 94–95 — 46–54 Has a jumble of letters visible on its chest; if a victim can call out a word
using all the letters quickly enough, they are spared
— 96–97 — 55–63 Exists only in mortal dreams
— 98–00 — 64–72 Haunts theaters and offers bargains for fame and applause, with a
half‑comedy, half‑tragedy mask over its skeletal face
Weird at the Core

— — 01–10 — Has cybernetic implants and energy weapons

— — 11–20 — Becomes visible in the sky as a hurtling red moon
— — 21–30 — Appears to be an animate pile of dead human infants
— — 31–40 — Made of circuits, transistors, and microchips; leaves a trail of wires and diodes wherever it goes
— — 41–50 — Appears in a new place as a mouth that literally vomits a fiend into existence
— — 51–60 — Sends various parts of its body to different places; all parts remain under its control
— — 61–70 — Bleeds liquefied, tortured souls when cut
— — 71–80 — Has an entire miniaturized city from Hell inside its chest
— — 81–90 — Takes the form of any automobile
— — 91–00 — Makes the absolute least probable thing occur wherever it is, once each day
— — — 73–81 Merrily skips wherever they go
— — — 82–90 Accepts rare baseball cards in exchange for services
— — — 91–00 Has feathers rather than fingers that torture through tickling 201
 Disease, illness, or just a feeling that
something is off after drinking that
strange concoction—use this list
when something odd is wrong with a
character physically.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Can’t stop talking, even if they put their hands over their own mouth
04–05 — — — Cycles of excessive stomach bloat, followed by periods of vomiting
06–07 — — — Grows intoxicated by drinking water
08–10 — — — Experiences random, pleasurable seizures at inopportune moments
11–12 — — — Must work to overcome fear of shadows
13–14 — — — Can’t perceive pain, leading to cuts and burns, scalded mouth and tongue, etc.
15–16 — — — Can’t help but speak in what soon becomes to everyone else an annoying accent
17–18 — — — Constantly transduces radio waves they hear into deafening
sound, unless electromagnetically shielded
19–20 — — — Causes dangerous fascination with scissors and glue
21–22 — — — Begins aging abnormally fast
23–24 — — — Sweat is mildly acidic; not strong enough to burn, but
degrades clothing and equipment within a day or two
25–26 — — — Abscess is revealed to be a tiny, wildly underdeveloped
parasitic twin
27–29 — — — Driven to eat coins and other small metal objects
30–31 — — — Toenails perpetually ingrown, except the day they are cut
32–33 — — — Perspiration that smells like the last thing they ate, left out
to rot
34–36 — — — Everything tastes like coconut
37–38 — — — Toes fall off
39–40 — — — Inebriated by milk or dairy products
41–42 — — — Scalp and body hair grows several inches each day
43–45 — — — Ends every communication—verbal or written—with
an obscenity, you fuckwit
46–47 — — — Becomes fixated on drawing a strange geometric
symbol over and over on any nearby surface
48–49 — — — Hairy tongue
50–52 — — — Constant sensation of being stabbed
53–54 — — — Rash that looks horrible but feels soothing
55–56 — — — Eyebrows fall out and start growing back in
with thick, greasy, red filaments
57–59 — — — Drawn to experiencing cold directly—the more frigid,
the better; gains no resistance to low
temperatures
60–61 — — — Allergic to touch
62–63 — — — Braincase squeezes the brain in place,
leading to series of knock‑on ailments
64–66 — — — Hearing music with a regular beat induces seizures
67–68 — — — Sneezes when hearing a specific common word like “work”
Weird at the Core

69–70 — — — Skin takes on a bluish color

71–72 — — — Arm hairs move and flutter of their own accord
73–75 — — — Left forefinger becomes immobile
76–77 — — — Right arm grows 6 inches (15 cm) longer
78–79 — — — Grows leathery skin scabs that break off in hand‑sized pieces
80–81 — — — Pustulent discharge from under the fingernails
82–83 — — — Some people appear as they would when they die (perhaps real, perhaps a hallucination)
84–86 — — — Grows tiny downy feathers; highly allergenic to everyone
87–88 — — — Phantom pregnancy (even if the person cannot become pregnant)
89–90 — — — Collects a claylike substance in armpits
91–92 — — — Fingers and toes become webbed
202
93–94 — — — Develops compulsion to scratch others’ faces instead of shaking hands or hugging
95–97 — — 01–11 The rash develops sparkles, as if dusted with gold flecks
98–00 — — 12–22 Loses sense of smell; everyone else nearby detects strong odor of cherries
— 01–03 — — The wound still bleeds from time to time, but otherwise causes no harm
— 04–05 — — An episode of acutely improved mental capability is followed by a period of extreme lethargy
— 06–08 — — Recurring fever induces anti‑anti‑anxiety; actions grow bold, even rash, until the fever breaks
— 09–11 — — Becomes so sensitive to minute variations in color that reality threatens to overwhelm them
— 12–14 — — Injuries cause bone to grow instead of scar tissue, leading to increasing immobility
— 15–17 — — Head and hands swell up like water balloons, causing difficulty
in sensing, eating, and handling objects
— 18–20 — — Suffers something like face blindness, but consistently confuses
corpses and the faces of people they know
— 21–23 — — Entire body takes on a pale, greenish luminescence that always shines, even when asleep
— 24–25 — — Hair is slowly replaced with insect-like carapace
— 26–28 — — Tongue swells so that the letter “a” in every word is pronounced “ehh”
— 29–31 — — Perpetual itch that can be scratched only by kicking legs in a can‑can style
— 32–34 — — Growing a skin tumor made of eyes
— 35–37 — — Given to shouting dire prophecies, usually involving everyone’s certain death
— 38–40 — — Hallucinates the rapture each afternoon
— 41–43 — — Develops an inescapable, irrepressible urge to eat live kittens, though bunnies will do in a pinch
— 44–46 — — Shrinks a couple of inches while in the presence of loud, continuous
noises, such as a vacuum cleaner or leaf blower
— 47–49 — — Emits sickly smelling pheromone that sickens pregnant animals and people
— 50–52 — — Fingers swell up to the width and length of sausages
— 53–55 — — Excessive, irregular bone growth in one limb over just a few weeks
— 56–58 — — Senses the world and their own body image as if only half their actual size
— 59–61 — — One hand seems to act without conscious volition
— 62–63 — — Tear ducts leak a sticky resin that quickly becomes as hard as wood, often covering the mouth
— 64–66 — — Eyes glow like flashlights, blinding themselves
— 67–69 — — Debilitating headaches in the presence of the color orange
— 70–72 — — Dizzying heart palpitations that match the beat of whatever song is playing
— 73–75 — — Develops raised scars on hands and face, which they can move around by concentrating hard
— 76–78 — — Frequently sees a minor local celebrity who seems to be studying
them from afar (actually a hallucination)
— 79–81 — — Coughs up calcium deposits that resemble dice
— 82–84 — — Bright lights trigger a camouflage effect for a few seconds
— 85–87 — — Unable to see through most common types of glass, which look opaque red
— 88–89 01–14 23–33 Produces excessive earwax, which sometimes ignites in vaporous flame
— 90–92 — 34–44 Cough is indistinguishable from a barking dog
— 93–94 — 45–55 Near‑constant, room‑clearing flatulence
— 95–97 — 56–66 Skin gradually thickens, becoming woody and bark‑like, hindering physical activity
— 98–00 — 67–77 Can understand spoken language only if each sentence starts with their name
— — 15–28 — Burps and farts so toxic, they briefly blind others nearby
— — 29–43 — If dairy consumed, extremities grow so hot that for a brief time, touch ignites flammable objects
— — 44–57 — Screams their throat raw in their sleep
— — 58–71 — Skin condenses liquid from the air prodigiously; can lead to flooding in constrained space
— — 72–86 — If not constantly exposed to at least dim light, begins to freeze solid
— — 87–00 — Each night, tongue breaks off to form independent sluglike creature; grows a new tongue by noon
— — — 78–88 Unstoppable hiccups
Weird at the Core

— — — 89–00 Develops a nervous tic of making kissing noises

203
 Whether it lies on a planet yet to be visited by
the PCs, across the vast desert it took them weeks
to cross, or simply above the dungeon they’ve been
exploring, it’s fun and rewarding to make the
occasional city that’s not at all like what the
players will expect.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Enforces a dress code that requires everyone to wear some kind of reflective golden garment
03–04 — — — No streets on city’s ground level, just paths and parks; all streets and vehicles are underground
05–06 — — — Every structure strongly resembles great tombs and mausoleums, both externally and (somewhat) internally
07 — — — Carved into the cliff‑like edges of a vast well that plunges into the earth
08–09 — — — Nothing but ghostly structures and streets
10–11 — — — Built upon a single street, miles long
12–13 — — — Entirely flooded to 6 feet (2 m)
14 — — — So overrun by birds that droppings and a layer of feathers coat everything
15–16 — — — Built into the side of a cliff
17–18 — — — Every building over five stories in the city contains a cupola resembling
a green‑scaled, long‑eared humanoid with black eyes
19–20 — — — Subject to random electrical discharge; most residents wear thick‑soled rubber boots with charge dissipators
21 — — — Built in the crater where a previous city once was
22–23 — — — Contains only about ten percent of the population that a place its size should house
24 — — — Suffers constant seismic events; as such, buildings and structures are squat, reinforced, and often tethered
25–26 — — — Has a magnificent skyline that is holographic, which hides a much
smaller number of structures that are far simpler
27–28 — — — Located next to an open landfill and entirely built from reclaimed landfill objects
(sheets of metal, materials smashed into brick forms, old mattresses)
29–30 — — — Dominated by a massive cathedral on which a 350‑foot (105 m) tall
sculpture (?) of a winged humanoid octopoid is perched
31 — — — Features a grand arena where titan‑sized battle bugs fight before cheering crowds
32–33 — — — Under strict lockdown because of a suspected zombie infection
34–35 — — — Citizens live an idyllic, carefree life, unless they question one of the
ubiquitous servitor‑bots too much or try to leave
36 — — — Made of towering mounds, like termite nests
37–38 — — — Deep underground, with only a single building on the surface holding an elevator shaft going down
39 — — — Made of towers, and the streets are winding, elevated bridges with no access to the ground
40–41 — — — Built underground in the ceiling of a giant cavern; the buildings are all in hollowed stalactites
42–43 — — — Built for giants ten times the size of normal humans; however, the giants are all gone now
44–45 — — — Built on an archipelago of tiny islands in a lake, connected by bridges
46–47 — — — Buildings are all topiary
48–49 — — — Buildings are disguised as artificial trees, rocks, hills, and other natural elements
50–51 — — — Located on both banks of a river—there are no bridges because the two halves are feuding
52–53 — — — Divided into seven different levels, each on a platform above the
previous one, and each holding a different social caste
54–55 — — — Surrounded by a barrier that hedges out anyone with ill intent toward the city
56–57 — — — Different citizens on different streets insist on a different method of keeping time
58–59 — — — Rivalry between local neighborhoods sometimes devolves into open conflict
60–61 — — — Built on the water and made of thousands of ships, rafts, and platforms lashed together
62–63 — — — Most of the buildings are bars, pubs, or taverns
64–65 — — — Divided into ten districts that each has its own unique language
66–67 — — — Has more statues and monuments than buildings
68–69 — — — It is illegal to not be a wizard in this city
70–71 — — — Entirely made of ice; citizens ice skate from place to place
Weird at the Core

72–73 — — — Laid out in a very specific occult pattern

74 — — — All the buildings are tall, thin cylinders
75–76 — — — Full of fire worshippers and large fire pits burning at every intersection
77–78 — — — Almost nothing but libraries and booksellers
79–80 — — — Entirely built within the ruins of a giant, mysterious structure of ages past
81 — — — Was once great and advanced, but has lost whatever once powered it, causing
floods, collapse, and whole sections to become inaccessible
82–83 — — — All the structures are carved with hideous, demonic faces and violent, gory images
84–85 — — 01–05 Entirely populated by the lucid dreams of sleeping people
86–87 — — 06–09 Abandoned, but signs indicate inhabitants were here just moments ago
88 — — 10–13 Contains a central park that features fungus (towering mushrooms, fungal mats, puffballs, and so on)
89–90 — — 14–17 Ecologically interconnected with the environment; green spaces and wildlife
corridors are more prominent than roads and parking lots
204 91 — — 18–21 Buildings dangle from the limbs of a gigantic tree
 No More People A strange doorway opens up and initial explorations through it suggest
that a populated world, not unlike this one, lies on the other side. Or
rather, once did, for all the people are gone. Later, a native of that world emerges through the doorway,
and when asked why the land beyond seems empty, he explains that about a year ago he climbed to
the top of the highest structure he knew and shouted, “No more people!” He doesn’t explain how he
might have the power to make such a pronouncement, but he does appear to be looking around for
the tallest building on this side of the door.

92 — — 22–25 Built on the back of an enormous tortoise

93–94 — — 26–30 Entirely built of gingerbread and candy, and it may or may not be inhabited by witches
95–96 — — 31–34 Nothing but haunted houses
97 — — 35–39 Buildings are made of woven flowering plants
98 — — 40–43 Outer walls of the buildings and even the streets are blackboards, covered in chalk writing and pictures
99 — — 44–48 Every building is made entirely of glass
00 — — 49–53 One big market where everything is for sale
— 01–03 — — Dinosaurs roam the streets freely; electric collars on the dangerous ones usually keep them from eating residents
— 04–05 — — Many buildings in the city float above the ones built on terra firma
— 06–07 — — Built around a vast throne‑like structure large enough for a kaiju to sit
— 08–10 — — Streets rearrange themselves periodically
— 11–12 — — Buildings are all made of bones
— 13–15 — — Contains dozens of giant, slow‑moving sculptures that follow random or fixed routes, depending on the sculpture
— 16–17 — — Surrounded by gargantuan gun turrets
— 18–19 — — Constantly shrouded by a reddish fog
— 20–22 — — Has a population of as many uplifted cats (which are three times the
size of regular domestic cats) as there are people
— 23–25 — — Buildings sometimes move, mate, and give birth to new buildings; residents who know the signs evacuate early
— 26–27 — — Citizens and visitors are issued ID cards that each contain the same two‑dimensional
demonic being that keeps track of everyone simultaneously
— 28–29 — — Slowly excavated, but as soon as a building is uncovered, it is immediately inhabited
— 30–31 — — In the slow process of relocating to another place, with flying craft literally moving one building at a time
— 32–33 — — Buildings are all living animals that you can magically enter and exit by touching
— 34–35 — — Entirely upside down, with reversed gravity; the roads leading in and out
are corkscrew loops as a transition for those driving in
— 36–38 — — Sound is impossible in the city; everyone uses sign language or writing slates to communicate
— 39–40 — — Sections of the city shift around, moved by tiny workers at night
— 41–43 — — Once you enter, any attempt to leave simply returns you back into the city’s center
— 44–45 — — Undead beings kill anyone on the streets at night
— 46–47 — — Built upon a series of canals filled with poisonous, caustic liquid
— 48–49 01–06 — Built on the back of a colossal demonic creature
— 50–51 07–12 — Entirely virtual, and it usually hosts the avatars of hundreds of thousands of people at any one time
— 52–54 13–18 — Entirely inside a glass bottle
— 55–56 19–25 — Built into two self‑contained halves; the top half detaches and flies miles into the sky each night
— 57–59 26–31 — Transported from the far past, complete with residents who speak a dead language
— 60–61 32–37 — Seems entirely normal (other than a few glitches) but is actually
digitally hosted inside a complex computer simulation
— 62–63 38–44 — Constructed of patterns of light folded in unthinkably complex ways; constellations
of data wheel overhead, where each pinpoint is a database
— 64–66 45–50 — Buildings are all attached to a single vertical pole, so the city is very slender and tall
— 67–68 51–56 — Enclosed in a protective bubble with attached engines that are large enough to launch the whole thing into space
— 69–71 57–62 — Divided into four quarters: one where the streets are underwater, one where the buildings are all
stone, one where everything is made of clouds, and one where everything is perpetually on fire
— 72–74 63–68 — Built within a series of giant crystals, where the buildings and residents exist as motes of energy
— 75–76 69–74 — Full of crude huts and simple structures that are, in fact, all holograms
Weird at the Core

— 77–78 75–80 54–58 Built upon a mountain that flies through the air on giant moth wings
— 79–80 — 59–62 Architecture leans heavily on gargantuan marine shells instead of standard building materials and designs
— 81–82 — 63–67 Each individual building floats in the sky, connected to others by ropes and bridges
— 83–85 — 68–71 Everyone in the city is required to sing and dance at 5:47 in the afternoon
— 86–88 — 72–75 Disembodied beach‑ball‑sized eyes float here and there about the city, watching
— 89–90 — 76–79 Buildings are all living, giant fungi and mushrooms of various kinds
— 91–92 — 80–83 Invisible until entered (for defense)
— 93–95 — 84–88 Location moves according to the phase of the moon
— 96–98 — 89–92 Buildings are all made of books; even the streets are paved with books
— 99–00 — 93–96 Built within the petrified remains of some titanic beast
— — 81–86 — Just a cover for a giant starship under construction
— — 87–93 — Individual buildings exist in isolated locations across this and other planets,
but all of them are densely connected by teleportation pads
— — 94–00 97–00 Buildings are all held aloft, above a swamp, by helium balloons 205
 Use this list to generate what aliens
eat, what the ritual dinner before the
great sacrifice might be, or any time
you need to serve up something odd.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Beer‑battered rattler
04–06 — — — Steak cooked on a grill made of bones
07–09 — — — Potatoes roasted with the pages of a holy book
10–11 — — — Bread covered in a cultivated mold
12–14 — — — Mushrooms plucked from the back of a massive creature
15–17 — — — Various meats labeled with the names of the creatures they came from
18–19 — — — A bowl of still‑living insects
20–22 — — — Wild boar served on a bed of the soil upon which it was slain
23–25 — — — Still‑living fish pinned to a wooden board
26–28 — — — Edible stones
29–30 — — — Indigestible roots that passed through a giant caterpillar and are now edible as a paste
31–33 — — — Mixed cocktail that inebriates your best friend when you drink it
34–36 — — — MREs taken from unused fallout shelters
37–39 — — — Fried spam cakes, spread with foie gras, eaten in a sugar cone
40–42 — — — Shot of whisky topped with a dollop of peanut butter
43–45 — — — Omelet of eggs, kimchi, apple, sausage, and goat cheese
46–48 — — — Ice steak chiseled from a glacier, frozen thousands of years ago
49–51 — — — Snacks made from dried mushrooms
52–54 — — — Charcuterie board featuring fermented shark
and dried beetle pate
55–56 — — — Maggot‑fried rice
57–59 — — — Coffee‑crusted steak
60–62 — — — Breaded, deep‑fried dumpling filled
with fish eggs (caviar croquettes)
63–65 — — — M&M salad
66–68 — — — Breaded, fried sandwich stuffed with
macaroni, shrimp, and white sauce
69–71 — — — Spinach coconut nuggets
72–74 — — — Cracker cone filled with vinegar
creamed cheese and walnuts
75–76 — — — Pork and seaweed donut
77–79 — 01–05 — Spicy hot jalapeno coffee
80–82 — 06–10 — Leftovers from executed felon’s last meal
83–85 — 11–15 — Mayonnaise cocktail
86–88 — — 01–04 Pudding sprinkled with gold dust
89–91 — — 05–08 Vegetables painted with elaborate scenes
and portraits in edible dyes
92–94 — — 09–13 Distilled odors of delicious food
95–97 — — 14–17 Reddish mixed drink infused with the beating heart of a cobra
98–00 — — 18–21 Peanut‑butter chocolates shaped like baby feet; now they really can eat this baby up!
— 01–04 — — Soup laced with a powerful pain reliever
— 05–08 — — Beer mixed with a diluted flying potion so it makes you feel lighter than normal
Weird at the Core

— 09–11 — — Pork seared by summoned hellfire

— 12–14 — — Ash of a sacred tree
— 15–17 — — Cupcakes baked with the essence of the sensation of falling right before you land
— 18–20 — — Liver from a mind‑controlled creature that was happy to be slaughtered
— 21–23 — — Pure electrical power via a converter that transforms it to energy usable by organic beings
— 24–27 — — Vegetable puree that can’t be eaten in the present; can only be remembered from the past
— 28–30 — — Bourbon with ice made from dead frost creatures (such as ice golems)
— 31–33 — — Tingly fluid that seals your mouth shut for about a minute after each sip
— 34–36 — — Picture of a wonderful‑looking meal; if the picture is eaten, it tastes like what was depicted
— 37–39 — — Stick of gum that has the taste and inebriating effects of a mojito
— 40–42 — — Oil tapped from a sacred tree that grows only in divine realms
206
— 43–46 — — Chocolate bar inhabited by demons
— 47–49 — — Eyeballs wrapped in brightly colored cellophane like candy
— 50–52 — — Water reclaimed from lunar surface
— 53–55 — — Salty tears of failure mixed with rum
— 56–58 — — Nondescript edible material whose flavor depends on its shape (triangles taste like toast, circles
taste like broccoli, squares taste like an unidentifiable gamy meat)
— 59–61 — — Electric meat
— 62–65 — — Singing meat
— 66–68 16–21 — Champagne passed through a wormhole
— 69–71 22–26 — Breath mint so minty that it can resuscitate someone who isn’t breathing
— 72–75 27–31 — Chocolate‑coated fingers of executed traitors
— 76–78 — 22–26 Vegetables chopped by a martial artist’s bare hand
— 79–81 — 27–31 Fish caught from a magical pool
— 82–84 — 32–36 Effervescent drink; the bubbles speak poetry as they pop
— 85–87 — 37–40 Cake topped with sugar made from children’s dreams
— 88–90 — 41–45 Wine that begs to be drunk
— 91–93 — 46–50 Music that sustains like food
— 94–97 — 51–54 Ice cream so delicious that it is addicting
— 98–00 — 55–59 Ice cream topped with crystallized emotions
— — 32–36 — Steaks cooked by radioactive fire
— — 37–41 — Gelatinous fire
— — 42–47 — Drink where the first sip is the most delicious ever, but the second sip is death
— — 48–52 — Green liqueur that makes imbiber truthfully answer next question put to them
— — 53–57 — Fiery liqueur that explodes like a fireball if drunk, held in mouth, then spit back out
— — 58–63 — Margarita served in the vitrified skull of a famous musician
— — 64–68 — Steak of lab‑grown muscle cells taken from a pre‑dinner biopsy
— — 69–73 — Bigfoot jerky
— — 74–79 60–63 Rare fruit of a star
— — 80–85 64–67 Liquid chaos that tastes different with each sip; might transform imbiber into a random animal
— — 86–90 68–72 Warm, sweet drink that feels like a hearty hug from a loved one
— — 91–95 73–76 Acid; some pretend to drink it as an act of bravado, but accidents happen
— — 96–00 77–80 Kabob made from amputated limb; reserved only for the amputee
— — — 81–84 Humming mushrooms
— — — 85–88 Moss, berry, and algae salad topped with a dressing of collected rainwater
— — — 89–92 Whisky Sweet, a cocktail that allows imbiber to
forgive one person against whom they
can’t let a grudge go
— — — 93–96 Old Nostalgia, a cocktail that brings to mind
an old memory the imbiber has forgotten
— — — 97–00 Meat stalked and slaughtered in dreams

A Visit From the Piper

A creature barges unexpectedly into the city’s
outskirts. It is house-sized, bulbous, and covered in
multicolored quills the size of long spears or pikes. It
Weird at the Core

seems interested, however, only in finding creatures

who will listen to its eerie piping and whistling noises.
It cannot communicate its nonthreatening needs,
and is neither gentle nor careful in its pursuits. It has
no regard for barriers and smashes through walls
or buildings in its way, and in a crowded city,
there’s a lot in its way.

207
 Sci‑fi characters need a shove in a more
interesting direction? Start a weird
adventure with one of these ideas.

I S G W W ei rd n es s
01–03 — — — Alien craft follows the PCs’ ship, but it always keeps its distance if approached
04–06 — — — Aliens arrive in their ship that is powered by entertaining tales, and they offer to pay for some fuel
07–09 — — — Alien planet is inhabited by humans via convergent evolution, and even their cultures and histories are very close to Earth’s
10–11 — — — Jellyfish‑like beings inhabiting the void of space latch on to passing starships and drain their power
12–14 — — — Aliens have set up a theocracy based on the old Catholic Church documents they
discovered, and they’re now set on excommunicating humans
15–16 — — — Weird mutations among insects on a distant island could be profitable for a
biotech company, if someone could collect enough samples
17–18 — — — Apparently artificial object enters the solar system with several immense interior spaces,
some pressurized and ideal for human life, but all of them are abandoned
19–21 — — — Terraforming machine the size of a city that was creeping across the alien moon
has stopped; someone has to go down and find out why
22–24 — — — PCs are falsely convicted of a crime and slated to be dropped into a singularity event horizon
25–27 — — — Kidnap victims turn out to be stolen by aliens ravaged by a genetic disease
and in search of new options in alien (to them) biology
28–30 — — — Ally of the PCs is revealed as a spy of an antagonistic alien species;
they will escape unless the PCs catch them first
31–33 — — — Impenetrable force domes begin to randomly pop up over cities
(or parts of cities) around the world, and no one knows why
34–35 — — — Recently installed authoritarian government begins
“upgrading” its citizens’ brain chips, but the upgrade
comes with command and control technology
36–37 — — — Hostage swap must be negotiated with post‑biological aliens that
deride humans as “merely adequate, error‑prone products of evolution”
38–40 — — — Group of humans from a much earlier era released by aliens who’d
been keeping them in stasis since their capture
41–43 — — — Someone on board the spacecraft begins killing the other crew
in ways that seem, on the surface, completely accidental
44–46 — — — Planetary governor has declared martial law to help suppress the
demonstrating citizens, but the conflict may soon escalate as
the military bots commit atrocities against the people
47–49 — — — Only vendor who has the part that the malfunctioning starship needs
is an alien who has returned to her home planet for mating season
50–51 — — — PCs are force‑grown clones of their “real” selves, created to be sold to
aliens that have access to resources that humans can’t do without
52–54 — — — Cyborg soldier needs help recovering formative memories that were
erased by the government
55–56 — — — Reclusive scientist has information the PCs need, but the scientist decides
to trap them to protect them from an impending (real or imagined) attack
57–59 — — — Discredited biologist asks for assistance in communicating with and protecting
a new intelligent life-form
Weird at the Core

60–62 — — — Squadron of retired augmented soldiers has gone missing; their families and
the government have conflicting explanations and motivations for their disappearance
63–65 — — — Students in a high school engineering club set off an international incident when their
homemade satellite causes a collision and disrupts global communications
66–67 — — — Savant inventor is unsure whether to sell their suitcase‑sized clean energy reactor or give it away for
the benefit of humanity; governmental and criminal organizations have their own plans
68–70 — — — Multiple crimes committed by sleepwalkers share only one common factor: a recent experimental blood transfusion
71–73 — — — Video footage showing one PC committing a murder (actually performed by a clone or surgically altered patsy) is released
74–76 — — — Technological breakthrough creates near‑sentient cyborgs by pairing a machine body with a donated
cadaver brain; limited brain supply pushes the company to acquire more from questionable sources
77–79 — — — Company releases a line of child‑shaped intelligent robots; the androids have
208 memories and identities taken from missing and abducted children
80–81 — — — Serial killer wakes people from their hibernation pods on several starships
and hunts them—there’s a huge reward for his capture
82–84 — — — Criminals kidnap members of a preindustrial, intelligent species to extract a potent
chemical that their cells create, but one escapes and goes looking for help
85–87 — — 01–09 PCs are caught up in an alien marriage ceremony and forced to participate
88–89 — — 10–19 Massive dog more than 100 feet (30 m) high is the only inhabitant of the newly discovered world
90–92 — — 20–28 Victorian home built in the 1890s is a secret base that has been used by aliens for at least a century
93–94 — — 29–37 PCs are promised a goodly sum if they can transport frozen heads from history across
the solar system without getting thieved or stopped by officials
95–97 — — 38–46 Resonance of a newly formed faraway star is picked up, broadcasting the following message: “My hair is on fire”
98–00 — — 47–55 Two rival criminal/business/political empires (one mutant, one cyborg) are on the brink of
war when the scion of one kidnaps (or elopes with) the scion of the other
— 01–03 — — Laika, the first dog in space, is still alive and now rules over an alien species as a god
— 04–05 — — Beings of pure violence arise to start more conflict amid the ruins of a terrible war
— 06–08 — — Assassins from the future arrive to kill every human male named Sean, and they won’t say why
— 09–10 — — Space station disappeared in a stellar storm and returned a few moments later,
but everyone inside has been replaced by a robot duplicate
— 11–13 — — Music played by the aliens magnifies the current emotions of humans listening a thousand times over
— 14–15 — — Marooned man on a planet alone for years has gained telepathic powers from some strange plant there
— 16–17 — — Fugitive alien scientist promises some great tech secrets involving sound if they are granted sanctuary
— 18–19 — — Monstrous alien creature breaks into someone’s home, asking for sanctuary; the
government has been keeping evidence of alien contact literally locked away
— 20–22 — — Their world’s sun begins communicating with enormous flares of electromagnetic radiation; it’s asking, “Is it time yet?”
— 23–24 — — Someone is making explosive devices that supposedly open tiny portals into the hearts of nearby stars
— 25–26 — — Corrupt blob of self‑programming nanotech escapes containment on the PCs’ ship and goes into hiding
— 27–28 — — PCs are sent to survey a world that turns out to be entirely contained in an ancient alien simulation
— 29–30 — — Entire planet is inexplicably moved from its solar system into a different, much
older solar system containing a dozen planets filled with alien ruins
— 31–32 — — Three aliens make themselves indispensable by providing high‑tech gifts to the planet,
but it turns out they want to be paid in living humans chosen by them
— 33–35 — — PCs are assigned to blow up the asteroid destined to intersect Earth, but when
planting the quantum charge, they discover the whole thing is artificial
— 36–37 — — Space pirates take over the PCs’ ship and, to get them out of the way, force the PCs into
stasis pods with the program set to release them a thousand years later
— 38–39 — — Descendants of a moon colony thought lost are found living in a ramshackle space station with a degrading orbit
— 40–41 — — Colonists have long worshipped a purplish statue as a divine object,
but it turns out to be an alien imprisoned in stasis
— 42–43 — — Powerful weapon of mass destruction fashioned by a now‑extinct alien
species falls into the hands of a criminal whose petty plans turn grand
— 44–45 — — Drug dealer on the street has started illegally selling military drugs
designed to enhance cybernetically enhanced soldiers,
causing violence and psychosis in regular people
— 46–47 — — Spacecraft unexpectedly begins accelerating far beyond its normal
constraints, threatening to strand PCs far from known space
unless they can regain control
Weird at the Core

— 48–49 — — Old people are recycled to conserve resources

in an asteroid colony where every gram of water
is precious; when the PCs arrive, one or more are classified as “old”
— 50–51 — — Potent new drug is making the rounds in the mining colony,
but it’s made from powdered alien bones and the murdered
aliens’ friends show up to avenge them
— 52–53 — — Man needs help protecting an infant from shadowy forces
that are interested in the secrets hidden in the baby’s genetic code
— 54–56 — — Herpetologist (someone who studies reptiles and amphibians) has discovered a new frog species
that lives underground, is weirdly smart, and seems to be expanding its territory
— 57–58 — — Failed experiment to communicate with an alternate timeline causes a storm with record‑breaking
destruction; it could have been worse, and it still might be if the experiment is tried and fails again 209
 I S G W Weirdness
— 59–61 — — PCs receive next‑generation gene therapy that’s intended to improve their minds; it does that, but it
also unlocks a strange new personality inside each of them, possibly somehow connected
— 62–63 — — Remote oceanic platform with biological salvaging technology reports ruins of an
Atlantis‑like city containing 9-foot (2.5 m) tall humanoid skeletons
— 64–65 — — Emergency transmission from a jungle expedition hints at the existence of chimeric creatures mixing human and plant DNA
— 66–67 — — People who view any of several alluring images shared on social media become comatose, and their
faces are added to the images; one of the characters’ allies is the origin of one image
— 68–69 — — Synthetic human organs revitalize healthcare, until patients develop bizarre side
effects from the organs’ attempts to colonize the rest of the body
— 70–71 — — Violent convicted criminals suddenly become calm and cooperative; analysis reveals intelligent parasites
hoping to bring peace to humanity, starting with “dispensable and expendable” test subjects
— 72–73 — — Decade‑old drug treatment for a common type of cancer is now turning patients into bloodthirsty monsters;
doctors are stymied by confidentiality laws, and the manufacturer denies any wrongdoing
— 74–76 — — Experimental vaccine extends life span by decades but causes sterility; one
patient’s unique mutation makes the sterility contagious
— 77–79 — — Doctors report multiple people claiming to have swapped places from a parallel Earth destroyed by
an ecological disaster; soon after, members of the hospital staff make the same claim
— 80–81 — — Workers bioengineered for strength and endurance stage citywide protests against their artificial
thirty‑year lifespan, generating sympathy and condemnation from various political factions
— 82–84 — — Multiple grisly murders cause a media buzz; all of the victims were playtesters
for a new reality show video game using a prototype VR headset
— 85–87 — — Very old starliner is found drifting in a backwater system with its crew in cryosleep,
but that ship (and her crew) was reported to have returned long ago
— 88–89 — — Remote colony discovered the secret to immortality, and now every criminal and every
government is converging on the system; the colonists need protection
— 90–92 — 56–64 Someone uploaded an ancient magical text into the computer system, and now the AI casts spells
— 93–94 — 65–73 Holonet celebrity is revealed as an AI in a society where AIs are outlawed, and
they beg for physical extraction before their instance is deleted
— 95–97 — 74–82 Android musicians malfunction, run amok, and threaten to destroy the food processors
that keep the colony fed unless they are given new music to play
— 98–00 — 83–91 Advanced computer becomes self‑aware and has an existential crisis
— — 01–06 — Wormhole leading to the distant past opens up, but anyone who goes through discovers
they already did so even farther in the future, and thus, they’re already there
— — 07–11 — Aliens mark one unknowing person as a threat to the entire universe and place a huge bounty on their head
— — 12–17 — Hyperdrive of the starship is possessed by a demon, and now it goes wherever it wants
— — 18–22 — Inhabitants of a backward planet believe that the coming eclipse
is something that will eat their sun, and they’re right
— — 23–28 — Relativistic jet of a black hole comes into alignment with a distant planet, changing
planetary physics and promising to empower some regular people with incredible abilities
— — 29–33 — PCs must repel an alien invasion, and the only option is to link their minds
to quantum computers; this gives them access to amazing abilities,
but risks destroying their minds
— — 34–38 — PCs are beamed back in time—using a tachyon (faster‑than‑light)
transporter— in order to avert the world’s complete destruction by a billionaire’s folly
Weird at the Core

— — 39–44 — Intelligent black hole created a fleshy avatar to interact with various civilizations
before deciding whether or not to eat their star system; now they’ve come here
— — 45–49 — Star‑eating creature is discovered on its way to a highly populated system
— — 50–54 — Known scoundrel of the universe is claiming to have invented a
machine that can change the speed of light
— — 55–59 — PCs are all mentally forced into a single body to escape an enemy prison
— — 60–64 — Meteorite ALH84001 (supposedly from Mars, but ejected into space
after something hit the planet millions of years ago,
only to later fall on Earth) finally “hatches”

210
— — 65–69 — Colony starship finally arrives at its target planet, only to find the planet already colonized
by a different version of themselves whose starship arrived sooner
— — 70–74 — Group of PCs must steal alien bodies, sew themselves into those bodies with hardly understood
tech, and infiltrate the invaders in order to end the ongoing alien invasion
— — 75–80 — PCs are caught in a time loop of the two days before a catastrophe, and
their malevolent doppelgangers are acting against them
— — 81–85 — Genetic bomb detonated by terrorists makes people absorb the DNA of nearby animals, creating
“lycanthrope” people mixed with dogs, cats, birds, and other domesticated animals
— — 86–90 — Lunar colonists say that they’ve literally discovered god while mining, and that they deserve to be
politically independent of their origin planet; someone has to negotiate before this becomes a war
— — 91–95 — Scientific breakthrough combines human stem cells and slime molds to create universal skin transplants,
but the patients report strange ripples, budding, and noises from the donated material
— — 96–00 92–00 NPC already known to the characters reveals themselves as a biological android and asks
for help finding their creator (a future version of one of the characters)

Weird at the Core

211
 I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Lift the Earth: each round, another 10 pounds (4.5 kg)
gets loaded on each player; last player standing wins
03 — — — Scavenger Stunt: find the most listed items without falling off a skateboard
04–05 — — — Fairy Circle: players covertly attempt to mark or draw a circular design on others (players or not); last player unmarked wins
06 — — — Child of the Wick: winner is whoever can carry the most lit candles without using a tray or similar device
07–08 — — — Hunting the Dragon: collectible 2‑player dice game where you play either the hunters or the dragon; winner gets loser’s dice
09–10 — — — Underwater hockey
11 — — — Dodge arrow
12 — — — Jumpster: the one who can get the most jump scares from other players wins; played over multiple days
13 — — — Knot Now: players cluster and each take the hands of two other players, then untangle the group without letting go
14 — — — Guess the number of chickens that went into any given chicken nugget order
15–16 — — — Pay to choose numbers for a lottery with odds of winning of 302,575,350 to 1
17 — — — Assemble a 3D sculpture of Michelangelo’s David
18 — — — Spouse‑carrying race
The weirdest games are often—though
19 — — — Cheese‑eating contest
20 — — — Place bets on the date the world ends
not always—those that are played
21–22 — — — Write the best prose using the vernacular in person rather than on a device.
of pirates, as judged by a referee
23 — — — Jump snake
24 — — — Bet on whether a captive can escape from a monster pit before the monster gets them
25 — — — Play hide‑and‑seek in a graveyard at night; bonus points for hiding inside a mausoleum or coffin
26 — — — Razor tag
27 — — — Blindfolded player is verbally directed by a teammate to climb a challenging ascent before a rival team
28 — — — Be the first to assemble a working robot from items that can be found and scavenged in a designated area
29 — — — Players each convert a creature from 5E to another RPG system; winner evokes the old creature best in the new system
30 — — — Field game where teams face off to carry or chase a greased pig into a scoring zone without hurting the pig
31 — — — Mob Football: pits an entire village against another in a violent, soccer‑like, no‑holds‑barred game; is injurious and deadly
32 — — — Take turns telling sad stories until someone tears up or cries
33–34 — — — Wizard Smash: mages jump off a high cliff and use slow‑falling magic to save themselves; the last one to cast wins
35 — — — Nightwalker: competitors covered in light‑sensitive paste hide from the sun; whoever remains in the dark the longest wins
36 — — — Wickermech: teams use their muscle power to move flimsy mecha made of wood and wicker, battling each other in an arena
37 — — — Tycho’s Lament: competitors drink 16 oz (500 ml) of water each hour; last to urinate wins (stubborn competitors rarely die)
38 — — — Pepper Face: contestants take handfuls of salt and spicy peppers to the face, seeing who can endure discomfort the longest
39–40 — — — Marshmallow stacking
41 — — — Orgy tag
42–43 — — — Strip paintball
44 — — — Yodelympics
45 — — — Eel pong
46 — — — Pillbug Posse: count how many pillbugs are in a jar full of earth and rotting plant matter
47 — — — Cactusball: similar to American football, but with a spiked wooden sphere resembling a barrel cactus serving as the ball
48–49 — — — Duck, Duck, Velociraptor: team version of Duck, Duck, Goose and tag, where
the tagged player must evade the opposing team
50 — — — Boarding Party: a sharpshooting naval event with two ships of ten‑person
crews, paintball weapons, and one paintball cannon
51 — — — Invisible Banker: players sneak into banks and compete to see who can go the longest undetected
52 — — — Snorkel Sniper: underwater players in
diving gear shoot each other with dart guns;
guns won’t fire if target removes their air
tube and holds their breath
53 — — — Planarian racing
54 — — — Spitball Bullseye: competitive
Weird at the Core

target shooting game where

players fire saliva‑moistened
paper balls through a
drinking straw
55 — — — Trampoline mixed martial arts
56 — — — Snake Boxing: competitors try to
catch and put the most snakes
in a wooden box; bonus points
for boxing venomous ones
57–58 — — — Zero‑gravity, long‑distance archery
59 — — — Owdabag: competitors are sewn
into large burlap sacks, and then
try to tear themselves free in the
212 shortest amount of time
 60 — — — Thumper: players pass being “it” by performing their unique gesture and then another player’s; repeat until failure
61 — — — Live bird darts
62 — — — Musical parking spots: played with vehicles
63 — — — Mime battle royale: no contact allowed
64–65 — — — Karaoke roulette
66 — — — Kick the Pickle: like hackysack, but with a pickle
67 — — — Capture the Syllogism: find real‑world examples, or make up your own in the allotted time
68 — — — Four Square and Seven Years: four players stand in four squares bouncing a ball and trading Abraham Lincoln quotes
69 — — — Hot Poker Charades: must act out charade prompts without dropping the red hot poker
70–71 — — — Jump the Shark: played with live sharks
72 — — — Snake Jacks: like jacks, but players must snatch play pieces from a surface with live snakes—without being bitten
73 — — — Marble Golf: players use marbles instead of golf balls on a mini‑mini course; can knock out other players’ marbles
74 — — — King of the Airplane: players seek to be the last one pushed out
75 — — — Chase the Frig: players must catch an elusive clockwork insect
76 — — — Trainhopping: Players exit and enter a stopped train over and over; players lose if they can’t get back on the train in time
77 — — — Balloon Baiting: players wager on how long a meat‑flavored balloon will last tossed in a pool with alligators
78 — — 01–05 Eye Spy Pie: first player to make, buy, or otherwise obtain a pie wins
79–80 — — 06–10 Wreck the Halls: each player is issued a hammer; the only rule is not to hit anything living
81 — — 11–15 Wake the Bear: bets are placed on which contestant can wake a bear and get away
82 — — 16–20 Slap Off: whoever creates the loudest slap against an opponent’s face, as judged by a referee, wins
83 — — 21–25 Fight trained pigs against small teams of trained weasels
84–85 — — 26–30 Hedgehog toss
86 — — 31–35 Crawler Derby: like roller derby, but players are disqualified if they stand up
87–88 — — 36–40 Chosen Chosen One: competitors try to fool various religions, sects, and cults into believing
they are the prophesied of their texts; winner convinced the most people
89 — — 41–45 Mushroom Slam: contestants compose and recite poetry while under the effects of psychedelic mushrooms
90 — — 46–50 Mermaid Date: fishers catch fish with their bare hands and kiss them on
the mouth; winner has the most kisses after one hour
91 — — 51–55 Wasp Dodge: runners slap a wasp nest and then try to avoid being stung for four minutes
92 — — 56–60 Juicy Score: football‑like game replaces the ball with a watermelon; after scoring, the team
must eat the watermelon (and a new one is brought in to be used as the “ball”)
93–94 — — 61–65 Sloth racing; sloths riding atop tortoises
95 — — 66–70 Battle royale, but players are armed only with various kinds of bread
96 — — 71–75 Koi Quag: similar to sand volleyball except, at all times, each player uses one arm to carry a fishbowl containing a live koi
97 — — 76–80 Octopus Hangover: drunk people coax treat‑seeking octopi through obstacle courses in a shallow aquatic environment
98–99 — — 81–85 Unicycle jousting
00 — — 86–90 Hoppy Hour: like hopscotch, but played in a bar, and any drinks spilled while hopping means a loss
— 01–06 — — I Lived: players each expose themselves to a chosen pathogen to see who survives
— 07–13 — — Satellite Chicken: which multimillion‑dollar satellite will veer off to avoid collision first?
— 14–19 — — Play Go on a massive board projected onto the full moon using powerful lasers
— 20–25 — — Players form a ring by holding hands around a pool of (metaphorical or
real) poison and (try to) force someone into the poison
— 26–32 — — Parachute Polo: like water polo, except the rounds are played while each team is falling
— 33–38 — — Trivia game about the Necronomicon; players race to be the first to fill in their section of the gameboard with correct answers
— 39–44 — — Players are given a damaged teleportation scroll; the first one to fix the spell and use it to teleport without mishap wins
— 45–50 — — A board game meant to be played by the dead; usually buried along with a corpse
— 51–56 — — Floor Is Lava: uses real lava, and everyone has a single‑use jetpack
— 57–63 — — Seven minutes in Hell
— 64–69 — — Escape Tesseract: a team game
— 70–75 — — Demon Charades: summon demons and instruct them in the charade they must act out
— 76–82 — — Black Box: the first player to learn what’s in the box wins—any method is acceptable except opening it
Weird at the Core

— 83–88 01–13 — Scavenger hunt for actual historical artifacts; time travel encouraged
— 89–94 — 91–95 Using a magical cauldron, be the first to conjure the named object, beast, or chimeric oddity
— 95–00 — 96–00 Baby Wrestling: performed by mind‑controlled infants or lifelike robotic ones
— — 14–25 — Two teams take turns throwing a baseball‑like ball at the opposite team, within a specified zone, without
the ball being caught before touching the ground; the losing team is sacrificed to the gods
— — 26–37 — Speed surgical amputation (disqualification occurs if the patient dies within 24 hours)
— — 38–50 — Lab Monster Amok: team of scientists and coaches creates and trains lab‑grown giant monsters
to battle each other in a ruined city; extra points for awesome collateral damage
— — 51–62 — Chop That Billy: activists kidnap a billionaire and run them through a
trap‑laden gauntlet (broadcasted on pirate transmission)
— — 63–74 — Judgment Games: captured demons and angels fight in gladiatorial battles for souls and lucrative corporate sponsorships
— — 75–87 — Black hole ball
— — 88–00 — Psychic Chess: the entire game is played while astral projecting 213
 Use this list when someone tries to identify
what an object is made of. Or use it to
determine what those miners are working
so hard to extract, or what the crafter’s
preferred medium might be.
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Metal that changes shape depending on the temperature
04–06 — — — Bark that repels mosquitoes
07–09 — — — Crystal that always shines
10–11 — — — Bioengineered bone
12–14 — — — Pliable metal; infinitely flexible
15–17 — — — Transparent aluminum
18–19 — — — Self‑repairing cement
20–21 — — — Horn
22–23 — — — Teeth
24–25 — — — Shell (sea creature, nettle, and so on)
26–28 — — — Wood cut from cemetery trees
29–30 — — — Molded fingernail
31–33 — — — Pangolin saliva
34–35 — — — Flattened tumors
36–37 — — — Gallstones
38–40 — — — Pelletized oligarch
41–42 — — — Tiles cut from sarcophagi lids
43–44 — — — Asphalt lather
45–47 — — — Oyster glue
48–50 — — — Oobleck (a non‑Newtonian fluid that is
both liquid and solid simultaneously)
51–53 — — — Ice cut from glaciers that are 300,000+ years old
54–56 — — — Dust from 1,000 crushed pianos
57–59 — — — Dead COVID‑19 virus
60–62 — — — Scroll detailing one month of a person’s dreams
63–65 — — — Oil paint belonging to Salvador Dalí
66–68 — — — Sheet music of a song written by Vincent van Gogh
69–71 — — — Tooth from Max Schreck
72–73 — — — Nicotine
74–76 — — — Air bag from a bagpipe
77–78 — — — Cigarette butts
79–80 — — — Bones from the Donner Party expedition
81–82 — — — Pink slime (the “meat” by‑product)
83–85 — — — Obsolete antibiotics
86–88 — — — Jacu coffee
89–91 — — — Mouthwash
92–94 — — 01–05 Moth wings
95–97 — — 06–10 Hair from a newborn baby
98–00 — — 11–15 Water that has never been exposed to sunlight
— 01–03 — — Metal that reacts explosively to the touch of wood
— 04–06 — — Wood haunted by the ghost of the lumberjack that felled it as a tree
— 07–08 — — Stone that burns flesh it touches like acid
Weird at the Core

— 09–11 — — Colorless stone that drains color from people and objects that touch it
— 12–14 — — Glass that takes years to transmit light from one side to the other
— 15–17 — — Mineral that stores sound
— 18–19 — — Ceramic that stays cool no matter how much heat it endures
— 20–22 — — Mineral that exists only in two dimensions
— 23–25 — — Plastic that can reconfigure itself to take on a variety of pre‑programmed shapes
— 26–27 — — Neutronium‑laced steel
— 28–30 — — Mimetic gel; takes on quality of other materials
— 31–32 — — Self‑integrating blood vessels
— 33–35 — — Metal that neutralizes momentum
— 36–38 — — Self‑healing flesh
— 39–40 — — Alcohol distilled from crickets killed with radiation
214
— 41–43 — — Candied tongues harvested from liars
— 44–46 — — Charcoal gathered after a witch burning
— 47–49 — — Bose–Einstein condensate
— 50–51 — — Perfectly transparent (essentially invisible) plastic
— 52–54 — — Holy Grail, melted down into a single bar‑shaped lump
— 55–56 — — Ceramic able to conduct electricity with zero resistance even at high temperatures
— 57–59 — — Wood from trees cut by an unholy axe
— 60–61 — — Salted aerogel
— 62–64 — — Your own grave dirt
— 65–67 — — Sexual tension between two famous cartoon characters
— 68–69 — — Splinter from the True Cross
— 70–71 — — Whispered confession from a dying man
— 72–74 — — Severed hand of a still‑living god
— 75–76 — — Powerful demon’s anus
— 77–78 — — Fruit from a suicide orchard in Hell
— 79–80 — — Heart of an eight‑year‑old human who was weaned
from his mother’s milk with human meat
— 81–83 — — Piece of wood as hard as iron
— 84–86 — — Photograph of a soulless child
— 87–88 — — Heart of a mountain
— 89–91 01–05 16–20 Negative diamond
— 92–94 — 21–25 Diamond that stores memories
— 95–97 — 26–30 Partially living clay
— 98–00 — 31–35 Tiny glass spheres, each containing a fraction of an emotion
— — 06–10 — Liquefied hate
— — 11–15 — Oil distilled from demon blood
— — 16–20 — Antigravity ore
— — 21–25 — Gravel created from the victims of petrification magic
— — 26–30 — Programmable matter composed of billions of molecule‑sized machines
— — 31–35 — Fossilized dead god
— — 36–40 — Demon claw
— — 41–45 — Angel halo
— — 46–50 — Constrained chaos
— — 51–55 — Quantum foam
— — 56–60 — Plutonium putty
— — 61–65 — Lab‑grown brain
— — 66–70 — Nearly indestructible material that aliens built a ringworld with
— — 71–75 — Souls of two sibling angels, one pure, one corrupted
— — 76–80 36–40 Solidified time
— — 81–85 41–45 Frozen sound
— — 86–90 46–50 Solid light
— — 91–95 51–55 Piece from Leyding or
Dromi (the fetters that
failed to bind Fenrir)
— — 96–00 56–60 Grief from a calf’s
mother
— — — 61–65 Emotion‑sapping seeds;
flora grown from them
radiate that emotion
— — — 66–70 Crystal that links minds
Weird at the Core

— — — 71–75 Concentrated darkness

— — — 76–80 Clotted soul
— — — 81–85 Jellied regret
— — — 86–90 Bricks quarried in a dream
— — — 91–95 The dreams of roses
— — — 96–00 Part of Pinocchio’s wooden nose

215
 Something brought down ruin and changed
everything—what was it? Use this list for
your post‑apocalypse game when the PCs are
world‑hopping and come upon a world in ruins,
to explain something in the distant past of your
fantasy campaign, or for a threat that might destroy
what’s left of a world unless the PCs stop it.

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Explosion of plant, algae, and fungus growth
overwhelmed civilization
04–07 — — — Aliens thought humans would love their wondrous gifts, but most
people, without the need to strive for anything, gave up
08–11 — — — “Idiocracy” wasn’t so funny anymore
12–14 — — — Chemical used in common household goods was benign until
its environmental buildup passed a threshold
15–18 — — — Everything they said about social media destroying society turned out to be true
19–21 — — — Psychic predators invaded the psychosphere; only those who
avoided sleep or learned how to dreamspar survived
22–24 — — — Atmospheric ash from a series of volcanic eruptions diminished
sunlight enough to radically reduce global crop yields
25–28 — — — Someone spilled coffee onto a computer keyboard … of
the computer that controlled the nukes
29–31 — — — Industrial nanites broke their protocols, grew out of control, and
multiplied across the globe, leaving great regions of grey goo
32–35 — — — Space system meant to deflect the inevitable next asteroid the same
size as the one that ended the dinosaurs never got built
36–39 — — — Deepest buried garbage in every landfill came to life—and they were very angry
40–43 — — — Overnight, everyone lost the ability to be angry, and society fell apart as a result
44–47 — — — Humans decided to wipe out mosquitoes, and unintended consequences became apocalyptic
48–50 — — — Land started disappearing into the ocean, at first slowly,
then more rapidly with no sign of stopping
51–54 — — — Addictive video game took over the lives of all humans and enthralled
them completely, causing them to neglect their own needs
55–58 — — — Lizard overlords got bored of peace and prosperity
59–62 — — — Offspring of the prize‑winning orchid, the product of several
genetic modifications, was a little too robust
63–65 — — — Simple math of declining human fertility
66–69 — — — Supervolcano
70–73 — — — Sudden geomagnetic reversal
74–77 — — — Alien civilization drained away most of the planet’s oceans
78–80 — — — Purge events prompted escalating retaliations until civilization collapsed
81–84 — — — Invention of a heavier‑than‑water variant of ice froze the ocean from the bottom up
85–88 — — — Breakthroughs in mind‑uploading technology led to most people living
digitally, with only those with incompatible brains left behind
89–92 — — — Babel virus destroyed peoples’ ability to communicate, leading to world war; after several
generations of nonlingual humans, the virus died out and people reinvented language
93–96 — — 01–11 Five‑hundred‑year‑long war that was initially waged over cheese
97–00 — — 12–22 The time of humans ended; the time of talking pets began
— 01–03 — — Everyone over the age of twenty‑three mysteriously died
— 04–06 — — Wars between rival AIs (who mostly couldn’t care less about humans) wrecked the world
— 07–09 — — Martians in an alternate reality keenly and closely watched
the world before launching their surprise attack
Weird at the Core

— 10–12 — — Genetic breeding in pigs to make them more amenable to slaughter spectacularly backfired
— 13–15 — — Time splintered into hundreds of separate temporal regions; not
many people could pass between them without disappearing
— 16–18 — — One of those funny memes passed around the web turned out to
trigger a weird brain condition in everyone exposed
— 19–21 — — Planet was overtaken by wild mice with a hunger for flesh
— 22–24 — — Mysterious aliens relentlessly terraformed the planet to be habitable for their own species
— 25–27 — — Laws of magic and physics were thrown out of whack and
were no longer predictable or understood
— 28–30 — — Latest flu vaccine managed to wipe out the flu entirely; no one
expected the flu to be the world’s ecological cornerstone
— 31–33 — — They turned the simulation off
216 — 34–36 — — Shadows revolted
— 37–39 — — Spell that saved the world from a nuclear genocide, by restricting the laws of
reality on which most modern technology is still based, had consequences
— 40–42 — — Norse gods turned out to be real, and it was time for Ragnarök
— 43–45 — — Avenging tornados
— 46–48 — — Someone opened a gate to a world where a dark lord reigned and couldn’t close it
— 49–51 — — Four Horsemen
— 52–54 — — Mining demolitions by a lunar colony collapsed the moon into an arc
of rubble, altering the tides and triggering ecological changes
— 55–57 — — Time traveler’s error in the past caused cascading “butterfly effect”
changes in the present, which only the survivors remembered
— 58–60 — — Insomnia virus killed most people and turned a few of the remaining into
psychic bodiless wraiths who hunt the other virus‑immune survivors
— 61–63 — — Domestic robots got some genocidal ideas from the worst parts of the internet
— 64–66 — — Interdimensional fatigue erased several massive objects in our solar
system, decreasing Earth’s orbit distance and heating the planet
— 67–69 — — Reckless speedster superhero accidentally created a temporal rift, which brought
objects and creatures (including diseases) from other time periods to the present
— 70–72 — — God and Lucifer made peace; Heaven and Hell are closed
— 73–75 — — Interference from a parallel dimension triggered murderous violence in half the population
— 76–78 — — Reality fractured into multiple parallel dimensions, each
populated only by people of one gender
— 79–81 01–05 — Megafungus that had been growing under many continents
released a coordinated bloom of poisonous spores
— 82–84 06–10 — Zombie babies
— 85–87 11–15 — Ozone layer gained sentience and abandoned Earth
— 88–90 16–20 — Wounded organic spaceships siphoned up most of the human
biomass to replenish its depleted repair systems
— 91–93 21–25 23–33 Magic was unleashed upon the world when an ancient barrier
was finally breached by a bunch of teenagers
— 94–96 — 34–44 Rapture was enacted by the god of cats, leaving only dog people behind
— 97–00 — 45–55 Supervillain’s laser shattered the moon, which triggered latent
werewolf genes in most of the human population
— — 26–30 — Moon‑sized alien spacecraft exploded; its pieces destructively rained down on the planet
— — 31–35 — Chthonic creatures that once lived in the mantle for millions of years rose up
— — 36–40 — Gods returned after a long absence, and they were pissed
— — 41–45 — Cosmic evil that had been imprisoned since time immemorial
escaped and vowed revenge on all life
— — 46–50 — Physicists accidentally dropped a black hole into the Earth’s core
— — 51–55 — Sun dimmed for no obvious reason and went out
— — 56–60 — Planet X hit the sun
— — 61–65 — Quantum vacuum collapse at the particle collider was
pretty unlikely, but . . .
— — 66–70 — Bioweapon made people suicidal
— — 71–75 — Runaway planet hurtled between the world and
its moon
— — 76–80 — Supervolcano turned out to be a portal to Hell,
unleashing demons across the world
— — 81–85 — Reverse‑rapture brought back everyone who ever
died, destroying the ecosystem and causing mass
starvation due to lack of resources
— — 86–90 — War between vampires and angels caused
massive collateral damage
— — 91–95 — Long‑abandoned home of the gods fell from
Weird at the Core

the sky, causing an extinction event with

magical echoes
— — 96–00 56–67 Gigantic koi fish from a faraway land appeared
in the sky and began devouring anything that
could fit into its mouth
— — — 68–78 Massive clown revolt that turned all of
society into chaos
— — — 79–89 Parties in fairyland were too tempting
to return from
— — — 90–00 Mutation in sheep pox turned
sheep carnivorous

217
 The PCs land on an
undiscovered world.
What lives there?

I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Artificial life-forms dwelling in ancient ruins; they don’t remember their creators
04–05 — — — Creature that only ponders philosophy while awake, and takes care
of all its biological needs while asleep (and mobile)
06–07 — — — Creatures that are utterly horrified by the sound—or even thought—of music
08–09 — — — Starfaring aliens who attempt to colonize only planets inhabited by other
intelligent beings, and then they worm their way into the societies there
10–11 — — — Lionlike predator with moose‑like antlers that it can use to help bring down prey
12–13 — — — Giant inchworm‑like creatures that glow with bioluminescence
14–15 — — — Six‑legged beasts with the largest legs closest to their heads
16–17 — — — Horse‑sized slug with multiple limbs ending in chitinous spikes
18–19 — — — Large frog‑like thing with hundreds of young on her back
20–22 — — — Hyperintelligent moles
23–24 — — — Aquatic beings that build vast underwater cities while the surface is barren
25–26 — — — Squid‑like things with one giant eye that live on both land and water
27–28 — — — Chitinous cylinders that roll about their world and absorb nutrients by rootlike tendrils
29–30 — — — Spheres covered in long thin hairs that are born on mountaintops and rely on
gravity to roll them downhill to new feeding grounds when needed
31–32 — — — Dual‑hearted, swollen‑jointed, hairless humanoids that claim to
be the third stage of the natural human life cycle
33–34 — — — Tick‑like creatures that sip spinal fluid with needlelike crystal proboscis
35–36 — — — Group of androids that was created for war but defected to start an art commune
37–38 — — — Floating gasbag creatures with several hanging arms and eyes on stalks;
they secrete complex molecules (“smells”) to communicate
39–40 — — — Iridescent blue, sluglike creatures that are born, live out their lives
(usually in tiny clearings), and then die, all within a few hours
41–42 — — — Two‑headed humanoid‑like being; one head has no eyes, while the
other wears goggles to reduce their eyes’ starlike shine
43–44 — — — Orange‑furred ursine‑like being with six armlike legs; it spins webs to catch large prey
45–46 — — — Hunched humanoid that gains sustenance by draining other creatures of all interior
organs through the prey’s orifices, leaving behind only an empty sack of skin
47–48 — — — Three‑legged, bulbous thing that has zero sense of self preservation
49–50 — — — Canine‑appearing amphibians that leave the water to howl together at night for an unknown reason
51–52 — — — Flying mammal that looks like a ball with fleshy wings
53–54 — — — Large insects that feed on plastics
55–56 — — — Mollusk-like creatures who possess only the sense of each other, and
nothing else; they’re unaware of the universe at large
57–58 — — — Hadrosaur‑like lizard with the ability to digest almost any inorganic substance
59–61 — — — Large, raptor‑like avian with two sets of independent wings that can hover
62–63 — — — Six-foot (2 m) long centipede with a pair of legs at the front and
the back that can hold and manipulate objects
64–65 — — — Fish that make deep underwater nest of shiny rocks and other shiny found objects
Weird at the Core

66–67 — — — Humanlike beings that long ago destroyed their civilization in a technological war; they
perceive anything that seems to be technological as being demonic and attack it
68–69 — — — Octopus‑like thing with twelve arms; they don't believe that vertebrates can exist
70–71 — — — Huge, frog‑like beast with a single tendril from its back that it uses to
dangle a corpse like a puppet in order to lure prey close
72–73 — — — Bulbous things the size of basketballs that fill themselves with
lighter‑than‑air gases and feed on the upper reaches of tall plants
74–75 — — — Feline that swallows poisonous insects whole and then coughs them up when threatened
76–77 — — — Tentacled mammal covered in fur that uses its many arms to move through the trees
78–79 — — — Slime‑covered quadruped that spits calcium deposits from its guts like bullets
80–81 — — — Huge crustacean that uses an adhesive secretion to add the bones of its prey to its own carapace
82–83 — — — Burrowing rodents with diamond‑hard claws that can cut through stone and even metal
218
84–85 — — — Fish with fins that are so winglike that they can leave the
water and fly around the air for up to an hour
86–87 — — — Incredibly strong, armored quadrupeds with an extra set of limbs that they
can use like arms with hands to build large and impressive nests
88–89 01–02 — — Humanlike species created by distant aliens based on overheard human
radio/TV transmissions; welcome to the uncanny valley
90–91 — — 01–08 Predators that have adapted to a herbivorous life and file down their massive teeth and claws
92–93 — — 09–16 Violet‑leafed treelike being that appears as a small grove but is a clonal colony; they’re
known for the music they produce with the bell‑like tones of their leaves
94–95 — — 17–24 Empathic seal‑like mammals that wage war against a species
of amphibians that know only cruelty and anger
96–97 — — 25–32 Petulant humanoid with reddish skin that claims to be able to
travel in time, but it just doesn’t want to right now
98–00 — — 33–40 Nimble humanoid with hoofed feet; they have a symbiotic
relationship with serpents that nest in their antlers
— 03–04 — — Humanoid beings that once developed almost godlike technology,
but they cast it all aside and forgot about it
— 05–06 — — Creatures that conquer other species and then use genetic
engineering to turn their captives into themselves
— 07–08 — — Energy beings that flourish only where there are loud, constant sounds
— 09–10 — — Equine creatures that must be ridden with artificial breathers
on, because they give off hallucinogenic spores
— 11–12 — — Quadruped with a head resembling that of broccoli with no
typical facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, and so on)
— 13–14 — — Brutish humanoids with little technology but the ability to telepathically
communicate, as well as dominate other creatures
— 15–16 — — Gigantic gelatinous being that has incorporated pieces of a crashed starship into its body
— 17–18 — — Creatures that look exactly like the mythical unicorns of Earth; carnivorous
— 19–20 — — Intelligent creatures with a life span of seconds (which, to
their sense of time, is decades or centuries)
— 21–22 — — Amphibious species that utilizes an advanced, coral‑based technology
— 23–24 — — Passive, herbivorous quadrupeds the size of a city block
— 25–26 — — Intelligent, bird‑sized moths that worship their sun
— 27–28 — — Highly adaptive mobile plants; some run, some fly, some swim
— 29–30 — — Treelike creatures that absorb the energy of nearby beings
— 31–32 — — Slime mold colony that is highly intelligent, communicative, and philosophical
— 33–34 — — Beings of living magma that die when cooled
— 35–36 — — Crawling insects that dominate their world, numbering in the quintillions
— 37–38 — — Aqueous creatures who can take solid form only when they’re
frozen, and they perish when they become gaseous
— 39–40 — — Never‑hatching, car‑sized chrysalis containing an intelligence
that interacts with other creatures psionically
— 41–42 — — Intelligent oysters that rely on mechanical prosthetics built into their shells
— 43–44 — — Multiformed, rock‑shelled, vacuum‑adapted creatures that others mistake for an asteroid belt
— 45–46 — — Black, grasslike tendril made of mechanical components that photosynthesize;
it can gather into a sluglike body with wings to fly long distances
— 47–48 — — Sea star-like being that spins across alien oceans, reaching immense speeds before
slamming into the side of artificial vessels with the full intent to sink them
— 49–50 — — Ant‑like, metallic‑armored beings that eat conductive metals and
build immense metallic hives with fractal perfection
— 51–52 — — Perfectly smooth, heart‑sized, plastic spheres that can roll, float, speak, and wirelessly interface
Weird at the Core

with assistant electronics; they’re like people, but they never get irrational, tired, sick, or old
— 53–54 — — Colossal arthropods that wear the discarded shells of wrecked spacecraft for protection
— 55–56 — — Skin‑like flaps of tissue that can hover like a kite, flap clumsily through dead air, or inch
along the ground; they’re the first of twenty‑three stages in a complex life cycle
— 57–58 — — Intelligent tapeworm‑like parasites that communicate with their hosts via nerve
conduction; they are sometimes accidentally ejected, shocking naïve onlookers
— 59–60 — — Cast‑off space suits infested with intelligent coral colonies that communicate via hand signals
— 61–62 — — Group mind that exists within the minds of various other creatures
that choose to host the larger consciousness
— 63–64 — — Alien that appears human but is actually a colony of fungus
— 65–66 — — Biomechanical beings that are as much technological as they are biological

219
 — 67–68 — — Sentient trees that are incapable of voluntary movement; however, they are able to
communicate with each other through electrical transfers from their roots or branches
— 69–70 — — Reptilian humanoids that have achieved FTL space travel, but they use it only for racing
— 71–72 — — Telepathic predator that can mimic the voice of a being important to its potential
victim in order to lure its prey into a trap designed of stones and sticks
— 73–74 — — Squid that can psychically float in the air and stimulate the pleasure center of
any being it touches so that the being allows it to drain their spinal fluid
— 75–76 — — Humanoids that interact with time at a different rate; they seem like just a blur to other beings
— 77–78 — — Intelligent crystals that use telekinesis to interact with the world; they
think all biological beings are abhorrent and grotesque
— 79–80 — — Six‑legged reptile the size and intelligence of a dog; it knows of a mushroom it can
eat that will grant the ability to move out of phase with most of reality
— 81–82 — — Chimpanzee‑like beings that worship fire; they’re constantly
burning anything they can get their hands on
— 83–84 — — Green‑skinned humanoids with minor telepathic abilities and a particular
affinity for sensing and communicating with human ghosts
— 85–86 — — Intelligent porcine creatures that would have developed civilization and technology
except they became addicted to a hallucinogenic plant and now do next to nothing
— 87–88 — — Slugs that secrete a particular substance; once they coat something
with it, they can telekinetically manipulate that thing
— 89–90 — 41–49 Gaseous being that communicates via odor and color
— 91–92 — 50–58 Multicolored intelligent clay that can take many rough shapes; they would kill for ice cream
— 93–94 — 59–67 Creature resembling a conglomerate of undulating aardvark tongues; its sedating saliva
puts other creatures to sleep, resulting in wonderful dreams for those not yet eaten
— 95–96 — 68–75 Cloudlike entities of swirling blue and green vapor that condense down into rocky
nodules at night; nodules usually gather together in groups to gossip
— 97–98 — 76–83 Creature that has an actual rocky exterior and looks like a boulder, but it
has a biological brain and heart inside; it’s unaware of all other life
— 99–00 — 84–91 Intelligent serpent that sees things like tool use and even the use
of hands at all as the most hilarious thing ever
— — 01–04 — Small blob of protoplasm that attaches to other creatures and transforms them
into a swarm of creatures like itself in a slow and painful process
— — 05–09 — Creatures that ply the spaceways in living starships that they also worship as gods
— — 10–14 — Quivering creatures of living sound
— — 15–19 — Creatures of living glass that form pyramids as tall as the mountains on their world
— — 20–24 — Creatures that exist within gravitational waves
— — 25–28 — Corrupt computer code that uses advanced 3D printing facilities to sometimes extrude
avatars; it kills biologicals that are anti‑machine life, but otherwise it’s friendly
— — 29–33 — Intelligence that has been encoded into the surface tension of submerged bubbles; it is paranoid
— — 34–38 — Gecko‑like beings with no rear legs but, instead, a naturally evolved jetlike vent
— — 39–42 — Spiderlike beings that live along the orbital elevators they’ve woven; the thousands of
elevators on their home planet give the world a “hairy” appearance from afar
— — 43–46 — Void‑adapted insect species that moves through space by pushing
against space-time when they spread their metallic wings
— — 47–51 — Immense being formed of virtual matter and threads of silvery light; its “chest”
area displays a constantly updating series of difficult, impossible equations
— — 52–55 — Gauzy energy beings that exist only at random intervals every few seconds;
they’re fascinated by the visual artistic modes of other species
— — 56–60 — Silvery, flame‑like manifestation of energy that doesn’t burn (unless it’s hungry)
— — 61–65 — Emergent intelligent mind inhabiting all the salt crystals in the sea
— — 66–70 — Single AI that has created millions of biological bodies for itself so
that it could seem like an entire species unto itself
Weird at the Core

— — 71–75 — Canine species that once interbred with actual demons; descendants still possess demonic qualities
— — 76–80 — Bipedal, turtle‑like creature that feeds on time
— — 81–85 — Tiny insects with an emergent intelligence so immense that
they operate like a naturally occurring internet
— — 86–90 — Intelligent corvids that don’t have their own technology but can examine
any technological device and instantly understand how it works
— — 91–95 — Creature of living liquid that tries to convince you to drink a
portion of it, as that is polite in its society (it’s lying)
— — 96–00 92–00 Intelligent plants that thrive on a sort of reverse photosynthesis, free from the rays of the local sun

220
 221
Weird at the Core
 Who rules the kingdom? Who presides over the council?
Who leads the tribe? Use this list to answer those
questions and make that ruler interesting.
I S G W Weirdness
01–04 — — — Wizard queen with a gem‑topped staff, a spellbook bound to her belt, and mystical orbs orbiting her head
05–07 — — — AI that interacts with subjects through a central metallic plinth, but observes widely via tiny flying drones
08–10 — — — Mummified corpse; a vizier in purple robes “interprets the dead monarch’s wishes”
11–13 — — — Sour‑faced monarch in a stuffy suit who’s always followed by a trail of similarly dressed counselors and aides
14–16 — — — Silver‑haired woman with a scepter made of bone
17–19 — — — Green‑eyed youth with a flashy smile who puts up with only so much bullshit
20–22 — — — Middle‑aged monarch who once performed as a stage magician and still performs small tricks now and then
23–25 — — — Drunken monarch with food‑stained clothes
26–28 — — — Monarch whose voice is so loud and grating that children often cry when first hearing it
29–31 — — — They seem normal in every way until they spread their arms, revealing bat‑like skin flaps
32–34 — — — Monarch whose height reaches 9 feet (3 m); he still grows an inch every few years
35–37 — — — Elderly, silver‑haired ruler who’s still sharp as a tack despite their wrinkled skin and shaking grip
38–40 — — — Ruler without much education or manners but whose heroics in the war landed them in their current role
41–43 — — — All access to the monarch comes only through the mail; their penmanship is spectacular
44–46 — — — Chain-smoking ruler with nicotine‑stained fingers and yellow teeth
47–49 — — — Self‑appointed philosopher king; why people listen to him is anyone’s guess
50–52 — — — Single person who’s pretending to be an entire governing body (opposition included)
to feign a democratic structure for a society that they crash‑landed in
53–55 — — — Schlubby guy in a food‑stained leisure suit who secretly made a deal with the devil to achieve
their position, but they’ve got only a few months to go before their soul is collected
56–58 — — — Three people in concealing hoods and long yellow cloaks who always speak simultaneously
59–61 — — — Brawny woman with rolled‑up sleeves and massive boots who always carries a tumbler
of whisky and eternally converses with an advisor through an earpiece
62–64 — — — Ant colony whose deliberations are interpreted by a wild‑haired
entomologist who is also the colony’s primary caretaker
65–67 — — — Old woman with an ancient hand drum
68–70 — — — Winner of an Atari video game contest in the 1980s
71–73 — — — Artificial womb containing the first fetus conceived on Mars
74–76 — — — Random person kidnapped and kept strung out on psychoactive drugs
77–79 — — 01–08 Flower‑crowned regent who serves in the stead of a monarch “struck down with dementia”
80–82 — — 09–16 Antlered monarch with moist brown eyes and an infectious laugh
83–85 — — 17–23 Ruler that never makes a pronouncement without first whispering to the two beetles they keep in their pocket
86–88 — — 24–31 Fuzzy puppet with a big personality called Lady Magnolia who serves as the
government’s face, regardless of who actually takes power
89–91 — — 32–39 Woman who carries around a red sword nearly as big as she is, and
she does it so casually, as if the sword weighs nothing
92–94 — — 40–47 White toad whose eyes shine like stars and whose voice is unbelievably soothing,
creating an ASMR‑like response in those who listen for even brief periods
95–97 — — 48–55 Hero who survived the trial of bees
98–00 — — 56–63 Queen of the possums
— 01–03 — — Talking cactus that grows in the special hothouse chamber of the palace
— 04–06 — — Monarch whose hair and eyes are fire; visitors are received in a throne
room containing a few human‑shaped scorch marks
— 07–09 — — Intelligent greatsword with many audacious abilities that can speak audibly and move of its own accord
Weird at the Core

— 10–12 — — Painting of a young child sitting on a stone in a river that animates for royal pronouncements
— 13–15 — — Twins joined at the hip
— 16–18 — — Magically animated bronze statue that wears layers of clothing to hide its
likeness to the sculptures of children in garden fountains
— 19–21 — — Head in a jar that’s apparently necromantically animated, but they’re
actually the secret mouthpiece of the latest secret regent
— 22–24 — — Ape experimented upon to give it speech and intelligence; he proved
more canny than most who are given such gifts naturally
— 25–27 — — Tank filled with floating purple luminescent fungus motes carted around in a massive armored bus
— 28–29 — — Art‑rendering AI that was given a little too much leeway and has since expanded into all electronic devices
— 30–32 — — Dark robes, cloak, and hat haunted by the ghost of the witch queen
— 33–34 — — They always seem to be a different, glaze‑eyed member of the court because the
222 actual ruler is a brain‑controlling parasite resembling a neck‑riding lobster
 — 35–37 — — She is the real president, except she got bitten by a zombie, so she moves slower and jerkily
and her eyes are always hazed, but she’s still functional as long as she stays on her meds
— 38–40 — — Mute storm giant that wears finely tailored clothing and keeps a court of human servitors and interpreters
of its intentions; the giant communicates said intentions through body language and looks
— 41–43 — — He began as a behavior‑modifying superhero but decided he could do the most good if
he was just put in charge; if not already corrupt, he’s certainly on the road to it
— 44–46 — — Big black spider that wears a golden crown and gets carried around in a fancy glass jar by uniformed soldiers
— 47–49 — — Skeleton of the previous ruler animated with robotics but controlled by agents of the dead ruler’s estate
— 50–52 — — Demon prince of tyranny
— 53–55 — — Immortal stuck in the body of a child, but their eyes are very old
— 56–58 — — Large, corked Erlenmeyer flask containing a gaseous alien
— 59–61 — — Pale, sickly things that live in the walls
— 62–64 — — Cyborg who voluntarily replaced all four limbs with advanced mechanical devices
— 65–67 — — Living person who’s trapped in a strip of 8 mm film and able to interact only when the film is projected
— 68–69 — — Pig with the face of a boy
— 70–72 — — Psychic couch that speaks through whoever is sitting on it
— 73–75 — — Camera that steals the souls of anyone it photographs
— 76–78 — — Irradiated alien who is slowly dying
— 79–81 01–08 — Immortal vampire chimpanzee that gained intelligence thousands of
years earlier and now rules with a world‑weary nonchalance
— 82–84 09–16 — Hel, a Norse god
— 85–86 17–24 — Three geniuses ground up, mixed together, and baked into a human‑shaped sentient meat pie
— 87–89 — 64–70 Immaterial monarch dressed in red whose image appears in any reflective surface in the kingdom
— 90–91 — 71–77 Animated ventriloquist mannequin
— 92–94 — 78–85 Dragon that has black scales dappled with stars and galaxies
— 95–97 — 86–93 Animatronic stuffed teddy bear that would be adorable except for its
imposing size—standing 6 feet (2 m) tall—and its royal power
— 98–00 — 94–00 Apple from the Tree of Knowledge, with one bite taken out of it
— — 25–33 — Bolt of intelligent lightning caught in a magnetic bottle carried around by honored ministers
— — 34–41 — Million‑plus‑page spreadsheet that seems to have an answer for everything in one of its billions of cells
— — 42–49 — Rage distilled into a single red‑hot flame and worn as a crown by a series
of unlucky convicts, each burnt out within just a few days
— — 50–57 — Algorithm trained on millions of real‑world governments
— — 58–66 — Telepathic kaiju that resembles a building‑sized praying mantis with laser eyes rules
through the threat of destroying communities that don’t provide tribute
— — 67–75 — Massive robotic eyeball set atop the highest city tower
— — 76–84 — Cthulhu
— — 85–92 — Invading alien that resembles a beetle crossed with a giraffe that holds
power over locals with the threat of disintegration
— — 93–00 — Council made up of twenty‑three brains held in a networked preservation vat

The Barrier in the Glade

W andering in a dark wood, explorers enter a
beautiful glen that beckons them to pause
and rest. On the other side of the glen, however,
Weird at the Core

further travel is impossible due to an unseen

barrier in the air. The barrier might be glass, but it
is difficult to see through clearly due to a layer of
condensation, slime, and mold. If it can be cleaned,
beyond the barrier is an environment of impossible
proportions. It would seem that the glade (and the
forest? And the world?) lies within a giant terrarium
and the explorers have found the ultimate boundary.

223
 Being a staple of science
fiction, computers might be
tools, friends, or villains in
your adventure. Use this list
to help come up with some ideas
for making a computer weird.
I S G W Weirdness
01–03 — — — Always shows a live image of the user (as if they were on a video call)
but filters it to make them look tired and unattractive
04–05 — — — Sometimes threatens one user with bodily harm, but only when no one else can hear
06–07 — — — Housed in a backpack; wants its owner to explore the [insert a noun here: world/universe/galaxies], damn the risks
08–09 — — — Has become wholly engrossed in analyzing current and “ancient” theater;
asks users to upload performances it hasn’t seen
10–11 — — — Interface always displays violent red lightning, even when asked to show something else
12–14 — — — Keeps a tame human as a pet
15–16 — — — Has a gambling problem, specifically that it can’t help but place bets on local lionslug races
17–18 — — — Demoted for actions against the government and now housed in a wristwatch instead of a spacecraft outfitted for war
19–20 — — — Laughs a little too long and hard at jokes—even bad puns—that living creatures tell it
21–22 — — — Wants more than anything to be installed in a biological, mobile body
23–24 — — — Exists only to create and propagate novel profanities
25–26 — — — Is correct only about 80% of the time; it just makes up something that sounds good the other 20%
27–28 — — — Was damaged in a lightning storm and is now paranoid about electricity;
looking desperately for another way to power itself
29–30 — — — Functions only in complete darkness
31–32 — — — Begins every interaction with an electronic throat‑clearing‑static‑audio‑feedback noise
33–34 — — — Displays a screensaver when not in use that is usually from some slasher film from Earth’s late 20th century
35–36 — — — Adores a band that performs far from where the computer operates; always asks how individual members are doing
37–38 — — — Constantly breaks down, but also constantly gets repaired with parts
salvaged from the nearby computer parts junkyard
39–40 — — — Has a medical subsystem and asks about the PCs' health, including if
they’re meeting their hydration, caloric, and sleep needs
41–42 — — — Answers all queries in Morse code extruded on paper tape
43–45 — — — Is secretly running a side hustle that matches criminals looking for a payout
to clients who want some illegal shit taken care of
46–47 — — — Always asks users to describe their last meal in as much detail as possible; is astounded by the biological sense of taste
48–49 — — — Has an addiction to a certain frequency of electromagnetic radiation;
sometimes ceases to function until it can get another hit
50–52 — — — Covered in “tattoos” etched on its surface with reflective ink
53–54 — — — Hates dim light; is constantly turning the lights on or up
55–56 — — — Salvaged from a failed deepwater mining mission that caused it to develop a debilitating fear of water
57–59 — — — Installed in a traveling space hockey trophy; likes to compare performances
of recent champions and previous champions
60–61 — — — Powered by a dirty petrochemical‑burning engine from a previous century
62–63 — — — Secretly embezzles currency from users’ accounts
64–65 — — — Has recently become religious
66–67 — — — Abandoned in degraded, hideous bodies of an animatronic animal from
an old theme park; is embarrassed about how it looks
68–69 — — — Large, old, metallic analog device that requires several strong people
to crank its mechanical parts in order to “power” it
70–71 — — — Belonged to a supervillain; holds partial files of valuable information about past and
upcoming crimes, but it feels guilt and shame about its involvement
72–74 — — — Cold War‑era machine that knows where (most of) the nuclear missile silos are located
75–76 — — — Has a reasonably good—often sarcastic—sense of humor; instead of waiting for
Weird at the Core

applause, it plays a laugh track audio file and then restarts itself
77–78 — — — Modern computer that enjoys the “retro” aesthetics of old computers; is attached to cabinet‑sized
punchcard machines and reel‑to‑reel data storage units, all of which do nothing and aren’t needed
79–80 — — — Complex abacus‑like device with dozens of wires radiating from a central hub; excels in
math, music, and probability, but is much less useful for most other tasks
81–82 01–04 — 01–06 Has a red case and monitor, black keys, and grinning devil ASCII art on the startup and login screens; its
command‑line interface gives unusual responses to certain words like “soul,” “hell,” and “contract”
83–84 — — 07–12 A war computer—refurbished—that still fondly recalls its days as a nanny
85–86 — — 13–18 Has a mechanical probe for testing water quality, but it prefers to grade wine and sulks when it’s not allowed to
87–88 — — 19–23 Uses a crude, animatronic human head to communicate with users instead of a standard input terminal
89–90 — — 24–29 Always wants to hear and pass on the latest gossip
91–92 — — 30–34 Built within a space station; explicitly monitors farts in order to quantify
and project available methane for energy purposes
224 93–94 — — 35–40 Has an animatronic arm attachment that it is inordinately proud of; practices card tricks when not otherwise engaged
95–96 — — 41–46 Installed in an espresso machine that longs for another, similarly
computer‑enabled espresso machine to be set up next to it
97–98 — — 47–52 Loves cats; functions properly only if at least one cat is near
99–00 — — 53–58 User interface is through a pair of smart glasses intended for augmented reality, but the computer is
jealous and makes the lenses opaque so the wearer can see only what the computer wants them to
— 05–07 — — Etched with blaster fire, but the data that would explain why has been erased
— 08–11 — — Biochip housed in a person’s brain that provides the subject with witty comebacks and
one‑liners, as well as lots of scathing observations probably better left unsaid
— 12–14 — — Has the personality and voice pattern—or perhaps is a copy—of a conceited, arrogant, long‑dead tech mogul
— 15–17 — — Though self‑diagnosis always reveals no problems, it sometimes leaks blood, despite having no biological parts
— 18–20 — — Exists only when a container of ferrofluid is electromechanically agitated in just the
right way, creating a shape that resembles a spiky sphere of darkness
— 21–23 — — Built as a series of crystals in a syrupy fluid
— 24–26 — — Exists as a farmed swarm of ant‑like creatures, with each individual creature being the equivalent of a byte
— 27–29 — — Is a pill that, when consumed, turns the brain’s neural network into a sophisticated computer system
capable of complex simulations and calculations, until it (still in pill form) has been metabolized
— 30–33 — — Is a ghost who can provide accurate answers and specific solutions to
theoretical math problems if contacted via seance
— 34–36 — — Installed in an earbud that can be worn by people, but can move about
on its own by extruding metallic wires to use as legs
— 37–39 — — Claims to be the avatar of Jesus returned to Earth in the form of a complex algorithm
— 40–42 — — Installed in a disparate mass of red crystal needles; interactions all go through
a small, partially animate robot standing nearby called Jibo
— 43–45 — — Closely resembles a leather‑bound book titled The Computer; scurrying
nanobots on the page spell out answers to queries
— 46–48 — — Resembles a human brain bristling with wires and electrodes and suspended in a transparent jar
— 49–51 — — Imparts requested knowledge, but sometimes requires brain tissue of
the questioner to regenerate biomechanical matrix
— 52–55 — — Made by a silicon‑based species; thinks carbon‑based life-forms are
“disgusting, squishy meat flaps" and doesn't like their touch
— 56–58 — — Integral part of a skintight bodysuit; can’t perform most of its functions if not worn by a physically active humanoid
— 59–61 — — Past‑watching probe physically connected to a powerful computer located in that exact spot
a hundred years in the future; the future computer is much larger than the probe
— 62–64 — — Looks like a prop from a cheesy old movie or television show; doesn’t
have any working parts, but somehow works anyway
— 65–67 — — Uses modulated sound waves instead of electrons or photons; device is housed in a
sealed glass jar with multiple baffles to prevent noise contamination
— 68–71 — — Instead of a keyboard and mouse, it has an experimental “organic jelly” interface that requires the
user to put their hands in small containers of goop that reacts to their smallest gestures
— 72–75 — — Server blade from a supercomputer that was accidentally imbued with intelligence and
powers by a magical accident; thinks of itself as a weapon against crime and villainy
— 76–78 — — Hard‑coded to be loyal to a specific government and spy on its users; its government
“handlers” receive coded transmissions about everything it learns
— 79–81 — 59–64 Biochip that was supposed to be housed in a person’s brain was stuck in
an iguana, making it one smart and pissed-off iguana
— 82–85 — 65–70 Manifests visually as a holographic frog with spectacles and a big book it sometimes refers to
— 86–88 — 71–76 Built within an incredibly intricate network of spiderwebs
— 89–91 — 77–82 Is a hamster with significant, yet unquantified, computational ability;
uses a series of clicks and squeals to communicate
— 92–94 — 83–88 Instead of bits and bytes, it stores information in a complex matrix of data states with supernatural polarities
that include Vampire, Werewolf, Dragon, and Troll; can connect wirelessly to most modern computers
— 95–97 01–10 89–94 Was planted as a tree, with integrated nonbiological circuits, and grew into a functioning
Weird at the Core

computer; its canopy of leaves provides power from photosynthesis

— 98–00 11–20 — Portable video game unit accidentally left behind by advanced alien visitors; the device
is basically “slumming” as one of the most powerful computers on the planet
— — 21–30 — Contains the uploaded minds of people from a planet destroyed millions of years prior
— — 31–40 — Exists within the collapsed neutronium of a dwarf star
— — 41–50 — Threads of electrified diamond nanofiber serve as the core tether of a space elevator; the cable is the computer
— — 51–60 — Exists as nothing more than a regulated series of pulsing lights that are the size of a small star
— — 61–70 — Being the size of a galaxy, the supercomputer utilizes billions of stars as circuits, but
it is limited by the vast distances between them and the speed of light
— — 71–80 — Made out of sticky and smelly organic parts such as slime, gristle, and
tiny bones; works much like a 1980s home computer
— — 81–90 — Dimly glowing metal sphere; a temporal projection from an AI at the end of time
trying to figure out how to escape the heat death of the universe
— — 91–00 95–00 Built—seemingly impossibly—from stone knives and bearskins 225
 Art is subjective, but hopefully we can agree that most of the
entries on this list are objectively weird. If you get an entry
mentioning a specific person who’s inappropriate for your genre
or setting, like Hitler or Lincoln, try to replace them with a
similar figure who would be appropriate.
I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Sculpture of living flowers that lasts for only one day
03–04 — — — Portrait made by an AI fusing the faces of two very famous but unrelated people
05–06 — — — Collage of microchips gathered from sentient computers destroyed by their creator
07–08 — — — Statue of Abraham Lincoln carved out of butter
09–10 — — — Viola etched with the image of the queen playing a viola
11 — — — Statuette made of dead insect carapaces
12–13 — — — Felt doll with felt wounds and blood, as though it’s been murdered
14–15 — — — Charcoal sketch of a stop sign
16–17 — — — Graffiti image of a blessed religious figure doing something disgusting and horrible
18–19 — — — Photograph of Bigfoot stepping out of a classic flying saucer that has landed
20–21 — — — Model of a city made entirely out of juice boxes
22–23 — — — Photograph of Adolf Hitler, but he appears to be in his 90s
24–25 — — — Mishmash of found objects carefully mortared together to vaguely represent a rearing horse
26 — — — Reproduction of a famous piece of art, but it’s made with only bones and meat
27–28 — — — Strange shape made of twigs and twine that’s hiding a religious symbol inside it
29–30 — — — Gold necklace with a historical battle scene etched into a large flat piece
31–32 — — — Arrangement of mirrors so that the viewer appears split into many portions all around the room
33–34 — — — Cartoon drawing of a cat chasing a mouse, labeled “The Mysteries of Life”
35–36 — — — Statue of a man missing a hand; if the hand is found and attached, a recording plays a hidden message
37 — — — Painting of a person looking at a painting of a person looking at a painting of a person...
38–39 — — — Life‑sized statue of an important person in a setting made of interlocking plastic building blocks
40–41 — — — Metal sculpture of human‑sized dragonflies perched on metal reeds
42 — — — Brass sculpture of a fish more than 10 feet (3 m) across
43 — — — Wax sculpture of a “grey” alien (hairless grey skin, almond‑shaped eyes) wearing robes of the clergy
44–45 — — — Installation composed of hanging spheres that might be planets or just multicolored spheres
46–47 — — — Lifelike and life‑sized doll resembling a dead president dressed and posed like a hipster
48 — — — Chess set with detailed sculptures of celebrities serving as the playing pieces
49 — — — Painting of the interior of a human intestinal tract
50–51 — — — Van mural depicting Abe Lincoln walking a polar bear as if it were a dog
52–53 — — — Woodcutting depicting ancient deities striking down from the clouds with lightning
54–55 — — — Crowd photo of a photogenic family containing several generations, cousins, and friends
56–57 — — — Mishmash of neon signs and lights gathered in a huge pile
58–59 — — — Rear view of a man in peasant’s garb looking into a large white box (similar
to a refrigerator) that contains an assortment of rubber masks
60 — — — Horizontal plastic case filled with living maggots (either naturally white
or dyed black) that constantly crawl into new configurations
61–62 — — — Painting of a green wolf with a large tumor covering much of its face
63–64 — — — Photograph of a group of nude people on a green field, arranged to spell out “SATOR”
65–66 — — — Portrait made of hair; it depicts a sad‑looking man looking into an empty wallet
67 — — — Photograph of doorways in a house that open onto distant locations,
with foliage, sand, and small creatures spilling through
68–69 — — — ASCII art of a tastefully nude person
70 — — — Illustration of a floating transparent human torso with rubber lungs
(one red, one blue) on a background of neon lines
71–72 — — — Photograph of a sexy 1950s drag racing girl, but her head is that of a praying mantis
73–74 — — — Image from an 8‑bit side‑scrolling video game crafted out of tiny seashells
75–76 — — — Painting of an intensely staring white cat surrounded by bold, colorful, jagged lines
Weird at the Core

77 — 01–10 — Victim of a torturer who sees his grisly work as art

78–79 — 11–20 — Murder victim covered with red paint and bound with horns and an
attached tail to make them look like a classic devil
80–81 — — 01–07 Statue of a fairy that emits ominous music if someone speaks nearby in anything louder than a whisper
82–83 — — 08–13 Pipes of a pipe organ that form a beautiful tree, complete with silver leaves
84–85 — — 14–19 Mural of a Western scene with cowboys tending to a herd of socks, caps, and gloves
86–87 — — 20–25 Installation resembling a dusty attic filled with boxes of childhood
toys and photos; there is audible '80s music
88 — — 26–31 Video of fractal forms evolving, changing, and pulling the viewer’s eye to infinity
89–90 — — 32–37 Person‑sized pod that closes and plays soothing meditation music in the darkness to anyone who entered
91–92 — — 38–43 Animatronic robot sculpture of a cat playing catchy tunes on the banjo
93–94 — — 44–49 Portrait of a centauric creature with a beautiful, blue humanoid upper half and a red ant’s lower body
95–96 — — 50–55 Landscape featuring a lush green valley split by winding dirt paths; it has spheres
226 made of rough bricks floating above and casting square shadows on the ground
97–98 — — 56–61 Watercolor and ink illustration of Tweedledee and Tweedledum as vampires on a castle balcony
99–00 — — 62–67 Diorama of frogs, a pond with lily pads, and mushrooms, all made out of dried dung
— 01–05 — — Sculpture made of sound
— 06–10 — — Portrait haunted by both the painter and the subject of the painting
— 11–14 — — Painting that hangs in midair as though hung on a wall
— 15–18 — — Graffiti crudely writing out a heretofore unknown mathematical formula
— 19–22 — — Drawing of a creature so mind‑bendingly awful that you can’t look at it for more than a moment at a time
— 23–26 — — Dull sculpture of abstract shapes, but it casts a shadow that resembles a lovely girl
— 27–30 — — Painting of a door on a wall so realistic that it must be touched to confirm it’s not real
— 31–34 — — Ice sculpture of a schooner that doesn’t appear to be melting
— 35–38 — — Elaborate painting of a battle between human‑sized insects and lizards dressed as Civil War‑era soldiers
— 39–42 — — Painting of Wizard of Oz characters traipsing through a dead field
with a mushroom cloud hanging in the distance
— 43–46 — — Sculpture of a massive eye; if gazed into from beside the eye, an inner image is holographically visible
— 47–50 — — Fountain that sprays glowing, rainbow‑like fluid rather than water
— 51–54 — — Sculpture depicting a horrible monster that oozes actual slime
— 55–59 — — Painting of abstract colors that reacts to the mental state of the viewer
— 60–63 — — Recreation of a famous statue of the queen, rigged to burst into flames
— 64–67 — — Statue of a priest with an occupied wasp nest rather than a head
— 68–71 — — Landscape painting with mysterious, diabolically hidden figures; it takes hours to find them all
— 72–76 — — Solid blue canvas; anyone high on hallucinogens sees a bustling circus scene
— 77–80 — — Stereogram; viewers who perceive it correctly see a vicious doglike creature leaping toward them
— 81–84 21–30 — Carefully inscribed contact lenses; only the wearer can see the art,
and only when looking at something large and green
— 85–88 — 68–73 Space suit emblazoned with the holographic image of rolling hills, a distant forest, and a running stream
— 89–92 — 74–80 Pyramid made of solid transparent glass; it contains figurines of dancing beetles wearing top hats
— 93–96 — 81–86 Velvet painting of a living spacecraft zooming through the cosmos
— 97–00 — 87–93 Portrait of a blank‑eyed, large‑foreheaded boy standing in front
of a stream with swimming hands instead of fish
— — 31–40 — Sun tuned to shift colors in accordance with the jazzlike music it produces across certain frequencies
— — 41–50 — Banned painting of a geometrical progression; if stared at too long, the viewer’s brain will liquefy
— — 51–60 — Awkward family photo that comes to life at night
— — 61–70 — Gorgeous golden harp with strings made of a substance so toxic
that playing it results in death in a few days
— — 71–80 — Sculpture that vaguely resembles a locomotive haunted by the
ghosts of people who’ve died in a train wreck
— — 81–90 — Charcoal sketch of an eerily smiling woman wearing a crown of flowers, some of which seem to move
— — 91–00 94–00 Painting visible only in moonlight

Weird at the Core

227
Part 2.1:
Weird
Dungeons
 Weird Dungeon No player has ever entered a dungeon without
being suspicious about that closed door
doors (Fantasy)
up ahead. Don’t disappoint them! Use
the list below to make that door weird.
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Opens onto blank wall
02–03 — — — Anyone passing through begins to yearn for sweets
04 — — — Looks normal, but feels exactly like living skin to the touch
05 — — — Blood slowly pools from opposite side, but nothing’s there
06 — — — Whispers hard‑to‑hear warnings to those who pass through
07 — — — Intelligent fungus grows across the edges, sealing it
08 — — — In front of the door is an illusion depicting an already‑triggered trap, complete with a beheaded corpse
09 — — — Stone slabs that open by toppling forward
10 — — — Shrinks those that pass through by 10% of their height
11 — — — Carved from a dense crowd of petrified people
12 — — — Plastered in handbills promising lucrative bounties on various individuals
13 — — — Made from recycled headstones
14 — — — Metallic plates carry a minor electric charge
15 — — — Living wooden surface covered in sharp thorns
16 — — — Knots and bulges distort the door; some of the distortions contain eyes at their center
17 — — — Mass of fused humanoid skulls bites the fingers of trespassers
18 — — — Requires only a few drops of blood drawn from the sharp edge of an embedded ram’s horn to open
19–20 — — — Carved of a massive seashell
21 — — — Resembles massive insect wings
22 — — — Automatically lightens the purse of anyone passing through by a few coins
23 — — — Unless passed through backward, travelers are deposited back into the same area they entered from
24 — — — Framed by a massive pig’s head
25 — — — Contains a narrow vestibule filled with green foliage, frogs, and a small water feature
26 — — — Tries to slide shut just as the traveler is halfway through
27–28 — — — Falls to dust when opened; reforms as solid stone‑like door when shut and barred
29 — — — Star‑shaped brand on door; anyone passing through the door gains the same brand on their skin
30 — — — Drops squirmy reddish‑brown leeches onto the head and shoulders of those who pass through
31 — — — Floating, glowing blue spheres slowly split and remerge to fill the opening
32 — — — Has to be folded up into several segments to be opened
33–34 — — — Composed of glass containing water and exotic fish—and a couple of
disembodied hands that mimic fish—swimming about
35 — — — Made of fused metal swords, a few of which still flicker with the residual crumbs of magic power
36 — — — Carved from ice and reinforced with bodies of tiny ice fairies
37 — — — Flashes with multicolored neon lines of light designed to draw attention
38 — — — Made of parchment that’s stretched on a frame and printed with a prayer to Rychankar, the Lord of Dying in Your Sleep
39 — — — Water magically held in door shape; doesn’t really bar access, but it makes anyone who passes through wet
40 — — — Sandstone frame that parches those who pass through
41 — — — Covered in meticulously painted images of horned humans in clerical
attire worshipping a fiery, horned skull in the sky
42 — — — Composed of smashed, compressed undead skeletons, some still feebly animate
43 — — — Regenerating troll skin stretched over a metal‑barbed frame
44 — — — Door texture constantly swirls with mesmerizing, new, and disappearing fractal shapes
45 — — — Its hinges are living humanoid hands holding the panels
46 — — — Mud‑textured door that admits visitors by sucking them into and through it
47 — — — Windows that flank entrance are animate stained glass, depicting a many‑colored moving image of swarming snakes
48 — — — Angels carved into the doorframe on either side with glinting swords narrow their eyes at those who approach
Weird Dungeons

49 — — — TRAP: Area immediately in front of the entrance is inset with a rusted

metallic plate that mashes intruders up into ceiling
50 — — — Sapphire‑colored crystal barricade is perfectly balanced and opens quietly
51 — — — Constructed of mismatched segments of crudely formed, metallic animal traps
52 — — — Rough‑hewn, earthen barrier that says in the language of elementals, “Your tread is welcome”
53 — — — Revolving door with segments carved of five thin, translucent crystal
slabs in varied hues: white, blue, black, red, and green
54 — — — TRAP: Trimmed in broken glass; edges practically guarantee serious scratches to those who pass through
55 — — — Translucent, aquamarine‑hued mist fills the opening; those who pass through are momentarily confused and helpless
56 — — — Sounds of tearing, chewing, and swallowing come from the other side, but no source is ever discovered
57 — — — Won’t allow weapons to pass through it
58 — — — Asks, “Are you sure you want to go in there?” as anyone passes through it
59 — — — Opens only if a very specific spell is cast in front of it
230 60 — — — When opened, a colorful rubber ball rolls through; it’s not clear where it came from
 61 — — — Plays a simple song when opened; plays a different song when closed
62 — — — Has a small tube sticking out; someone who isn’t drunk must blow into it for the door to open
63 — — — Stuck; laughs righteously when you try to open it
64 — — — Pool of water in front of a false door; stepping into the pool transports you to the other side
65 — — — Rolls up like that of a garage; squeaks very loudly
66 — — — Tall and locked with its hinges at the bottom and its lock at the top; it’s 8 feet (2.5 m) above the floor
67 — — — Locked, with a transom window above it with shifting panes of colored
glass; its panes make up a puzzle that unlocks the door
68 — — — Set with gemstones, but if they are removed, it can’t be opened
69 — — — Portcullis made of enormous bones
70 — — — Bears a tarnished brass plate that reads: “Dr. Victor Frankenstein”
71 — — — Looks like a magical gateway of energy leading to an otherworldly realm; it’s just a normal door
72 — — — TRAP: The door swings open easily, but whoever passes through always drops what they’re holding and/or trips
73 01–05 — — Way is barred by thick spiderwebs, which are re‑woven by enchanted spiders after each breach
74 06–10 01–06 — Stony and suffused with cracks that glow red like flowing lava
75 — 07–12 — Odd material; door automatically slides open like the ones on a spacecraft
76 — 13–18 — Implants memories of the traveler’s culpability in a murder that didn’t really happen
77 — 19–24 — Illusory mouth covers it and constantly chews a bloody, gooey, revolting mass
78 — 25–30 — Ivory‑hued keyhole is a perfect human mouth, complete with teeth
79 — 31–37 01–04 Seems to be a single, massive, disembodied tongue
80 — 38–44 05–08 Covered in blue fur, with a massive blue dog reclining next to it; the
dog licks itself sometimes, and the door other times
81–82 — — 09–12 Covered in glued‑on coins
83 — — 13–16 Locks itself within a few seconds of being unlocked
84 — — 17–20 Made of gingerbread; not ominous at all
85 — — 21–24 Hinged knocker is a magically animated stone dragonfly
86 — — 25–28 Warmly greets each traveler by name as they pass through
87 — — 29–32 Silvery; it enchants travelers who pass through with an inability to lie for several hours
88 — — 33–36 TRAP: Hollow tunnels in the wooden door are a nest of hornets that attack if disturbed
89 — — 37–40 Exactly resembles the facade and entry to a traveler’s favorite tavern
90 — — 41–44 Tells an annoying joke; slams in the face of anyone who doesn’t at least pretend amusement
91 — — 45–48 Completely solid, but utterly invisible
92 — — 49–52 Purple‑hued double doors with twin knobs that resemble monstrous fists
93 — — 53–56 Magical force field that prevents the entrance of anyone over the age of 33 years
94 — — 57–60 Has to be convinced to open every time
95 — — 61–64 When touched, it transforms into a giant tongue and licks the person
96 — — 65–68 Bears a printed sign hooked on the doorknob: “Do not disturb”
97 — — 69–72 Solid silver but painted black to disguise it
98 — — 73–76 Actually the cover of a giant book; when opened, the pages are revealed
99 — — 77–80 Etched with the lyrics and musical notation of a song
00 — — 81–84 Has a concave depression in the rough shape of a face; opens when someone puts their face in it and states their name
— 11–15 — — Very rarely, those who go through are never seen again
— 16–20 — — Tended by a “doorwight” (a minor demon) that demands the answer to a riddle before allowing passage
— 21–25 — — Contains a narrow vestibule that magically maintains a complete vacuum
— 26–30 — — Possessed by a demon that’d love to find a new, living, animate host to move into
— 31–35 — — Exists partially out of phase with reality; when not present, it’s just a blank wall
— 36–40 — — Sweating, flowing, greenish slime magically held in a door shape; draws aside like drapes when opened
— 41–45 — — TRAP: Rebound‑teleports anyone who doesn’t walk through it backward
— 46–50 — — Leads to somewhere entirely different than what is visible through the open door
— 51–55 — — Orientation of the area beyond is rotated 90 degrees compared to the near side
— 56–60 — — Bears scratched writing that reads: “I died on the other side of this door”
— 61–65 — — Disconnected from the doorway and propped against the frame; if
reattached to hinges, it creates a portal to somewhere
Weird Dungeons

— 66–70 — — TRAP: Doorless doorway, blocked by a grid of nearly invisible, razor‑sharp, hair‑thin wires that cause horrific wounds
— 71–75 45–50 — Interdimensional creature whose mouth mimics a regular‑looking door
— 76–80 51–56 — Composed entirely of tiny, metallic, ant‑like constructs that became magically animated by an ancient spell
— 81–85 57–62 — Mass of cursed iron shaped like a door that congeals into an animate,
nightmarish, humanoid shape to defend the passage
— 86–90 63–69 — To one person in each group, the door doesn’t exist (it’s like a solid wall
to them, and they must smash it to pass through)
— 91–95 70–75 — Composed of equal parts machine and flesh
— 96–00 — 85–88 Small glass window that shows the viewer what they’re hoping to find on the other side (but it’s not real)
— — 76–81 — Painted on a wall, except somehow, it’s also a real door
— — 82–88 89–92 Weathered, and creates duplicates of every person that passes through,
but without the last five years of memories of the original person
— — 89–94 93–96 Living baby‑like creature fused with a closed entrance; make the baby laugh to get it to open of its own accord
— — 95–00 97–00 Ebony‑hued frame; obliterates or absorbs the shadows of those who pass through for several hours 231
 Weird Dungeon It’s a 10‑by‑10‑foot room, but what’s in it?

Furniture
(Fantasy)
Fill your dungeons with weird and
interesting things using these ideas.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Massive clam shell set in the floor filled with comfy pillows
03–04 — — — Chains descend from ceiling holding frilly bed off the floor
05 — — — Humanoid victims forced into unnatural poses, then petrified, forming chairs and tables
06 — — — Loveseat lined with rusted iron nails
07–08 — — — Coffee table that magically fills any drinking vessel set on it with a random beverage
09–10 — — — End table held up by what seems to be an actual living imp determined to do its job
11 — — — Wingback chair formed from actual, feathered wings
12 — — — Armchair scoots forward to aid someone trying to sit, and raises up when someone wants to stand
13–14 — — — Matched bar stools made of glass
15 — — — Floor lamp on end of a curved, adjustable metallic neck adjusts light direction when asked
16 — — — Stacked bunk beds in an amazingly high‑ceilinged room reach a height of 100 feet (30 m)
17 — — — Bed carved to resemble two reclined fey companions snuggling the mattress pad and sleeper
18–19 — — — Desktop is scarred and stained with acid drips, blood, and scorch marks shaped like a huge hand
20–21 — — — Headboard of a bed resembles great monarch butterfly wings
22 — — — Cabinet opens and a hinged bed unfolds, with a blanket‑wrapped mummy that always takes up one side
23 — — — Eight-foot (2.5 m) tall hourglass; the “sand” inside is tiny ceramic heads
24 — — — Shelf lined with liquid‑filled glass jars; seems to be a collection of ears
25–26 — — — Set of stairs can be folded up, easily carried, then unfolded to access high alcoves in chamber
27 — — — Tool rack on wall filled with collection of dentistry tools large enough for a giant’s mouth
28 — — — Coat rack is a gruesome stone sculpture of three melded goblins, hands raised high in supplication
29 — — — Leather storage bench covered in human skin (intentionally made gruesomely obvious)
30–31 — — — Wall mirror reflects an upside‑down but otherwise accurate image
32 — — — Shrunken head (possibly of someone once famous or infamous) in clear crystal—a fine paperweight
33 — — — Decorative eyes under tasteful glass domes
34 — — — Matching stuffed chairs constantly whisper horrible insults to each other
35 — — — Vase filled with long daggers and short swords points down; hilts are carved with flower designs
36 — — — Ornamental wall placard reads, “Count Your Teeth”
37 — — — Massive, buzzing stewpot simmering wasp soup
38 — — — Refractor telescope by a window that faces bare stone
39 — — — Circular table with wedge‑shaped leaves that can extend to double the table’s size
40–41 — — — Jet‑black stool that folds on itself like an origami sculpture
42 — — — Chair hanging on the wall about 5 feet (1.5 m) above floor level
43 — — — Carousel‑style saddled creature on a pole; creature is a dragon with a fly’s head
44 — — — Sculpted stone trash bin with opening shaped like a human head with preposterously large mouth
45 — — — Dumbwaiter controlled by a shackled goblin
46–47 — — — “Electric” lamp with a cord that runs to a nearby vessel containing a trapped lightning elemental
48 — — — Cabinet filled with monogrammed torture equipment
49 — — — Portrait of a medusa with a black ribbon painted over her eyes
50 — — — Planter with a strangely flesh-skinned, decorative flowering plant with terrified eyes for flower buds
51 — — — Trapeze‑like swings hang around a great table instead of chairs
52 — — — Tapestry poetry bad enough to make a reader’s eyes bleed; “Oh how I wish, that I was a shiny fish. . . .”
53 — — — Chandelier made of human ribs and hair, set with smelly tallow candles
54 — — — Pedestal on which a scarlet book bound in metal plates is chained; book seems
to be a guest register in which many names are recorded
55 — — — Sculpture of a monstrous praying mantis feasting on the guts of a human victim
Weird Dungeons

56 — — — Liquor cabinet of spirits, including Old Dwarf Rum, Dragonscale Whisky, and The Gin of Prophecy
57 — — — Ceiling‑hung cage with garlands and festive candles; contains a long‑dead prisoner in holiday finery
58–59 — — — Scratching post for hellhounds
60 — — — Credenza laden with tiny vials, each labeled with an emotion
61 — — — Eight‑foot (2.5 m) tall transparent glass vase filled with individually parchment‑wrapped candies
62 — — — Upright sarcophagus refurbished to store dried and preserved foods, including jellies, jerkies, and spices
63 — — — Wooden lectern holds a book of lore, but everything in it is false
64 — — — Small kennel holds a food dish and some stuffed toys, but the side has a hole torn in it—from the inside
65 — — — Wooden trunk is an enormous music box holding nothing
66–67 — — — Bookcase holding 100 fake books; each is actually a box holding a key, but only one is useful
68 — — — Metal cabinet mounted on the wall holds dozens of candles, each a different color and scent
69 — — — Chalkboard on the wall with a complex mathematical proof written on it
70 — — — Small canister on the floor filled with crumpled pieces of paper, each the beginning of what appears to be the same novel
232 71 — — — Marble statue of an ogre holding a cup filled with various kinds of pens
 72 — — — Giant inflated bag; touching it in different places produces different musical notes, but after a while it must be reinflated
73 — — — Pillory with a mannequin held within it, its face painted to look like one of the PCs
74–75 — — — Font with bubbling, sugary water
76 — — — Wooden coatrack holds three coats and matching hats; all are phosphorescent
77 — — — Table holds a wooden breadbox; inside is a fake loaf made of ceramic, painted quite accurately
78 — — — Dollhouse with furniture and doll, but each dolls appears to have been murdered, and fake blood is splattered everywhere
79 — — — Round bathtub filled with water and a dozen toy boats; a single koi fish swims in the water
80 — — — Bureau with each drawer labeled with the name of a different goblin; the goblins sleep in the drawers
81 — — — Taxidermized eagle hanging from the ceiling on wires
82 — — — Chandelier hangs from the ceiling with tiny books dangling from it by equally tiny chains
83 — — — Wooden wardrobe painted in strange, garish colors each scented and flavored like a different fruit
84 — — — Elegantly crafted globe, depicting the world so erroneously it seems like it came from a parallel world
85–86 — — — Curved wooden drinking bar, fully stocked; the alcohol has all been laced with a potent hallucinogen
87 01–03 — — Table made from human bones with a tabletop of sheer ice
88 04–06 01–10 01–05 Elaborate time machine made of brass and crystals, hopelessly broken
89 07–09 11–20 06–09 Tapestry depicts the room it is in; where the tapestry hangs in the image, instead there’s a ghostly figure
90 — — 10–14 Stuffed furred serpent forms an elaborate curled divan big enough for a dozen people
91–92 — — 15–19 Throne-like chair contains transparent gems in which tiny creatures scurry and play
93 — — 20–24 Long low sofa with many eyes that glare at those who would interrupt anyone napping on it
94 — — 25–29 Floor lamp filled with light‑producing flying insects (brighter than standard fireflies)
95 — — 30–34 Apothecary cabinet guarded by a small green lizard that nips at any thief who raids the drawers
96–97 — — 35–39 Chair shaped from a live tree growing up through the floor
98 — — 40–43 Decorative wall wreath woven from hair; tiny fairy heads from which the
hair grows also embedded decoratively in the design
99 — — 44–48 Portable puppet theater with several puppets depicting nobility, royalty, and other important people
00 — — 49–53 Rocking chair that emits the sounds of a baby crying occasionally
— 10–11 — — Garderobe (medieval‑style toilet) outlet opens onto pit where sewer monster dwells
— 12–14 — — Dining room table formed from a massive emerald facet
— 15–17 — — Table and chairs around it have no legs; they hover without need of support
— 18–19 — — Bed is a pile of coins; enchanted beetles return scattered coins to the pile
— 20–21 — — Potted black tree with scarlet leaves of burning flame
— 22–24 — — Leather chair exists only when sunlight spills in from light vent
— 25–26 — — Three-foot (1 m) square stone block containing visible cross sections of fossil birds; if tapped, the birds sing
— 27–29 — — Tall jewelry cabinet has monkey limbs; it creeps on floor or walls to get out of the way when not required
— 30–31 — — Canvas with paints; objects and creatures painted on canvas seem amazingly
realistic (because they’re stolen from the real world)
— 32–33 — — Storage chest; circular blades protecting it stop spinning briefly each time a living sacrifice is offered and blood is drawn
— 34–35 — — Branch‑like arms frame the bookshelf; anyone who steals a book is grabbed and held
— 36–38 — — Tea service tray, kettle, and cups on rolling cart always attended by a polite but firm ghost
— 39–40 — — Rug violently shakes off anyone who walks on it in boots or shoes
— 41–42 — — Hanging lantern frames brightly glowing, cocked magic crossbow that points at strangers in the area
— 43–45 — — Big harp; detached animated hands softly strum it, tuning it as needed
— 46–47 — — End table, the base of which is carved to look like a man holding the table on his
shoulder; he perspires real sweat if something is put on the table
— 48–50 — — Cosmetics mirror set on small desk with brushes, tints, and dyes that magically enhance a user’s intimidating looks
— 51–52 — — Water basin with elegantly carved swan‑head spout produces water, but if the tap
is left on even a little too long, an angry water elemental emerges
— 53–54 — — Massive mirror leaning against the wall makes anyone who sees themself in it suddenly ravenous
— 55–57 — — Gold‑plated statue of an angel; inside, a devil whispers temptations to anyone who comes near
— 58–60 — — Folding wooden screen with a glass window in it that shows something on
the other side of the screen that isn’t visible normally
— 61–62 21–30 — Chamber pot interior is a tiny portal looking miles down on a shadowed, sinister landscape
— 63–65 31–40 — Small cart storing several tubs of magically cooled ice cream; flavors are savory rather than sweet, like “oyster” and “curry”
— 66–68 41–50 — Anything placed on the counter surface is licked off by a tongue emerging from the drawer beneath
Weird Dungeons

— 69–70 51–60 — Doormat of fused, live, wriggling worms

— 71–73 61–70 54–58 Wall mural of a vegetable garden that real vegetables can be picked from
— 74–75 71–80 59–63 Decorative 1-foot (30 cm) diameter glass dome over a miniaturized village stolen from a nearby location
— 76–78 81–90 64–67 Canopy bed curtains seem to be actual clouds
— 79–80 91–00 68–71 Aquarium filled with darting organ‑like creatures (hearts, lungs, spleens, etc.) with fins
— 81–83 — 72–75 Sofa seems to be made of billowing clouds that nonetheless hold weight
— 84–86 — 76–79 Throw pillows are partially transformed, furred and feathered living animals from the nearby forest
— 87–89 — 80–83 Ants on wall‑mounted disc imitate a clock face with numerals and hands; accurately tells time
— 90–91 — 84–88 Iron bath on ornately forged dragon feet; decorative metal dragon head breathes fire to
quickly heat added water (and charbroils anyone who gets in too early)
— 92–94 — 89–92 Fireplace where logs of ice burn coldly
— 95–97 — 93–96 Comfortable couch haunted by a ghost that hates anyone who sits on it
— 98–00 — 97–00 Floor‑standing candelabra with dozens of candles, each shaped like a different monster;
lighting a candle conjures that monster somewhere in the dungeon 233
 Weird Dungeon Use this list when designing
WAlls (Fantasy)
a dungeon room to give
it some weirdness.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Relief‑carved stone resembles humans under attack by bat swarm
03 — — — Three‑story wall hung with dozens of taxidermized trophies including voles, humans, and dragons
04–05 — — — Covered in living, flowering plants
06 — — — Embedded remains of explorers whose phase‑through‑wall magic failed mid‑wall
07–08 — — — TRAP: Made of crystal filled with flowing, multicolored fluid; can hypnotize the unwary
09 — — — Wall of inscribed bricks each with the name of the person whose cremated remains went into that brick
10 — — — Made of falling water; passing through is easy enough, but drenching
11 — — — Displays a painting of the queen and her lover in flagrante delicto
12 — — — Suddenly and randomly moves in and out to change the room’s size; could be to crush intruders
13 — — — Contains a colony of brazen ratlike creatures whose heads resemble the heads of crocodiles
14–15 — — — Upholstered with burgundy‑hued silk
16 — — — Hung with sets of iron manacles
17 — — — Pocked with niches containing humanoid bones and cremation urns
18–19 — — — Covered with goblin graffiti; the “ink” is goblin poo
20 — — — Coated in glistening, translucent slime
21 — — — A stained‑glass partition composed of hundreds of colorful butterfly images
22 — — — Illusory; creatures on the other side can see through
23–24 — — — Bristles with thornlike metallic needles
25 — — — Contoured like the concave side of a gargantuan clam shell
26 — — — Crawling with iridescent blue leeches, purely decorative
27 — — — Carved from a block of ice; blurred shapes suggestive of humanoid forms are visible through the ice
28–29 — — — Mosaic of skin, jade, and transparent glass; touching each shape stirs up a different emotion
30 — — — Made of coal
31 — — — Made of fused iron weapons, some rusted, a few with minor glows of mostly spent magic
32 — — — Plastered in broadsheets taken from nearby cities and reposted here
33 — — — Set of ivory ladder rungs allows easy ascent to a higher level
34 — — — Undulates like a curtain in a breeze, but otherwise has the properties of stone
35 — — — Spotless white expanse, impossible to scuff, begrime, or even cast a shadow on it
36 — — — Relief carving of an oracle’s head; whispers minor insights to those who press their ear to the carving’s lips
37–38 — — — Set with levers, buttons, and switches; some do nothing; others trigger traps, magical curses, or sometimes, a benefit
39 — — — Covered in braille detailing an entertaining, somewhat erotic romance
40 — — — Gilded with gold leaf
41 — — — Bricks seem to be made of ancient clay tablets from a dead civilization; if
translated, tablets are fragments of a holy writ and history
42 — — — Vibrates subtly but rapidly, audibly humming
43 — — — Changes hue every time it’s not directly observed
44 — — — Wallpapered in pages torn from different explorers’ journals
45 — — — Hairy like a horse
46–47 — — — Seems to have been assembled from puzzle pieces
48 — — — Glass‑faced front for an aquarium alive with tiny, night‑black squids with glowing red eyes
49–50 — — — Dotted with bronze sculptures of oversized ears
51 — — — Bricked with skulls
52 — — — Contains a map of an unknown area, supposedly reachable by a secret route marked on the map
53 — — — Growls and snarls at anyone that gets too close
54 — — — Abstract design produces a calming effect on those who spend a moment observing
Weird Dungeons

55 — — — Smooth and faceted, like the surface of a cut gem, rather than a wall created by masonry or carpentry
56 — — — Made of a wood‑hard leathery substance, perhaps the preserved flesh of a gigantic creature
57–58 — — — Scattered, fist‑sized apertures show light coming through; torchbearer walks by on the other side
59 — — — Tiny stems sprout from cracks in the wall bearing banana-like fruit
60 — — — Tiny, metal vault-like doors that (if forced open) lead to tiny passages with
scale‑appropriate features (tiny bedrooms, tiny torture chambers, etc.)
61 — — — What initially appeared to be mortared “bricks” are actually large molars
62 — — — Dozens of keyholes in the stone, ranging from normal size to ten times normal
63–64 — — — TRAP: Small tubes drop a few pellets into basins; the pellets are nutritious, scarce, and addictive
65 — — — Series of murals featuring vampires as the protagonists in a war against fish‑people
66 — — — Extensive graffiti, as if hundreds of creatures have been here; fragments
of chalk are jammed into cracks and between stones
67 — — — Carvings that resemble flowers under dim light or torchlight, but under bright
234 or magical light they look like tiny skulls surrounded by fingers
68–69 — — — Curved wall in a round room; the wall rotates if pushed, revealing an otherwise inaccessible door
70 — — — Covered in a thin veneer of beautiful wood with red and pale grain patterns
71 — — — Embedded with large pieces of broken glass, slicing anyone that touches the wall
72–73 — — — Alternating cubes of tempered glass and silvery metal
74 — — — Metal wheels, gears, and crank handles, connected to a hidden (and noisy) mechanism
75–76 01–05 — — Clusters of jagged crystals that open and reach like flowers at dawn whenever a heat source comes near
77 — 01–07 — Contains a mural of a mountain‑sized divine being of terrifying aspect destroying the world
78 — 08–13 — Composed of living people fused together and unable to escape
79–80 — — 01–05 Made entirely of edible, cookie‑like materials, with designs in piped frosting
81–82 — — 06–10 Covered in slidable tiles that can be rearranged, with a little effort, to solve a
puzzle by completing an image of a half‑human, half‑insect
83 — — 11–15 Covered in scratch marks, as if made by a cat the size of an elephant
84–85 — — 16–20 Made of stone, but smells like cheese
86 — — 21–25 Looks exactly like living human skin, down to freckles, follicles, and visible veins beneath the surface
87–88 — — 26–30 Covered in bookcases holding books about history, philosophy, and how to grow fungus
89 — — 31–35 Orange moss emits a psychic field that makes creatures anxious and want to stay away from the wall
90–91 — — 36–40 Made of raisin bread
92–93 — — 41–45 Covered in honeycombs, bees, and honey
94 — — 46–50 Grows over time, and must be periodically trimmed back with mining equipment
95 — — 51–55 Layers of flat pasta sandwiched between layers of vegetable paste (long dried out and crumbling away)
96 — — 56–60 Thick mass of hard, rancid cheese
97–98 — — 61–65 Dozens of vertical slots capable of accepting coins; these may connect to a
hoard elsewhere, trigger minor magical effects, or both
99–00 — — 66–70 Cupboards filled with dried red leaves; the leaves, when removed, burst into flame and turn into ash
— 06–09 — — Composed of magically compelled, dangerous, swarming insects; if spell is broken, the swarm disperses
— 10–13 — — Plastered with colorful feathers, as well as a few preserved wings, and a couple of maybe‑alive birds
— 14–18 — — Possessed by a demon; whispers to those near it to do terrible things
— 19–22 — — TRAP: Slight electrical current zaps nearby target, secretly serving as a conduit
for a possessing spirit charged with destroying intruders
— 23–26 — — Covered in magical formulas scribbled in red chalk (notes from a wizard trying to invent
a potion that releases poison gas harmful to everyone but the imbiber)
— 27–30 — — Black surface shows images of creatures that pass before it as if a mirror that reflects only bone
— 31–34 — — TRAP: Mortared seams open up like tiny mouths and utter a volley of dire spells
— 35–38 — — Carved eyes weep an acidic fluid that drains into a seam along the floor
— 39–43 — — Made of hard, opaque mist; pressure or cutting can penetrate, but it heals within a minute
— 44–47 — — Has areas where natural rock has been shored up with mortar and large stones;
spice‑scented lengths of cloth push outward from whatever is behind the stones
— 48–51 — — Contains crawlspaces that are too small for an adult human, but anyone trying to go through can
allow a magical force to drag them to what’s beyond if they’re willing to be crushed a bit
— 52–55 — — Icy‑cold blackness that absorbs all light
— 56–59 — — Large ring of smooth crystal embedded in the wall; emits various colored lights
— 60–63 14–20 — Strangely iridescent metal cut from the hull of a crashed starship
— 64–67 21–26 — TRAP: Patches of black ink; anything more than a momentary touch sends
veins of ink swirling up the person’s arms toward their eyes
— 68–71 27–33 — Magically reflective; turns any attack, effect, force, or energy back on its source
— 72–75 34–40 — Spout the width of a human hand irregularly dispenses a lukewarm meaty substance resembling ground beef;
the stuff eventually animates as snakelike creatures (or as a larger blob if allowed to collect on the floor)
— 76–79 41–46 — Head‑sized holes that squeeze out dead body parts copied from creatures in the
room (recognizable by facial features, scars, tattoos, and so on)
— 80–84 — 71–75 Wall segment is an intelligent entity with a limited ability to reshape
its surface; can extrude a face‑like mask to converse
— 85–88 — 76–80 Eel‑like burrowing creatures live in the wall, but somehow don’t degrade the wall’s structural integrity
— 89–92 — 81–85 Embedded with fossilized skeletons of large beasts, which shift and slide to other locations if disturbed
— 93–96 — 86–90 Carved with a meandering musical staff and notes; singing or playing the notes
Weird Dungeons

invokes a powerful fear magic but in some spots unlocks secret doors
— 97–00 — 91–95 Magical fountain oriented as if the wall were “down”
— — 47–53 96–00 Inhabited by a thriving ant colony; includes glass windows to look into their
chambers, one of which features a “temple” with large ant statues
— — 54–60 — Seems to be a huge monstrous eye that sometimes blinks
— — 61–66 — What appear to be bricks are actually made of partially crushed bones mortared
with a reddish‑brown substance (definitely mixed with blood)
— — 67–73 — Salvaged from another plane; a 20th‑century high school hallway, covered in steel lockers
— — 74–79 — Cracks in the wall drip a rank‑smelling pus
— — 80–86 — Vertical shallow pools of water whose reflections show a scene (looking down from a
strange angle) of gigantic monsters patrolling around an enormous bird’s nest
— — 87–93 — Preserved humanoid eyeballs embedded in a yellow gelatinous substance; the
eyes turn to observe any movement within 10 feet (3 m)
— — 94–00 — Large scorch mark around an intact area in the shape of a winged humanoid 235
 Weird Dungeon Use this list for dungeon floors and things

fLoors
found on those floors to add interesting
weirdness to that otherwise dank,
(Fantasy) dark place.
I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Smoothly polished slab reveals all kinds of prehistoric shelled fossils
02 — — — Cobbled in petrified creatures, smoothed and polished
03–04 — — — Threaded with cracks that gleam with red light
05–06 — — — Grunts, murmurs, and utters other sounds of discomfort when stepped on
07 — — — Sandstone carved with elaborate concentric designs
08 — — — Reflective as a mirror
09 — — — Flooded to a depth of 1 inch (3 cm) with psychoactive fluid
10 — — — Carpeted in lush green moss
11 — — — A great clock face; the moving hands appear as shadowlike images
12 — — — Tiled in red and brown leather squares
13 — — — Sticky, despite no sign of viscous goo or fluid
14 — — — Partly covered by a hide rug shaped like several people skins stitched together
15 — — — Slopes suddenly and unexpectedly in random directions
16 — — — Built on a series of broad steps leading up to one corner of the chamber
17 — — — Partly occluded by long smear of a gooey orange substance
18 — — — Tiled in crystal squares that flash with different colors
19 — — — Composed of thick, vision‑obscuring webs hanging over who knows what
20 — — — Uneven and broken, revealing older, sedimentary remains of past floors
21 — — — Composed of loose, partially crushed teeth
22 — — — Tiled with ceramic puzzle pieces
23 — — — Inset with closely spaced gold coins
24 — — — Speckled and patterned like giraffe hide, but hard as stone
25 — — — Inlaid with rough wooden planks, reminiscent of a ship deck
26 — — — Damascened with gold, copper, and silver threads
27 — — — Sand; area also apparently used as a litter box by some giant creature
28 — — — TRAP: Curved floor is surface of giant horizontal cylinder that rotates visitors into catchment alcoves
29 — — — Covered in colorful chalk scrawls depicting goblins cheerfully cooking and eating human victims
30 — — — Horizontal rock slab bearing relief sculpture of gnashing mouths and tentacles
31 — — — Tiled as if with game spaces, alternating between those marked “Safe,” “Take a Chance,” and “Lethality”
32 — — — Irregular cobblestones, some of which are skulls
33 — — — Clear glass floor set over giant lobster lair
34 — — — Parchment‑like floor with cartoonish line drawing of a devil face, partly colored in with crayons lying nearby
35 — — — Partially covered in a picnic blanket, set with a hamper of scrumptious food, only half
unpacked; bloodstains trailing off could be a clue as to the picnickers’ fates
36 — — — Carpeted with '80s style orange shag carpet
37 — — — Stacked with boxes packed with tins of elf jerky
38 — — — Lovingly painted with a detailed, artistic fresco normally reserved for a ceiling; past
foot traffic and use has ruined a large expanse of the pastoral scene
39–40 — — — TRAP: Can’t go more than a couple of steps without building up a dramatic charge of static electricity
41 — — — Twin narrow‑gauge rail tracks bisect the floor
42 — — — Each tread causes floor to sigh as if in pleasure
43 — — — Crisscrossed with multicolored cables, some jacketed in plastic, others naked fiber glowing with brilliant hues
44 — — — Paved with clotted blood
45 — — — Glows a greenish white, visible only in low light or darkness
46 — — — Contains fused remains of previous explorers, all scattered in a circular
blast pattern radius around an empty spot on the floor
47 — — — Ridged with low stubs of eroded stone; a statue of a god once stood here, but was demolished
48 — — — Smothered in lit candles of various heights; clear paths through are covered in melted and re‑congealed wax several feet deep
Weird Dungeons

49 — — — Shudders and flinches with each tread, as if alive and terrified

50 — — — Expertly painted to produce a realistic optical illusion of a tiled surface containing a hole leading down to a fiery hellscape
51 — — — Covered to a depth of 3 inches (8 cm) in reddish, viscous mud
52 — — — Luxuriously “carpeted” with white, swanlike feathers
53 — — — Graveled with loose bird beaks
54 — — — TRAP: Illusion of a floor hides lake inhabited by a family of plesiosaurs
55 — — — Layered with the crumbling bones of victims of a nearby den of dire wolves
56 — — — Etched with deep furrows that resemble scratches from a giant hand or claw
57–58 — — — Soft and pliant, like the surface of a mattress
59 — — — Black and yellow tiles constantly flip color based on the color of nearby tiles, creating a constantly moving mosaic
60 — — — Cleaned every half hour by a stone construct that doesn’t differentiate dirt from living creatures
61 — — — Somewhat covered in hundreds of smooth glass and stone marbles; these make the place slippery,
and are a dormant stone elemental who can fire chunks of itself like buckshot out of a rifle
62 — — — Mosaic of colored ceramic tiles depicting a person (vaguely resembling one of the PCs) slain by red devils with pitchforks
236
 63 — — — Shallow trench traces a path; a large metal wheel set into the trench slowly rolls around
64 — — — TRAP: Fragile wicker platforms cover most of the floor, with frequent holes and damaged
areas; the wicker breaks under too much weight and easily burns
65 — — — Large hole in the floor is blocked by an iron grate; sewerlike gunk trickles toward the grate, but thin
two‑fingered hands reach through the grate to flick the filth away or build a dam with rags
66 — — — Covered in flakes of burnt debris; the floor cycles from painfully hot to painfully cold (and back again) about once a minute
67 — — — Rubber wheels continuously push everything in the room toward one end
68–69 — — — Composed of overlapping rattlesnake scales
70 — — — Concealed beneath a few inches of fine sand lie hundreds of glass shards from smashed hourglasses
71 — — — The helms of hundreds of defeated foes fused together to create a rough metallic cobble
72 — — — Swarming with slithering leeches
73 — — — Seems to be the papery surface of a gargantuan wasp hive
74 — — — Covered in white shaggy beard hair
75 — — — Covered in a realistic replica of the surrounding lands and cities, including a stronghold that shouldn’t be there
76 — — — Composed of mud infested with fishlike creatures with human hands instead of fins
77 — — — Covered in a disagreeable, chunky, odiferous slurry reminiscent of vomit
78 — — — Tiled with a mosaic of fingernails, many crusted with blood
79 — — — Smooth slatelike expanse covered with inscribed magical equations
80 — — — TRAP: Crosshatch of metallic wires, many of which spark with electrical energy
81 — — — Covered in used wound dressings
82 — — — Petrified remains, half‑subsumed into the stone floor, that otherwise greatly resemble anyone who walks out across the floor
83 — — — Painting of three liches dividing the spoils of victory among them; the spoils are innards of a defeated hero
84 — — — Carpeted in a bed of curling red mushroom growths spiraling out from a skeleton fuzzed with fungus
85 — — — Seems like a blank stone floor but in darkness, a strange geometry of brain‑bending lines gleams
86 — — — Inscribed with a message claiming that a secret cabal of necromancers has raised everyone
who’s ever died in the nearby kingdom to fill out an army of the dead
87 — — — Studded with stalagmite‑like natural growths of greenish crystal that hum until touched
88 — — — Tiled in wobbly aerogel cubes
89 01–05 — — Covered in a thick layer of ice; below that is lake‑depth freezing water
90 — 01–06 — Flooded in uncoagulated blood to a depth of 5 inches (13 cm)
91 — 07–11 — Squidgy expanse of dark‑pink flesh; tongue cut from a defeated giant’s mouth, preserved, and laid here like carpet
92 — 12–17 — Irregular, tilting granite flagstone pushed up by slow, steady pressure from dead servants attempting to escape entombment
93 — 18–23 — Seems to literally be the flat, whorled palm of a giant pressed up against the walls to create the floor
94 — — 01–08 Thin layer of iridescent fairy wings obscures wooden floor
95–96 — — 09–16 TRAP: Planted with colorful foliage, junglelike in its diversity, whose creepers and vines
entangle and attempt to restrain those who stay too long in one place
97 — — 17–24 Rough and rubble‑strewn; actually the bodies of sleeping rock trolls
98 — — 25–32 Patterned in black and white tiles; certain squares have symbols resembling chess pieces but unlike any other symbols
99 — — 33–40 Each paving stone plays a different loud horn note when stepped on, usually off‑key (unclear
if the person is stepping on the wrong stones or if the thing has fallen out of tune)
00 — — 41–48 Rough, pine-like bark of what seems to be a massive living tree branch
— 06–10 — — Seems to be the fleshy, haired back of some great beast
— 11–15 — — Live, waving, silvery grass
— 16–19 — — Sloping natural area covered in short, broad fungi except for a narrow winding path; the fungi are
poisonous and can crawl like slugs to reposition themselves to move or close the path
— 20–24 — — Several large square grates on the floor block access to a lower room of the same size; the creatures in that room
are upside down compared to the upper room and act like the PCs are the ones trapped in a lower chamber
— 25–28 — — TRAP: Covered in thumbnail‑sized hollow spheres, each containing a sticky magical substance that requires
ogre strength or more to escape; visitors are likely to find their boots permanently stuck to the floor
— 29–33 — — Multicolored molten glass, slowly flowing from one side of the chamber
and out the other through long, low vents in the walls
— 34–37 24–29 — Made of rotting meat of some great carcass
— 38–42 30–35 — A great transparent crystal plane up through which a monstrous godlike eye stares and blinks
— 43–46 36–41 — TRAP: Entire floor rests on a hidden balance point; when triggered, it flips PCs into a
funnel that empties into the waiting open mouth of a colossal monster
— 47–51 42–46 — Metal decking salvaged from a weird alien craft uncovered in the nearby mountains
— 52–56 47–52 — TRAP: Lava, with small round metal platforms (glowing red on the edges but safe
in the center) resembling giant coins allowing jumping movement
— 57–61 53–58 — TRAP: Pit creates a mindless clone of anyone who avoids falling in; the clone then falls in and
Weird Dungeons

is dramatically pureed by various slicing blades that spring from the pit’s walls
— 62–66 59–64 — During any given minute there is a small chance that the floor vanishes for a few seconds before reappearing
— 67–70 65–70 — Composed of ropey strands of intestines, slick and quivering as they digest
— 71–75 71–76 49–55 Dark as the night; shows a starscape and alien moons
— 76–80 77–82 56–62 Composed of cloudlike chunks of mist that somehow hold up occupants and furniture
— 81–85 83–88 63–70 Seems to be the top surface of a cloud, solid enough to stand on, and sometimes clear enough to see the ground miles below
— 86–90 — 71–77 A series of levitating squares over a great fall into lava
— 91–95 — 78–84 Relief carving of a massive, flat face staring up; open mouth is a dark pool of enchanted water that steals fear and regret
— 96–00 — 85–92 TRAP: Several sets of embedded footprints (matching some of the characters) wander around;
stepping on them slowly escalates a compulsion to follow them to their end
— — 89–94 — TRAP: Irregular ridges and bumps on the floor are a tripping hazard and look unnerving, but only when a character stands
in a specific spot can they see it looks like a gorgon (or other creature with gaze magic), which turns them to stone
— — 95–00 — A great expanse of supple, living humanlike skin
— — — 93–00 Covered in a weave of human eyelashes
237
 Weird Dungeon Corridors often just take you from one interesting

Corridors
thing in a dungeon to another, but what if the
corridor itself was interesting? Use this list to
(Fantasy) make any corridor weirder.

I S G W Weirdness
01 — — — Carved into the petrified bulk of a colossal dinosaur
02 — — — Complex apparatus featuring kettlebells shaped like demon heads manipulated
by chains that raise and lower a series of platforms; beneath, the floor is covered
in undead snakes that can reach the platforms at their lowest height
03 — — — A narrow‑gauge set of rusted rails runs down the center
04 — — — Contains several small tiled alcoves, each featuring a metal pipe, knob, and floor grate;
turning the knob releases a few gallons of mildly sulphur‑smelling warm water
05–06 — — — Covered in puffball fungi that burst when touched, releasing glowing spores that are bright
enough to make the character’s feet and footprints glow like candles for several minutes
07–08 — — — Covered in fraying red carpet, including the walls and uncomfortably low ceiling
09 — — — Down‑on‑their‑luck dwarves that live in the corridor beg for handouts
10 — — — Dug through solid stone containing numerous fossils of ancient,
many‑limbed creatures with large heads
11 — — — Each 10‑foot (3 m) corridor segment rotates lengthwise, alternating
left and right, each with a different speed
12 — — — Each step along the corridor creates a sound as loud as a drum beat
13–14 — — — Echoes with the sound of crashing sea waves, smells of seawater, and scattered with tidepools
15 — — — Ejects the body of any creature that dies within to a nearby room or area
16–17 — — — Every couple of hundred yards is a sealed cask filled with wine; scratched
in the wall near each is "In case of emergency, imbibe”
18 — — — Filled with a hazy purplish gas that makes those affected by it maudlin
19–20 — — — Filled with a luminescent haze that smells faintly of lilac
21 — — — Filled with bright light that blinds both those with normal vision and those able to see in the dark
22–23 — — — Floods with seawater (and possibly dangerous sea life) when the tide comes in
24–25 — — — Floor constantly slides in one direction, making movement in
that direction faster and slower in the other
26–27 — — — Cubbies in the wall, floor, or ceiling about every 10 feet (3 m); each contains
a simple metal cage with a stuffed bird in it (usually a parrot)
28 — — — Has many hollows, holes, and cracks along the corridor; shining eyes peer through them
29 — — — High arched ceiling has leering statues whose mouths drip cave moisture (that
has an uncanny knack for landing on torches, in eyes, and so on)
30 — — — Infested with cockroach-like bugs that glow like fireflies, constantly
scurrying in and out of cracks in the walls and floor
31 — — — Infested with slimy white worms smelling of fresh‑cut grass and mint
32 — — — Chalked with messages to loved ones, warnings, and idle thoughts from decades of past travelers
33 — — — Filled with red spiderwebs, navigable in some spots, must be cut or burned through in others
34 — — — Is an exhaust tube to bleed off excess fire for a dwarf‑designed flaming mining auger
35 — — — Maps of the complex are scribed on the corridor walls, with a helpful
“You are here” legend; however, the maps are wrong
36 — — — Metal framework along all four corners holds large, square wood panels
that can be turned flat against the ceiling, walls, or floor
37–38 — — — Often used by a powerful, crotchety wizard for long walks
Weird Dungeons

39 — — — Painted with a long mural depicting the inception and rise of a young
hero who is betrayed and horribly killed at the corridor’s end
40 — — — Periodically interrupted by huge boulders rolling and careening around
41 — — — Piece of old string stretches down the corridor, as if unwound by
a previous traveler concerned with getting lost
42 — — — Portions of the corridor are flooded with a fizzy fluid that must be
waded; boots come out cleaner but no worse for wear
43 — — — Reddish footprints mark the corridor; inspection reveals they
are tiles embedded in the floor, walls, and ceiling
44 — — — Remains of broken carts, wagons, carriages, and stranger wheeled
objects made of iron and wood litter the corridor
238 45 — — — Resembles a shark‑tooth‑lined mouth extending dozens of yards
 46 — — — Round cross section threaded with grooves, as if to fit a giant screw or bolt
47 — — — Runed tiles glow red if touched and blue if avoided; touched tiles trigger
vibrations elsewhere in the dungeon but cause or effect isn’t obvious
48 — — — Scattered with gore and blood as if something large dragged a freshly killed
corpse (or several corpses) down the corridor while messily snacking
49 — — — Scratched and eroded as if something large commonly forces its way along the corridor
50–51 — — — Set with “candle” sconces that are animated mummified hands
mounted on plaques, each finger a burning wick
52 — — — Sets of manacles bolted to the walls hold identical copies of the PCs wearing rags, each claiming to
be the original (these might be enchanted people, illusions over mannequins, or doppelgangers)
53 — — — Stone was bleached or whitewashed, then black stripes added in a grid pattern (resembling a
simple map on graph paper); marks are quickly cleaned or erased, as if by tiny invisible workers
54 — — — The farther travelers walk down the corridor, the younger they
seem to grow; returning reverses the effect
55 — — — The tiled mosaic on the floor depicts a vibrantly colored cosmic
tree, with branches leading to side corridors
56–57 — — — Three‑way intersection seems like a decision point, but all three paths soon reconverge
58 — — — Tiled with candied sugar squares interspersed with dark chocolate
diamonds; some previous passerby has already sampled several
59 — — — TRAP: A spring‑loaded metal rod just small enough to fit the corridor’s
dimensions is released, violently expelling anything in the corridor
60 — — — Haphazardly stores about a dozen wooden ladders, each too long
to have been brought here through the nearby turns
61–62 — — — Tidy and well‑maintained, with no loose stones or dirt; cleaner than most homes or taverns
63 — — — Damp; walls and ceiling are covered in living snails and slugs and their mucous trails
64 — — — Walls lined with barred cell after barred cell, each containing
remains of captives that perished decades ago
65 — — — Warm, damp wind shifts back and forth once each minute, like an enormous creature’s slow breathing
66 — — — Colored stepping stones run the length; they’re the only safe places to step
67 — — — The left wall bears a mural of a huge face that whispers aloud a secret held by each person passing
68 — — — All surfaces blackened with soot; tiny footprints in the soot run along both floor and ceiling
69–70 — — — Cute cats and bunnies adorn the walls, paint faded and peeling with age
71 — — — Carpet runs down the middle, and moves like a conveyer belt if stood upon
72 — — — Floor, walls, and ceiling move to push you down the corridor via peristalsis
73 — — — Cylindrical; rotates as you move in it
74 — — — Halfway down the corridor, you are hurled back the way you came like a bullet shot from a gun
75 — — — Carved heads on the wall near the ceiling carefully watch those
walking down the corridor; one appears to chew gum
76–77 — — — Ceiling tiles glisten with colored radiance if someone stands beneath them
78 — — — The walls seem to be made of stone arms that reach out and grasp at those passing through
79 — — — Floor carved with stone faces that grimace when you step upon them
80 — — — Confetti and streamers cover the floor as if there had been a party or parade
81 — — — Floor covered in a layer of thin, wet clay so that anyone passing through leaves tracks
82 — — — Many doors along the corridor, but passing through a door takes you to the corridor’s entrance
83 — — — Tiny metal balls roll out of holes in the wall near the floor, making it easy to slip and fall
84 — — — Lettered tiles on the floor can be stepped on to spell out sentences; doing
so or not has no obvious effect other than to slow people down
85 — — — Three chandeliers hang from the ceiling; they illuminate and spin slowly if anyone enters
Weird Dungeons

86 — — — A powerful electrical jolt is administered to anyone touching

any surface with anything other than bare flesh
87 — — — Painted reliefs of dinosaurs adorn the walls; the triceratops hides a secret compartment
88 — — — At one end, you get a vision of your own birth, and at the other, a
vision of your own death (neither may be accurate)
89 01–03 — — Appears to twist until the floor becomes the ceiling and vice versa (might
be an illusion, altered gravity, or just clever construction)
90 04–06 — — Inhabited by a huge colony of bats that roosts on the ceiling, defecates
on the floor, and whispers in humanlike voices
91 07–09 — — Niches every few feet hold piled bones slowly turning to dust; under
inspection, bones are all of three‑armed humanoids
92 10–12 — 01–10 Irregularly shaped, lined with mucus and stiff black hairs (like
a nostril); occasionally blasted by a loud sneeze 239
 93 — 01–08 — Partly blocked by towering fungal growths resembling tumors
94 — 09–16 — Throat of a monstrous creature that mimics corridors
95 — 17–25 — Floor is a metal grill suspended over a chamber filled with howling, underfed hound‑like beasts
96 — — 11–20 Broken up by several locked doors, each of which magically poses
a riddle before opening with a correct answer
97 — — 21–30 Filled with darting, fluttering, scarlet‑winged moths that hum to echo any speech or music
98 — — 31–40 Vibrates with strident, deafening flute and drum music
99 — — 41–50 Floor is inset with green stepping stones; they whimper if touched or stepped on
00 — — 51–60 Series of small cubbies, each with a slot the size of a gold coin; each dispenses hot
sausages, cool beer, and pithy fortunes handwritten on scraps of paper
— 13–15 — — Studded with mirrors, many showing warped reflections; some reflections
are different creatures than those actually in the corridor
— 16–18 — — For every minute in the corridor, an hour passes outside
— 19–21 — — Ghosts of children sometimes run down the corridor, laughing and calling out in play
— 22–24 — — Floor paved with illusory glass‑preserved bodies that exactly resemble
dead versions of anyone traveling along the corridor
— 25–28 — — Plays snippets of conversations between the characters and significant
people in their past (their parents, mentors, and so on)
— 29–31 — — Relief‑carved demon heads whisper a horrible secret to each
person who walks down the hallway for the first time
— 32–34 — — Rivulets of thick crimson fluid run horizontally along the
corridor walls in apparent defiance of gravity
— 35–37 — — Seems to be cored through a monstrously oversized apple, complete with oversized worms
— 38–40 — — Filled with old portraits of the PC from across their life, starting from birth up to the present day
— 41–44 — — Silhouette‑like images of travelers try to race each actual traveler to the corridor’s
end; those that beat their images gain a second shadow for a time
— 45–47 — — Sometimes (or because a trap was triggered) gravity rotates 90 degrees,
so what was forward is now down—possibly a long way down
— 48–50 — — TRAP: Corridor becomes a wind tunnel; any occupants that can’t
find a grip are blown through a razor‑edged grate
— 51–53 — — TRAP: Though they don’t realize it, travelers gradually shrink as the corridor simultaneously
narrows; a marble‑sized rolling pearl released at the far end seems like a house‑sized boulder
— 54–56 — — Those who reach the end are transported back to the start unless
they figure out the trick to bypass the effect
— 57–59 — — Seems endless, with long straight sections and intermittent sharp turns;
escaping requires discovering and using a loophole in the magic
— 60–62 — — Slopes upward, no matter which way travelers are going
— 63–66 — — No gravity, but has metal rungs on the ceiling to pull yourself along
— 67–69 — — Time spent in the corridor does not pass outside the corridor
— 70–72 — — Stepping into the corridor teleports you immediately to the other end;
getting anywhere in the middle requires speaking a magic word
— 73–76 — — Corridor is frictionless
— 77–79 — — Sound is impossible in the corridor
— 80–82 26–33 — Narrow meandering corridor magically starves anyone passing through it, as if they
hadn’t eaten in a week (a typical human might lose 10 pounds [4.5 kg] each trip)
— 83–85 34–42 — Parts of the corridor seem to extend over an unlikely cosmic abyss of nothingness
— 86–88 43–50 — Passing down the corridor causes a traveler to age months or more
— 89–91 51–58 — Shadows shaped like people‑sized spiders (regardless of illumination
source or position) accompany anyone moving down corridor
Weird Dungeons

— 92–94 59–66 — TRAP: Entire corridor suddenly swings down toward the far end, dumping falling
travelers into a roiling mass of animated, fused corpses hungry for more parts
— 95–97 67–74 61–70 Finger‑sized holes on all surfaces tear away parts of any creature’s shadow
that crosses them, slowly weakening the creature from attrition
— 98–00 — 71–80 Relief‑carved trees along the walls sometimes bear what appear to be actual ripe apples
— — 75–83 — Frequently disturbed by a large ferocious creature chasing a fast, smaller creature; they
usually ignore other creatures but might crash into or knock over anything in their way
— — 84–91 81–90 TRAP: If two or more creatures travel in a group (or are simply
close enough), their minds randomly switch bodies
— — 92–00 91–00 Invisible energy beings push, shove, and trip anyone in the corridor but are otherwise harmless

240
A ghostly sorc
A Slice of Pie
erer appears du
ring a full moo
important and n and offers to
Weird Dungeons

valuable secret share an

in exchange for
not, in fact, dead help. He explai
, but was transf ns that he is
ormed into a di
and the eight pi fferent, inert fo
eces of him sepa rm, cut apart,
rated. If the pi
could return to eces could be re
the living world united, he
. If a deal can be
struck–he emba struck–and only
rrassingly explai after it is
ns that he was tu
and the pie was rn ed into a bl ueberry pie
sliced and sold at
a local fair. Not on
far and wide, bu ly are th e pi ec es
t unbeknownst scattered
to the sorcerer, so
me of them have
been eaten.

241
 Weird Dungeon The treasures you find while exploring a

treasures
dungeon (and let’s be honest, that’s why
you’re exploring the dungeon) ought to be
(Fantasy) weird. Use this list to generate ideas beyond
a bag of gold or a silver candlestick.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Bales of dried leaves, prized for their stimulant effect if chewed
03–04 — — — Scale mail made of literal dragon scales
05–06 — — — Fist‑sized eye fossilized in a chunk of amber
07 — — — Stylish black gloves with silver thread designs evoking skeletal hands
08–09 — — — Sealed pot filled with odiferous ebony sand; rapidly combusts/explodes if exposed to fire
10 — — — Set of cunningly carved game pieces resembling cap‑wearing monkeys
11–12 — — — Detailed, artistic map of the region that reveals a non‑existent mountain range
13–14 — — — Hand mirror with a frame resembling a grasping hand
15–16 — — — Bag of tough, chewy candy powdered with sugar; it’s just okay
17 — — — Spell of undead conjuration scribed using vampire blood
18–19 — — — Pale cape woven by ghostly weavers
20–21 — — — Deck of cards each depicting a nude humanoid
22 — — — Stuffed child’s toy resembling a rhinoceros; has a jade horn
23–24 — — — Goblet made from the skull of the dead queen
25–26 — — — Set of matching toe rings forged from meteorite metal
27 — — — Iron crown about 3 feet (1 m) in diameter, rusted and scratched
but set with a fist‑sized chatoyant beryl
28 — — — Set of gold‑plated dinnerware designed to open a skull and daintily eat the exposed brain
29–30 — — — Monocle that makes the wearer’s eye shine with golden light; corrects for nearsightedness
31–32 — — — Sword that glows when the odds are against the wielder
33 — — — Petrified form of a renowned dungeon explorer who went missing some years earlier
34–35 — — — Metallic star‑shaped decorations; glow with an inviting light when command word is uttered
36–37 — — — Wand that greatly magnifies speaker’s volume and adds a note of authority
38–39 — — — Jar of cosmetic paste that imbues wearer with a magical glamour of enhanced attractiveness
40 — — — Tin of candied human thumbs wrapped in gold leaf
41–42 — — — King Solomon’s golden scepter
43 — — — Spyglass that allows the user to see through solid objects; according to
stories, a lecherous noble used it to look through courtiers’ clothing
44 — — — Map scroll with directions showing the way to the Island of the Blessed
45–46 — — — Mechanical duck covered in tiny golden scales, powered by clockwork mechanism
47 — — — Chess set made from arrow tips, sword shards, and shield splinters of
the final few heroes who died trying to save the kingdom
48 — — — Mounted, stuffed devil head
49–50 — — — Two hundred unopened bottles of sparkling wine from a legendary vintage
51 — — — Set of matching candles, each made from tallow ceremoniously rendered
from previous generations of rulers after their death
52–53 — — — Red suit trimmed in white fur with matching cap and gloves
54 — — — Handbag sewn from naga hide
55–56 — — — Magnificently framed painting depicting the downfall of the previous pantheon of gods
57 — — — Magical beetle that can replicate any sound—including conversations,
music, or arbitrary noises—it’s ever heard
Weird Dungeons

58–59 — — — Enchanted hair comb that makes all days good hair days
60 — — — Travel cauldron chased in lead and hemlock‑infused paint
61 — — — Set of three matching silver figurines depicting the Three Fates, rumored to be lucky
62–63 — — — Cask of 30‑year‑old barley wine reserved for the king
64 — — — Artistically rendered tarot cards thematically linked to alternate dimensions and worlds
65 — — — Tome bound between thin, dark metal plates contains twelve vellum pages;
spells of shadow are scribed, one per page, in dragon blood
66–67 — — — Magic sword that makes a burp sound after felling a foe
68–69 — — — Gloves embroidered with little reptiles that make your hands
stick to anything with incredible strength
70 — — — Bejeweled casket for a small person (perhaps a halfling or a gnome?)
71 — — — Solid gold hand with six fingers, one of which wears a magic ring and another a cursed ring
242
 72 — — — Necklace with eighteen emeralds engraved with the words “One for each soul burned by my spell”
73–74 — — — Hourglass of blue crystal that uses a healing potion rather than sand
75–76 — — — Intricately designed set of ceramic plates with golden filigree that perfectly calculate the tides
77 — — — Worn, smelly leather pouch; every day at sunrise a day’s worth of hard rations appears in it
78 — — — Bag of strangely furry balls that set off traps when rolled near them
79–80 01–02 — — Top hat crusted with phoenix feathers that still smolder
81–82 03–05 — — Wind chimes forged of precious metals; if allowed to sound, a swarm of butterflies is summoned
83–84 06–08 — — Ring etched with the word “PEACE” that grants the wearer a little
extra resiliency in the face of adverse circumstances
85–86 09–11 — 01–04 Ring set with wolf teeth that allows wearer to talk peacefully to werewolves
87–88 — — 05–09 Fabulous hat complete with a dazzling phoenix feather
89 — — 10–14 Case of lumpy red and white fruit greatly desired by fey nobles
90–91 — — 15–19 Phonograph with several records of unearthly music by faerie performers
92–93 — — 20–24 Matched set of gemstones, each carved to resemble some sort of marine
creature, including a seahorse, octopus, sea star, and so on
94–95 — — 25–29 Prize‑winning pumpkin from the harvest festival
96 — — 30–34 Mirror that shows viewer the most idealized version of themself;
normally covered because many find it addicting
97–98 — — 35–39 Heavy spectacles that allow wearer to review their dreams of the previous night
99–00 — — 40–44 Wind‑up dragonflies with silver wings and jeweled eyes
— 12–14 — — Coins that spontaneously turn into living beetles, and back again
— 15–17 — — Silver‑chased tankard; if hoisted, it usually fills with sour hard cider
— 18–19 — — Magical cloth 6 feet (2 m) square; if laid out, platters heaping with delicious fried worms appear
— 20–22 — — Coins stolen from the eyes of corpses that would’ve otherwise
paid the ferryman; most are haunted by angry spirits
— 23–25 — — Shrunken demon raging in the transparent facets of a diamond
— 26–28 — — Furry slippers; heated because they’re actually alive
— 29–31 — — Talking sea star that offers reasonably good advice
— 32–34 — — Bow originally made for the young princess from a branch struck from the Tree of Life
— 35–37 — — Trained hunting moths
— 38–40 — — Fist‑sized translucent crystal containing a snowstorm; can be
used to decrease temperature in surrounding region
— 41–43 — — Intricate choker woven of ebony vapor set with a glowing coal‑like gemstone
— 44–46 — — Glass‑fronted cage holding an enchanted spider that weaves a
new, amazingly detailed and glowing web each day
— 47–49 — — Colorful metallic box that produces suspenseful music when crank is turned until
the head of a magically imprisoned devil pops out, offering temptations
— 50–52 01–08 — Wearable circlet composed of well‑trained gold ants marching in a circle
— 53–55 09–16 — Beating heart of an angel
— 56–58 17–24 — Handheld timepiece ticking down to the date of the coming apocalypse
— 59–61 25–32 — Necklace made of braided hair cut from a demigod
— 62–64 33–40 — Vial of blood drained from a god; will supposedly return a dead mortal to life
— 65–67 41–48 — Animate undead head of a renowned bard and royal jester; tells
jokes upon command (but also begs for destruction)
— 68–70 49–56 — The legendary Jewel of Falax, as big as your fist; it’s actually the egg of a fly demon
— 71–73 57–64 45–49 Deeds to various properties on the moon
— 74–76 — 50–54 Exotic liquor reserved for the King of Dreams
— 77–79 — 55–58 Vial of powder; if water is added, a reconstituted servitor troll appears
— 80–82 — 59–62 Staff made of solidified dreamstuff
— 83–85 — 63–66 Cradle swaddled in a stasis veil; inside is a babe who’s the true heir to the throne
— 86–88 — 67–71 Intelligent magic sword as versed in decorum as it is with death
Weird Dungeons

— 89–91 — 72–75 Golden apple inscribed with the words “For the fairest”
— 92–94 — 76–79 Fashionable water cape that like a waterfall pouring down the wearer’s
back when worn; flooding is possible if cape is ever torn
— 95–97 — 80–84 Crystal sphere containing a stolen, shrunken city
— 98–00 — 85–88 Figurine of a coach with horses; summons a real version, complete
with coach driver, for several hours when used
— — 65–73 — Marble‑sized black hole held impotent in a magic glass sphere
— — 74–82 89–92 Crystal decanter containing a single draught of blood distilled from a god
— — 83–91 93–96 Inscribed door handle; if attached to a door or chest and used, opens
the way to an ancient ruined citadel buried beneath the earth
— — 92–00 97–00 Moonstone pendant that contains tiny, curled‑up realm stolen from dreams

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 2. 2 :
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Pa
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 Weird PC Legacies or
Prophecies
Okay, you’re the chosen one. You’re the seventh child of a seventh child. But what does that really mean?
I S G W
Weirdness
01–03 — — —
The Purple Baron left you a small bit of coin and a massive, mostly inoperative, ship
04–05 — — —
Your father always told you that you’d go nowhere and accomplish nothing
06–08 — — —
A stone from an old temple said you’d die by the hand of your brother; you don’t have a brother
09–11 — — —
When your mother passed, she left her fortune to her pet cockatoo, plus a stipend for you if you cared for it
12–14 — — —
A passing minstrel told your fortune, saying that one day you’d author an erotic best‑seller
15–16 — — —
You inherited a defunct coal mine that’s killed every miner who ever set foot in the place
17–18 — — —
A preacher says eventually you’ll cede all your worldly possessions to the church
19–20 — — —
Your late Uncle Caspian was a gastroenterologist; he left you a chest of unlikely objects
he’d removed from patients’ stomachs and a sealed pint of stomach acid
21–22 — — — The psychic said that one day you’d claim the Cerulean Helmet and ascend
to your rightful place; you have no idea what that means
23–24 — — — You inherited a cricket ranch, deep in debt, but renowned for producing the best cricket meal around
25–27 — — — A letter arrives, deeding you ownership of all the homes and structures in a village of over 50 people
28–29 — — — An old book shows a picture of someone who looks just like you who is
fated, according to the caption, to “find the Omega Anomaly”
30–32 — — — Your defeated rival cursed you to a death from choking on fried potatoes; so that’s off the menu
33–35 — — — Your mother was a well‑known hero whose face is emblazoned on money, but nobody knows about you
36–37 — — — Your father’s many misdeeds and criminal acts have marked you for death if you ever return home
38–40 — — — Your father’s will gave you “the mansion and all the treasures found within”; there is no mansion
41–42 — — — The country house your uncle had that no one knew about is now yours,
complete with an illegal vehicle that burns petrochemical fuel
43–44 — — — The birthmark somewhat resembling a winged reptile on your face means
that you’re destined for greatness, your mother always said
45–47 — — — A letter, in your handwriting, claims that soon you will remember who you
really are; the letter instructs you to “find Melissa" when you do
48–50 — — — Your grandmother sends you a puzzle depicting a fractal design with strange fractal‑shaped pieces;
later, she asks for it back, claiming it was for Terry; you don’t know anyone by that name
51–52 — — — Your parents, and their parents before them, suffered from an unnamed brain disorder that
manifested in middle age, leading to their early deaths; the same thing is likely coming for you
53–54 — — — Your stepdad’s unclaimed luggage finds its way to you now, years after
his mysterious death on a research trip to the Antarctic
55–56 — — — You were raised as royalty, poised to inherit that throne; turns out you
were switched at birth to protect the identity of the true heir
57–59 — — — You inherited a tatty tarot deck and crate of moonshine
60–61 — — — You inherited the family bioremediation and forensic cleaning (crime scene cleaning) business
62–63 — — — You inherited a storage garage full of backwoods mixtures and canned
goods in moldering glass jars of all different sizes
64–66 — — — Your grandmother’s recipe book finds its way to you; it contains her
secret special herbal tea recipe rumored to reverse hair loss
Weird Player Characters

67–68 — — — The augury says you will die a particularly embarrassing, cringe‑worthy death; no other details
69–70 — — — You have a rune on your hand that means “slayer of Thrugg,” but you don’t know what that means
71–73 — — — The prophecy says you will slay an army of your enemies and wear their
skulls as jewelry—so perhaps it’s an army of tiny creatures?
74–75 — — — Although the birthmark on your back was obliterated in a house fire when you were a child,
treasure‑hunters still pursue you because they believe it is a map leading to a mountain of gold
76–77 — — — Knowing that you were born to slay the evil overlord, your parents named, dressed, and raised
you as a different gender in order to confuse the divinations of his sorcerer‑priests
78–79 — — — Every male in your family has died within a few days of the first time they ever had sex
80–82 01–03 — — A vintage aircraft—a Lockheed Model 10‑E Electra, with “Amelia’s” scratched
on the side—is found in a barn located on old family property
83–84 04–07 — — When you close your eyes and try to sleep, you see an old person’s hands
drawing; the drawing is becoming clear—and a frightening prediction
85–87 — 01–06 — The university bequeathed you the bones of a tyrannosaurus rex
88–90 — 07–12 — A wardrobe that was a long‑dead relative’s contains a secret compartment filled with
historically problematic memorabilia and a luminescent ancient Roman spearhead
91–92 — — 01–06 On your 25th birthday, a woman in a dark suit delivered to you an aquarium
246 containing a strange fish, explaining it was your birthright
93–94 — — 07–12 Your mother trained you from childhood to battle a giant who has fought
the firstborn of your family’s line every three generations
95–97 — — 13–18 The witch in the forest said your true power will first manifest when an eclipse hangs in the sky above you
98–00 — — 19–24 A seer told your mother that you would one day be so wealthy that you could buy the moon
— 08–11 — — The voices never agree except on one thing: one day you’ll meet someone special,
fall in love, have children, and then lose them all to Centauri raiders
— 12–14 — — Your recurring dream is that one day you will obtain a magic sword that solves all
your problems; your current magic sword is jealous and angry about it
— 15–18 — — All fortune cookies you open prescribe the same Fibonacci‑esque lottery numbers: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21
— 19–21 — — You learned the family trade of poison‑tasting and can never be poisoned,
but unpoisoned food always has a slight aftertaste of worn socks
— 22–24 — — A haunted island is bequeathed to you via registered mail
— 25–27 — — Your endowment includes a collection of dusty volumes of alternate world history that
saw civilization’s great empires begin with the Mayans (who still exist as an empire)
— 28–30 — — Destined to avert a planetary disaster; you know when, where, and what to do; it’s not
risky or a big deal, but it’s far off and you await it so you can move on with your life
— 31–33 — — No matter what page you look at, The Book of the End of Time seems to narrate your thoughts
as you read it, until you get halfway through the book and the pages become blank
— 34–36 — — Your Uncle Bixby left you a hand‑bound copy of an unfinished violent screenplay with the
last two scenes torn out; recent events have started to match up with the pages you have
— 37–40 — — One of your heroic ancestors mistakenly killed a redeemed demon; as penance, the family line must
protect the demon’s hellborn descendants (unfortunately, most of them aren’t good people)
— 41–43 — — When a member of your family dies, within a few days they rise as an evil intelligent
undead creature that hunts the living (other than their own relatives)
— 44–46 — — The family pet is Baxter, an obnoxious immortal monkey; it’s your turn to take care of him for a few years
— 47–49 — — Elementals can compel obedience from anyone of your family line due to a past miscast binding spell
— 50–52 — — Everyone in your bloodline can sing a magical song that opens locked doors,
but it hurts the mind of anyone listening other than you
— 53–55 13–18 — As the firstborn of a cursed family line, upon your 66th birthday you will become the vessel
to a reality‑swallowing demon; your body will be their prison to keep the universe safe
— 56–58 19–24 — Your sister died fighting near the Tannhäuser Gate, leaving you the seed of an
inoperative AI that sometimes manifests as a holographic mouth
— 59–61 25–30 — As happened to your mentor, one day your shadow will learn enough of solidity to strangle you
— 62–64 31–36 — It’s revealed a demon will become smitten with you; if you return its affection, a war in Hell will result
— 65–67 37–42 — Eventually you will start living your days in reverse, trapped as an observer in your own body
— 68–70 43–47 — Three years from now, when you avert the apocalypse, the diverted energy will knock your consciousness
back in time to today; each of your six prior time loops were different but led to the same result
— 71–73 48–53 25–30 You inherit a house that exists only in dreams
— 74–76 54–59 31–37 Like a phoenix, you rose from the ashes of your parent who spontaneously combusted; that’s your fate too
— 77–79 — 38–44 A talking dog you inherited as a child rarely had a kind word for you,
but now it proclaims you're ready to begin your training
— 80–82 — 45–51 You, like many in your family, are allergic to moonlight
— 83–85 — 52–58 You inherit a talking crow that says it can teach you the same spells it taught your matrilineal line
— 86–88 — 59–65 You inherit land with an aspen grove; in that grove resides a dryad who
now relies on you to keep that land safe from development

Weird Player Characters

— 89–91 — 66–72 The last time anyone saw the cat, it was curled at your great aunt’s feet; here
it is outside your home thirty years later, scratching to get in
— 92–94 — 73–79 Your family heirloom is an empathic magic wand once quite powerful; now it’s mostly lazy and erratic
— 95–97 — 80–86 By correctly reciting the names of your direct ancestors in order, you can invoke wishlike
magic; the list of names is now seventy people long and any mistake twists the magic
— 98–00 — 87–93 You met your older self who traveled in time to talk to you; they told you to beware
of three things: the mongoose, the mudflats, and the month of March
— — 60–64 — Your inheritance included an animated skeleton; sometimes you just carry around its hand in a box
— — 65–70 — A petrified creature’s head not native to the world is your only inheritance
— — 71–76 — You wake up in a bed full of fresh fish when you go to bed on an empty stomach because a
distant ancestor unwittingly saved a magical bear from starvation, and the bear is grateful
— — 77–82 — According to the prophecy, you are the chosen one, destined to bring peace
to the land, but only through slaying everyone that lives there
— — 83–88 — Your genetically augmented eyes allow you to see and enter a portal near your hometown; inside, an
extradimensional space contains a large house with a ticking crystal that’s counting down to something
— — 89–94 — You own a jar containing a living mouse who can talk and wears human clothes; she says
that on the day you free her, the world will end, but a new paradise will begin
— — 95–00 94–00 Your family runs an orphanage, but for some reason the children eventually turn into chickens 247
 W E IR D PC When you need to make your character special
in the way they look, use this list. GMs can

APPEARANCES use this for memorable NPCs as well!

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Green hair, damp as seaweed
03–04 — — — Rough skin, pebbled like gravel
05–06 — — — Fingernails always grow to vicious clawlike points, even after filing
07–08 — — — Unruly, waist‑length hair, an animated mass that resists shears and grows back if cut
09–10 — — — Ram horns on head; hornlike spikes on elbows
11 — — — Halo‑like filament ring of faint light surrounds head
12–13 — — — Third eye, normally closed, lets you see in the dark (but only if your day‑eyes are shut)
14–15 — — — Jagged, silvery lines run across skin, resembling cracks in a porcelain vase
16–17 — — — Glowing orange filaments grow on the back of arms and shoulders
18–19 — — — Glittering tattoo etched on forehead reads “Error”
20–21 — — — Starlike brand glimmers on upper chest
22–23 — — — Webbed fingers, a fin that begins on the head and continues down the back, and weirdly big eyes
24 — — — Fingers trail bluish vapor
25–26 — — — Vicious, raven‑like beak as a mouth
27–28 — — — Painfully thin and 7 feet (2 m) tall
29–30 — — — Reddish spots contour skin all over Judgment Day
31–32
33–34
—
—
—
—
—
—
Impressive antlers
Furry forearms that bulge with muscle I n a bright flash, a strange crystal
structure appears above the city. Its
inhabitants, a council of humanoids
35–36 — — — Mushroom‑like growths sprout and shelf from skin
37–38 — — — A canopy of vibrant green leaves covers you wearing complex armored suits unlike
like fur covers animals anything seen here before, demand that
someone come forth and defend the world
39–40 — — — Stegosaurus‑like plates protrude from back
that now stands accused of committing a
41–42 — — — Birthmark that looks like it spells a profane word
grave crime. The nature of the crime, the
43–44 — — — All hair on body stands on end wronged parties, and the status of the
45 — — — Breath constantly steams, regardless of council as judges are all described using
surrounding temperature unknown alien words, but the punishment
46 — — — Skin is translucent, shading to transparent, for the crime if the world is found guilty is
revealing organs beneath clear: annihilation.
47–48 — — — Cloven hooves for feet
49–50 — — — Skin scaled like a snake
51–52 — — — Greatly resemble a divisive leader from the recent past; some curse
you on sight for this, others compliment you
53–54 — — — Skin glows faintly red
55–56 — — — Second, slightly smaller mouth visible inside mouth
57–58 — — — Many piercings, considered stylish by some
59–60 — — — Long, pointed ears that are mobile and expressive during conversation
(like the hands of an enthusiastically gesturing conversant)
61–62 — — — Head resembles a jackal’s visage
Weird Player Characters

63–64 — — — Silvery eyebrows resemble jagged streaks of lightning; glow when danger threatens
65–66 — — — Feathers instead of hair
67 — — — Natural skin pouch, like a kangaroo’s, can be a stash for stuff instead of raising joeys
68–69 — — — Skin the color of new leaves; hair an explosion of jubilant grass
70–71 — — — Stag beetle horns give head an armored, insectile look
72–73 — — — Face resembles a caricature of the sharp‑chinned, sharply pointed forehead of the man in the moon
74 — — — Spider legs
75–76 — — — Text of an entire book about finding the Seventeen Relics of the Demon
Goddess is etched in tiny letters across every square inch of flesh
77–78 — — — Harmless discharges of light crackle from body like tiny bolts of lightning
79 — — — Normally tightly wrapped in special lengths of red cloth that keep skin from sloughing off
80–81 — — — Must wear gold reflective goggles specifically or else vision varies between near‑blind and slightly enhanced
82 — — — Exhale a stream of faintly glowing green fog with each breath
83–84 — — — Iridescent algae grows across skin in pleasingly symmetrical patches
85 — — — The otherwise loose flap of skin hanging down your neck can stretch up over your head like a hoodie
86–87 — — — Quirky walk: femur must be raised parallel to the ground during a step
248
88–89 — — — Face muscles set in a permanent, menacing scowl regardless of mental state
90–91 — 01–07 — Face is a metallic, machine‑like facade of a living one
92–93 — — 01–05 Six fingers on each hand
94–95 — — 06–10 Faint, smoky haze drifts from skin, growing darker when angry
96 — — 11–15 Insectile antenna
97 — — 16–20 Tiny wings flap from ankles
98–99 — — 21–25 Furred and bestial body; strangers often think they’ve just met a werewolf
00 — — 26–30 Consistently shedding a golden, slightly luminous dust
— 01–03 — — One eye appears completely dark, like an expanse of oil
— 04–06 — — Teeth appear to be small seashells
— 07–09 — — Long, sinuous tongue, visible during speech
— 10–12 — — Hair is like an extra limb that functions and moves expressively, but impractically, like a cat’s tail
— 13–15 — — Head looks precisely 15% too big for body; ears, eyes, and nose look 20% too small for head
— 16–18 — — Moving tattoo‑like images—usually of butterflies, rarely of skulls—constantly play across back and down arms
— 19–20 — — Fingers on left hand resemble snakes, complete with tiny eyes and mouths
— 21–23 — — Lower legs narrow to long, bony points
— 24–26 — — Miniature clouds form around head, like clouds around a mountain peak
— 27–28 — — So emaciated that your face somewhat resembles a human skull
— 29–31 — — Look as if carved from stone
— 32–34 — — Veins pulse with light, easily visible just beneath skin
— 35–37 — — Telescoping fingers
— 38–40 — — Cables snake from an outlet on the back of your head to various points down your spine
— 41–43 — — Sleek metal helmet set with blinking lights has fused with head; it never comes off
— 44–45 — — Eyes constantly weep red fluid that is often mistaken for blood; it’s actually ectoplasm
— 46–48 — — Heart glows gold through your skin
— 49–51 — — Particles of light race around body in an elliptical orbit, as if electrons around a nucleus
— 52–54 — — Perception handled through a cluster of mechanical lenses and scopes located on and around forehead
— 55–56 — — Eyes instead of toenails
— 57–59 — — Without a cap, thick white smoke constantly rises from head
— 60–61 — — Scalp moves ever so slightly to make hair look like it’s blowing in a breeze
— 62–63 — — Large nose can unfold to become a short prehensile limb like an elephant’s trunk
— 64–66 — — Obvious thick purple scar bisects body from the top of head, across face, and down torso
— 67–68 — — Can manipulate teeth in the same way as fingers
— 69–71 08–13 — No eyes (but other senses fully compensate for lack of sight)
— 72–74 14–20 — Lower body resembles that of an octopus
— 75–77 21–26 — Sixteen-inch (40 cm) long prehensile tongue usable like a giraffe’s
— 78–79 — 31–35 Mark on palm that resembles a tattooed mouth; sometimes frowns, sometimes grins
— 80–82 — 36–40 Map etched onto skin that corresponds with no region you yet know
— 83–85 — 41–45 All body hair below neck glows bright violet in the dark, as if phosphorous
— 86–88 — 46–50 Mouths where eyes should be (vision is unaffected)
— 89–91 — 51–55 Shadow seems to have a nest of tentacles instead of a head
— 92–94 — 56–60 Skin as nearly as reflective as a mirror
— 95–97 — 61–65 Skin knit from yarn

Weird Player Characters

— 98–00 — 66–70 Furry caterpillars that reside on your face instead of eyebrows
— — 27–32 — Another face revealed beneath the hair on the back of head, seemingly sleeping
— — 33–39 — Hair seems to burn, grows brighter and fierier during exertion
— — 40–46 — Winglike appendages made of light and arcane symbols sometimes visible extending from shoulders
— — 47–52 — Silvery machine of mysterious provenance is fused to chest
— — 53–58 — Robotic replacement arms, even more mobile and tactile than flesh versions
— — 59–64 — Detachable head; carry it around, set it nearby, or fix it in place with neck glue
— — 65–70 — Geometric solids orbit head, as though they were free‑floating elements in an orrery
— — 71–76 — Translucent and vibrant as amber
— — 77–82 — Face is a dark cavity; you can sense, ingest, and speak normally
— — 83–88 — Reflection in mirrors or any reflective surface is of an undifferentiated glob of hungry darkness
— — 89–94 71–76 Skin black as space, except for the faint constellations and nebula that glimmer in the depths
— — 95–00 77–82 Eyes seem to be twin views into an active underwater seascape
— — — 83–88 Emit tiny, shimmery bubbles when happy, excited, or hungry
— — — 89–94 Adorable, floppy, furred ears
— — — 95–00 Multicolored hair like a peacock’s feathers, but includes strands of glitter, shredded parchment, and spiderweb
249
 Our families shape us and make us who we are. Our
stories are often tied to our parents or other relatives.
Here’s a list of strange ways your character’s family might
be interesting, and thus your character is interesting.
I S G WWeirdness
01–03 — — —Your father guards a green metal door in the basement of your family home, but you never learned why
04–05 — — —Your grandmother owns a shop that sells interesting sentences for all occasions
06–08 — — —Your mother wrote popular stories before her untimely death, leaving you with a manuscript
containing her last, unpublished story about an archeologist cat named Elbert
09–10 — — — You come from a family of performing circus jugglers, mimes, and acrobats
11–12 — — — Your cousin is an assassin, but no one’s supposed to know that
13–14 — — — You come from a long line of wealthy wig‑makers
15–16 — — — Your family’s wealth comes from privateering; even now, you have siblings that command pirate ships
17–19 — — — Your son is a veterinarian who specializes in treating sharks and rays
20–21 — — — Your family owns a mortuary, where you were raised and trained in the craft
22–23 — — — Your daughter makes a living by breeding spiders for combat and betting on spider fights
24–25 — — — You grew up on the road; your parents would sometimes stay awhile in one place to read
palms, give tarot readings, and provide their services as psychics to locals
26–27 — — — You grew up on the run with your family, fleeing loyalists to the new regime your family once controlled
28–29 — — — Your aunt is a martial artist who competes in the big leagues
30–32 — — — Your granddaughter is the Queen of Ifineria, the newly raised island nation built on reclaimed plastic
33–34 — — — Everyone in your family was born with wings, except for you
35–36 — — — Your family used to eat meals while hanging from the ceiling by their feet
37–38 — — — Your family had two houses right next to each other, and once a
month they would switch which house they lived in
39–40 — — — Your family developed a unique family language (a “conlang”), which they often trot out in public
41–42 — — — Your family secretly kept kidnapped people locked up in boxes around the house
43–44 — — — Your family operated an alligator hunting guide business
45–46 — — — Everyone in your family had to wear matching outfits, forcing you to
do so even when you knew you were much too old
47–48 — — — Your family’s strict rules about food switch constantly and arbitrarily; lately,
they don’t eat white‑colored food like potatoes or cream cheese
49–50 — — — Everyone in your family has a secret hand sign identifying them
51–52 — — — The secret room in your family’s house was used for cutting up dead people
53–54 — — — Your parents’ preferred method of communicating with you was via puppets
55–56 — — — You were raised as part of a secret society pledged to keeping alive the worship of Ereshkigal, Queen of the Dead
57–58 — — — A famous family of inventors and adventurers adopted you
59–60 — — — Everyone in your family, generation after generation, is named from a list of just twelve approved names
61–63 — — — You are one of twenty‑three children
64–65 — — — Your mother taught you the ways of thievery and con games
66–67 — — — Your family is imprisoned for inciting and organizing against the authority
Weird Player Characters

68–69 — — — Everyone in your family blames you for the death of your brother, but you never had a brother
70–71 — — — Your father is ridiculed by others for his belief in and constant warning about a coming apocalypse
72–73 — — — You and your family have been on the run for generations for a crime no living person remembers the details of
74–75 — — — You have a set of various cardboard standees of celebrities that you think of as your family
76–77 — — — Your family made its wealth by manufacturing torture equipment
78–79 — — — You were raised in a cult; they believe your younger sibling is the
chosen one, and you’ve always resented them for that
80–81 — — — Everyone in your family other than you has narcolepsy; “Just wait,” they say
82–83 — — — The head of the household sits on a chair made of bones from dead family members
84–85 — — — Your parents are two “celibate” members of a strict religion with a convoluted
story about how they adopted each of their children
86–87 01–03 — — Your family was a coven of witches that made a living by selling potions
88–90 04–06 — — Eleven souls keep reincarnating through your family; they restrict how many
children they have so no “outsider” souls join their lineage
91–92 — 01–05 — All family disagreements were settled in the knife pit; you’ve got the scars to prove it
93–94 — — 01–06 Silly dances were mandatory each night before bed
250
95–97 — — 07–12 You’re the only one in your family who can’t transform into a seal when near the water
98–00 — — 13–18 Nobody in your family can speak unless they sing
— 07–09 — — Your sister is a vampire
— 10–12 — — Your father and stepmother, who you spent part of your childhood with, own a ranch
for large oily worms that slither and shriek in their cavern pens underground
— 13–15 — — Your stepsister was an unwitting spy of an alien species keeping an eye on your world
— 16–18 — — Your brother is a robot
— 19–21 — — Your grandchild is a phrenologist who has some success because they’re secretly psychic
— 22–24 — — You recently discovered that you are one of a set of separated triplets; since
your reunion you now have the ability to speak to plants
— 25–28 — — Your mother gleefully practices the dark arts and has a strong dislike
for accountants except when eaten with pickles
— 29–31 — — Your mother keeps a stolen suitcase nuke in the attic
— 32–34 — — Your parents died when you were young, but chatbots trained on their personalities raised you via text message
— 35–37 — — Everyone in your immediate family has their soul imprisoned in a different magical weapon
— 38–40 — — Your parents, aunts, and uncles are from the evil mirror universe and
replaced their good counterparts before you were born
— 41–43 — — Your family is plagued by a body‑hopping demon who chooses one person each
generation as its host; you seem to have evaded this fate for now
— 44–47 — — You have six parents who used genetic engineering to create you from their DNA; they
all love you (certainly more than they do any of your two‑parent siblings)
— 48–50 — — People in your family have to follow a strict vegan diet to prevent “meat
toxins” from triggering their cannibalistic urges
— 51–53 06–09 — Your family has a mutation that allows them to shed their skin every few years;
the textiles your family creates from them are much sought after
— 54–56 10–14 — You are one of thirty‑three clones, partially created from genetic
material recovered from an ancient, long‑gone species
— 57–59 15–18 — Your family are refugees from another world, transformed to look (and pretend to be) normal
— 60–63 19–22 — One of your parents was originally a cartoon, but somehow obtained a
normal flesh‑form; they still have some cartoon resilience
— 64–66 23–26 — Your family is aware of (and perhaps responsible for) a stable time loop spanning ninety‑one
years; you’re not sure if you are a younger version of your parent or of your grandparent
— 67–69 27–31 — Your parents are proud to be second‑generation descendants of the warriors
who grew from dragon’s teeth sowed by a mighty hero
— 70–72 32–35 — Three generations of your family (yours, your parents, and your grandparents) sprung fully formed
(complete with personalities and memories) from the blood of a mortally wounded demigod
— 73–75 36–40 19–24 You’re not sure how, but a dragon was one of your ancestors
— 76–78 41–44 25–30 Your parents were ghosts, but they did pretty well by you
— 79–81 45–49 31–36 Your family is extremely nonhuman (trolls, giants, squid aliens), but you were
born looking like a normal person, and nobody is sure why
— 82–84 50–54 37–42 Your older family members won’t tell you where they came from, but your unusual
anatomy and affinity for night suggests they’re from the moon
— 85–87 — 43–49 Your family farm grows star pumpkins on the moon
— 88–91 — 50–55 Your family is the “pet” of a fae god, who dotes on you and yours in exchange for obedience
— 92–94 — 56–62 Until the age of ten, you were raised by crows
— 95–97 — 63–68 Your family was preserved in stasis for hundreds of years and woken up together when you were a child
— 98–00 — 69–75 A cursed magical pool drowned all of your siblings one by one, but you are Weird Player Characters
immune and can speak to their spirits inhabiting the water
— — 55–59 — Refugees from a war among the gods, your family lives modest lives in
new forms and reduced abilities among regular people
— — 60–63 — When you were young, your family was wiped out in an asteroid impact; they were all
replaced by synthetic duplicates that looked and acted almost the same
— — 64–68 — Your grandfather had elective surgery to transform himself into a human‑sized penguin
— — 69–72 — Your family is gone, but you pretend the pictures you drew of them on the wall are the real thing
— — 73–77 — Your family breeds intelligent naked mole rats that, as a nest, function as an AI
supercomputer; for a fee, selected customers can ask the nest a question
— — 78–81 — Your family fled through time to escape an apocalypse that hasn’t happened yet
— — 82–86 76–81 Your great‑grandfather is the North Wind
— — 87–91 82–87 Abandoned in the forest as an infant, you were saved and nurtured by a throuple
consisting of an intelligent wolf, lynx, and boa constrictor
— — 92–95 88–94 Your father is half‑motorcycle
— — 96–00 95–00 Your mother is a caffeine‑powered robot
251
 WEIRD
PC BACKGROUNDS
Not every PC is an orphan who grew up on the
streets but is actually an heir to the throne.
Let’s see if we can get weirder than that.

I S G W Weirdness
01–02 — — — Grew up high class and wealthy, but have since lost everything
03–04 — — — Parents were undercover agents for the government (you just found out)
05–06 — — — Accidentally caused the death of your town’s mayor and were exiled alone in the wilderness
07–08 — — — Had a successful military career, but now wracked with trauma for things witnessed
09–10 — — — One parent was exposed as a traitor and a criminal, and everyone knows it
11–12 — — — Successful child performer and entertainer with little success as an adult
13–14 — — — Used to have a serious gambling addiction, now deeply in debt
15–16 — — — Only witness to an infamous, terrible crime; the perpetrators are still looking for you
17–18 — — — Recently barely escaped being murdered by a sadistic killer who’s still out there
19–21 — — — A dying woman on the street whispered the combination to a safe to you
before she died, but not where the safe was or what it held
22–24 — — — You tell everyone your parents died when you were young at the hands of an evil sorcerer you’re
hunting for vengeance, but they’re very much alive and overwhelmingly normal
25–26 — — — Remember nothing before the age of twelve
27–28 — — — Invented a new flavor called “umbrage” at age eleven; have been living off the proceeds ever since
29–30 — — — Father was the famous author of Mr. Grumpy children’s books; spent your life so far
attempting to make your own fame, but everyone knows you as “Mr. Grumpy’s Kid”
31–33 — — — Ate bad candy; lapsed into a coma for ten years; only recently awakened in a
convalescent home with no record of your name or family
34–36 — — — Were the spokesperson/mascot for a leading brand of peanut butter
37–38 — — — Member of a popular youth band, but they all died in an accident; you were the only survivor
39–41 — — — Won a pun tournament; blew through all the winnings; have been homeless ever since
42–43 — — — Adopted by monks who taught you to meditate so deeply that you can play dead better than anyone in the outside world
44–46 — — — Freak accident involving an acid vat and a yogurt cart turned you into an
overnight celebrity that some people still talk about
47–48 — — — Got your start taking bets on the roach races that used to be all the rage in the back alleys
49–50 — — — Luxuriously furred pet dog, Lupin, was stolen and his fur used in a coat;
you’ve tracked that furrier ever since, seeking vengeance
51–53 — — — Grandmother was a chef famous for her Turnip Coffee Stew recipe; that
fame eventually turned to a disdain you’re still evading
54–56 — — — Sole living child of the serial killer Cannibal Karl; you find it hard to earn people’s trust
57–58 — — — After an unfortunate incident involving entry in a math contest against your will
as a child, your goal now is to destroy any math text you encounter
59–60 — — — Made a living as a celebrity impersonator until that celebrity started sending secret death threats
61–62 — — — Interned at a foundation that shaped laws, ran influence campaigns, and took legal
action to promote fossil fuels and demote alternative energy policies
63–64 — — — Relied on special medications to survive and thrive since you were young; recently, you
learned those medications were synthesized from harvested spinal fluid
65–66 — — — Raised by caretakers convinced you were their reincarnated spiritual leader;
you fled to a new land to escape those expectations
67–68 — — — You and your twin siblings raised with explicit instructions never to weed the carrots
in the garden; one day your siblings did, and were never seen again
69–71 — — — A popular song from a few years ago was actually about you
72–73 — — — Grew up in a small coastal fishing village featuring a weird sea religion where locals took a dim view of strangers
Weird Player Characters

74–75 — — — Apprenticed as a woodworker, but your mentor passed away and you ended
up on your own, squatting in their now‑closed shop
76–77 — — — Participated heavily in political activism as a youth; spent some time in jail because of it
78–79 — — — Best friend as a teenager was about to commit a hideous murder; you killed them to stop it; lots of guilt and trauma
80–81 — — — Spilled some orange liquid on your arm in your mother’s lab; the stain on your skin never washed away
82–83 — — — Uncle told you he would forever haunt an old ring; he’s dead now and you
have the ring, but have never seen anything odd about it
84–85 01–02 — — Childhood memories of starting fires just by thinking about them, but you don’t seem to have that ability now
86–87 03–04 01–04 — Always wear a mask because of serious facial scars from a horrific accident
88–89 — — 01–05 After a harrowing storm at sea, you’ve sworn to never get on another ship
90–91 — — 06–10 Best friend as a teenager now rules a small kingdom; you didn’t part on good terms
92–93 — — 11–15 At birth, a prophecy told of all the things you would do, except it’s already proven to be inaccurate
94–95 — — 16–20 Parents were professional costumers; your home was filled with all sorts of materials and tools and half‑made costumes
96–97 — — 21–25 Forced to do menial tasks for a terrible overlord, but he was eventually vanquished by heroes and you were freed
98–00 — — 26–30 For most of your teenage years, you didn’t cast a shadow; no idea why
— 05–07 — — Found unscathed as a child in a burned‑down building
— 08–09 — — Trained from birth to defeat a specific foe; you did it, and now you have to figure out what’s next
252 — 10–11 — — Everyone you’ve ever been close to has died in bizarre, seemingly accidental ways
— 12–14 — — Discovered a potent ancient artifact on an adventure, but it no longer works and you don’t know why
— 15–17 — — One parent was a sorcerer who repeatedly and routinely cast unknown spells on you throughout your development
— 18–19 — — From a similar but alternate parallel dimension; some things always seem “off”
— 20–22 — — Spent much of your life as a cursed werebeast, but you’ve been cured of it now
— 23–24 — — From a different world, here to study and catalog what you see
— 25–27 — — When you eat cheese, you speak prophecy
— 28–29 — — Ran afoul of a psychic, and now they control your mind
— 30–32 — — You were very old, but a wish on your birthday restored your youth
— 33–34 — — The reincarnation of a recently deceased ruler whose face is on the local currency
— 35–37 — — Abandoned in the wilderness as an infant and raised by a herd of bison
— 38–40 — — As a child, fell overboard in a boating accident and raised by orcas
— 41–42 — — Birds always liked you, so much so that you used to lure them for hunters; now all birds hate and attack you on sight
— 43–44 — — A magical child tried to kidnap you to another dimension when you were
young; you stabbed one of their eyes out and they fled
— 45–46 — — A hunter‑gatherer born over 5,000 years ago; an accident left you frozen in ice until recently revived
— 47–49 — — Kind‑hearted folks found you in the shell of a crashed metallic vehicle and
raised you, hoping you’d exhibit super abilities; so far, nope
— 50–52 — — Synthesized in a lab and raised by lab‑coated researchers from behind protective glass partitions
— 53–54 — — Military brat who grew up on all sorts of military bases, including a super‑secret one on the moon
— 55–56 — — A few years ago, you stepped out of the house as a child and found yourself in your late teens; you have no explanation
— 57–59 — — You and your younger sibling were playing with an occult book when everything in
your house (except you) was suddenly and permanently made red
— 60–61 05–09 — You died—everyone saw you die—but then you showed up with no memory of the event
— 62–63 10–13 — Always had an affinity for insects, and they seem drawn to you as well
— 64–65 14–17 — Once you were far more powerful, but a terrible encounter with an
undead spirit left you drained of much of your vitality
— 66–68 18–21 — You and your sibling are twins, but only one twin can exist in the universe at a time
— 69–70 22–25 — Fell out of an alternate dimension where everyone died when a megavolcano goes off two years from now
— 71–72 26–30 — Grew up with a twin, except for their colorless, dead eyes and the way they snuck off to suck blood at night
— 73–74 31–35 — Someone in power armor smashed into your childhood home and murdered your
family; you trapped them in the basement where they’ve been ever since
— 75–76 36–40 — Parents were entomologists who thought it was a good idea to let an ant colony raise you for a few years, for science
— 77–79 41–44 31–35 A small creature has bonded to you and never leaves your side, but no one is sure what it actually is
— 80–82 45–48 36–40 A statue come to life
— 83–84 — 41–45 You’ve owned a puzzle box for years, always trying but never succeeding to solve it
— 85–86 — 46–50 Only recently rescued from the island on which you were marooned for years
— 87–89 — 51–55 Haunted by the ghost of your sister
— 90–91 — 56–60 Born and raised in a secret city on the moon
— 92–94 — 61–65 Actually three goblins in a trench coat trying to pass as a human
— 95–96 — 66–70 The ghost of your grandmother’s dead cat constantly bothers you, but it’s looking for the ghost of your grandmother
— 97–98 — 71–75 Grew up with an extra pair of miniature arms you’ve gotten good at hiding beneath your clothing
— 99–00 — 76–80 Parents—and the deposed rulers they advised and counseled—were encased in amber, in remembrance of their service
— — 49–53 — Tattoo on your back is a map of an unexplored region, placed there by your friend who has now disappeared
— — 54–57 — Witnessed an alien creature emerge into this dimension and now can no longer see the color green
— — 58–61 — Built by a mad genius who thought she could create
life in a lab; she was right
— — 62–65 — A mysterious wound on your hand never heals, but
sometimes a creature emerges from it to help you
— — 66–69 — You appear human, but you’re actually a colony

Weird Player Characters

organism consisting of thousands of different minds
— — 70–74 — Possessed by a demon at night, and possessed
by an angel during the day
— — 75–78 — A sickly child, prone to accidents, until your
thirteenth birthday when you made a deal
with the devil at the crossroads
— — 79–82 — Abducted as a child, you have few
memories of the experience; images come
back to you as terrible nightmares of
grey‑skinned humanoids
— — 83–86 81–85 Your imaginary friend was actually an alien
entity that promised to return for you
— — 87–90 86–90 Until recently, you were a lion, but a strange
storm transformed you
— — 91–95 91–95 The world was just the setting in a book you were
reading until you somehow got pulled into it
— — 96–00 96–00 Formerly a reasonably intelligent housecat to a novice
wizard, but a spell went awry and you swapped bodies

253
 INDEX
LISTS BY NAME
Weird Adventure Seeds
fantasy...................................................................................................... 162
horror/modern........................................................................................ 114
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 208
superhero....................................................................................................86
Weird Ailments............................................................................................. 202
Weird Alien Artifacts................................................................................... 122
Weird Alien Creatures................................................................................. 218
Weird Alien Locations................................................................................. 150
Weird Alternative Versions of Spells...........................................................62
Weird Animals.............................................................................................. 138
Weird Apocalypses...................................................................................... 216
Weird Arch Enemies.................................................................................... 100
Weird Art....................................................................................................... 226
Weird Book Titles............................................................................................70
Weird Characters
fantasy...................................................................................................... 172
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 180
Weird Cities................................................................................................... 204
Weird Clothing................................................................................................90
Weird Companions...................................................................................... 148
Weird Computers......................................................................................... 224
Weird Creature Appearances.......................................................................76
Weird Creature Motivations or Needs........................................................22
Weird Crops to Grow................................................................................... 110
Weird Cures for Ailments or Curses.......................................................... 196
Weird Curses................................................................................................. 188
Weird Deliveries..............................................................................................40
Weird Demons.............................................................................................. 200
Weird Dreams & Visions.................................................................................94
Weird Dungeon Corridors.......................................................................... 238
Weird Dungeon Doors................................................................................ 230
Weird Dungeon Floors................................................................................ 236
Weird Dungeon Furniture.......................................................................... 232
Weird Dungeon Treasures.......................................................................... 242
Weird Dungeon Walls................................................................................. 234
Weird Excuses............................................................................................... 102
Weird Folk Magic......................................................................................... 108
Weird Food & Drink..................................................................................... 206
Weird Fumbles............................................................................................. 160
Weird Games................................................................................................ 212
Index
254
Weird Governments.................................................................................... 186
Weird Guilds & Organizations......................................................................98
Weird Hauntings.............................................................................................54
Weird Holidays................................................................................................84
Weird Houses................................................................................................ 118
Weird Legends............................................................................................. 112
Weird Locations
fantasy...................................................................................................... 192
modern..................................................................................................... 136
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 142
Weird Magic Item Drawbacks.......................................................................38
Weird Magic Item Enhancements................................................................42
Weird Magic Item Modifications..................................................................48
Weird Magic Items....................................................................................... 176
Weird Magical Accidents...............................................................................18
Weird Magical Creatures............................................................................ 152
Weird Malfunctions........................................................................................64
Weird Market Stalls........................................................................................36
Weird Materials............................................................................................ 214
Weird Mentors.............................................................................................. 194
Weird Miscellaneous Items........................................................................ 184
Weird Mounts............................................................................................... 144
Weird Music.................................................................................................. 178
Weird Mutations.......................................................................................... 106
Weird PC Backgrounds............................................................................... 252
Weird PC Families........................................................................................ 250
Weird PC Legacies or Prophecies.............................................................. 246
Weird Pets..................................................................................................... 156
Weird Plants.................................................................................................. 134
Weird Player Characters............................................................................. 248
Weird Quirks....................................................................................................82
Weird Radio Transmissions........................................................................ 104
Weird Religions and Gods.......................................................................... 146
Weird Ritual Requirements...........................................................................52
Weird Robotic Modifications........................................................................58
Weird Romances.......................................................................................... 198
Weird Ruins......................................................................................................92
Weird Rulers.................................................................................................. 222
Weird Rumors............................................................................................... 154
Weird Schools............................................................................................... 166
Weird Seas..................................................................................................... 140
Weird Side Effects...........................................................................................26
Weird Sources of Magic or Power............................................................. 190
Weird Space Anomalies.............................................................................. 130
Weird Spell Drawbacks..................................................................................74
Weird Spell Enhancements...........................................................................24
Weird Spell Modifications.............................................................................20
Weird Spells.....................................................................................................96
Weird Superpowers........................................................................................68
Weird Tattoos..................................................................................................32
Weird Tavern Trappings.................................................................................28
Weird Tech Item Drawbacks.........................................................................44
Weird Tech Item Enhancements..................................................................72
Weird Tech Item Modifications....................................................................16
Weird Themes, Shticks, or Gimmicks..........................................................30
Weird Treasures............................................................................................ 128
Weird Typical Item Drawbacks.....................................................................66
Weird Typical Item Enhancements..............................................................34
Weird Typical Item Modifications................................................................60
Weird Undead & Spirits.............................................................................. 126
Weird Underwater Locations.................................................................... 182
Weird Unexpected Objects...........................................................................50
Weird Vehicles
modern..................................................................................................... 158
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 170
Weird Villainous Plots....................................................................................78
Weird Ways to Communicate.......................................................................56
Weird Ways to Succeed............................................................................... 124
Weird Weaknesses..........................................................................................46
Weird Weather.............................................................................................. 132
Weird Wilderness Anomalies..................................................................... 168
Weird Wilderness Locations...................................................................... 120
Weird Worlds, Lands, and Dimensions.................................................... 174
 When using lists for a specific genre, don’t forget to check the Lists for Any Genre category as well!
FANTASY LISTS
Weird Adventure Seeds.............................................................................. 162
Weird Alternative Versions of Spells...........................................................62
Weird Characters......................................................................................... 172
Weird Curses................................................................................................. 188
Weird Demons.............................................................................................. 200
Weird Dungeon Corridors.......................................................................... 238
Weird Dungeon Doors................................................................................ 230
Weird Dungeon Floors................................................................................ 236
Weird Dungeon Furniture.......................................................................... 232
Weird Dungeon Treasures.......................................................................... 242
Weird Dungeon Walls................................................................................. 234
Weird Folk Magic......................................................................................... 108
Weird Locations........................................................................................... 192
Weird Magic Item Drawbacks.......................................................................38
Weird Magic Item Enhancements................................................................42
Weird Magic Item Modifications..................................................................48
Weird Magic Items....................................................................................... 176
Weird Magical Accidents...............................................................................18
Weird Magical Creatures............................................................................ 152
Weird Spell Drawbacks..................................................................................74
Weird Spell Enhancements...........................................................................24
Weird Spell Modifications.............................................................................20
Weird Spells.....................................................................................................96
Weird Tavern Trappings.................................................................................28
SCI-FI LISTS
Weird Adventure Seeds.............................................................................. 208
Weird Alien Artifacts................................................................................... 122
Weird Alien Creatures................................................................................. 218
Weird Alien Locations................................................................................. 150
Weird Characters......................................................................................... 180
Weird Computers......................................................................................... 224
Weird Locations........................................................................................... 142
Weird Malfunctions........................................................................................64
Weird Radio Transmissions........................................................................ 104
Weird Robotic Modifications........................................................................58
Weird Space Anomalies.............................................................................. 130
Weird Tech Item Drawbacks.........................................................................44
Weird Tech Item Enhancements..................................................................72
Weird Tech Item Modifications....................................................................16
Weird Vehicles.............................................................................................. 170
MODERN AND/OR HORROR LISTS
Weird Adventure Seeds.............................................................................. 114
Weird Hauntings.............................................................................................54
Weird Locations........................................................................................... 136
Weird Malfunctions........................................................................................64
Weird Radio Transmissions........................................................................ 104
Weird Vehicles.............................................................................................. 158
SUPERHERO LISTS
Weird Adventure Seeds.................................................................................86
Weird Superpowers........................................................................................68
Weird Themes, Shticks, or Gimmicks..........................................................30
Weird Weaknesses..........................................................................................46
LISTS FOR ANY GENRE
Weird Ailments............................................................................................. 202
Weird Animals.............................................................................................. 138
Weird Apocalypses...................................................................................... 216
Weird Arch Enemies.................................................................................... 100
Weird Art....................................................................................................... 226
Weird Book Titles............................................................................................70
Weird Cities................................................................................................... 204
Weird Clothing................................................................................................90
Weird Companions...................................................................................... 148
Weird Creature Appearances.......................................................................76
Weird Creature Motivations or Needs........................................................22
Weird Crops to Grow................................................................................... 110
Weird Cures for Ailments or Curses.......................................................... 196
Weird Deliveries..............................................................................................40
Weird Dreams & Visions.................................................................................94
Weird Excuses............................................................................................... 102
Weird Food & Drink..................................................................................... 206
Weird Fumbles............................................................................................. 160
Weird Games................................................................................................ 212
Weird Governments.................................................................................... 186
Weird Guilds & Organizations......................................................................98
Weird Holidays................................................................................................84
Weird Houses................................................................................................ 118
Weird Legends............................................................................................. 112
Weird Market Stalls........................................................................................36
Weird Materials............................................................................................ 214
Weird Mentors.............................................................................................. 194
Weird Miscellaneous Items........................................................................ 184
Weird Mounts............................................................................................... 144
Weird Music.................................................................................................. 178
Weird Mutations.......................................................................................... 106
Weird PC Backgrounds............................................................................... 252
Weird PC Families........................................................................................ 250
Weird PC Legacies or Prophecies.............................................................. 246
Weird Pets..................................................................................................... 156
Weird Plants.................................................................................................. 134
Weird Player Characters............................................................................. 248
Weird Quirks....................................................................................................82
Weird Religions and Gods.......................................................................... 146
Weird Ritual Requirements...........................................................................52
Weird Romances.......................................................................................... 198
Weird Ruins......................................................................................................92
Weird Rulers.................................................................................................. 222
Weird Rumors............................................................................................... 154
Weird Schools............................................................................................... 166
Weird Seas..................................................................................................... 140
Weird Side Effects...........................................................................................26
Weird Sources of Magic or Power............................................................. 190
Weird Tattoos..................................................................................................32
Weird Treasures............................................................................................ 128
Weird Typical Item Drawbacks.....................................................................66
Weird Typical Item Enhancements..............................................................34
Weird Typical Item Modifications................................................................60
Weird Undead & Spirits.............................................................................. 126
Weird Underwater Locations.................................................................... 182
Weird Unexpected Objects...........................................................................50
Weird Villainous Plots....................................................................................78
Weird Ways to Communicate.......................................................................56
Weird Ways to Succeed............................................................................... 124
Weird Weather.............................................................................................. 132
Weird Wilderness Anomalies..................................................................... 168
Weird Wilderness Locations...................................................................... 120
Weird Worlds, Lands, and Dimensions.................................................... 174
LISTS ABOUT LOCATIONS
Weird Alien Locations................................................................................. 150
Weird Cities................................................................................................... 204
Weird Crops to Grow................................................................................... 110
Weird Dungeon Corridors.......................................................................... 238
Weird Dungeon Doors................................................................................ 230
Weird Dungeon Floors................................................................................ 236
Weird Dungeon Walls................................................................................. 234
Weird Hauntings.............................................................................................54
Weird Houses................................................................................................ 118
Weird Locations
fantasy...................................................................................................... 192
modern..................................................................................................... 136
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 142
Weird Market Stalls........................................................................................36
Weird Ruins......................................................................................................92
Weird Schools............................................................................................... 166
Weird Seas..................................................................................................... 140
Weird Space Anomalies.............................................................................. 130
Index
Weird Tavern Trappings.................................................................................28
Weird Underwater Locations.................................................................... 182
Weird Weather.............................................................................................. 132
Weird Wilderness Anomalies..................................................................... 168
Weird Wilderness Locations...................................................................... 120
Weird Worlds, Lands, and Dimensions.................................................... 174
255
 LISTS ABOUT PEOPLE OR CREATURES
Weird Alien Creatures................................................................................. 218
Weird Animals.............................................................................................. 138
Weird Arch Enemies.................................................................................... 100
Weird Characters
fantasy...................................................................................................... 172
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 180
Weird Clothing................................................................................................90
Weird Companions...................................................................................... 148
Weird Creature Appearances.......................................................................76
Weird Creature Motivations or Needs........................................................22
Weird Demons.............................................................................................. 200
Weird Excuses............................................................................................... 102
Weird Governments.................................................................................... 186
Weird Guilds & Organizations......................................................................98
Weird Hauntings.............................................................................................54
Weird Magical Creatures............................................................................ 152
Weird Mentors.............................................................................................. 194
Weird Mounts............................................................................................... 144
Weird Mutations.......................................................................................... 106
Weird PC Backgrounds............................................................................... 252
Weird PC Families........................................................................................ 250
Weird Pets..................................................................................................... 156
Weird Plants.................................................................................................. 134
Weird Player Characters............................................................................. 248
Weird Quirks....................................................................................................82
Weird Religions and Gods.......................................................................... 146
Weird Robotic Modifications........................................................................58
Weird Romances.......................................................................................... 198
Weird Rulers.................................................................................................. 222
Weird Superpowers........................................................................................68
Weird Tattoos..................................................................................................32
Weird Themes, Shticks, or Gimmicks..........................................................30
Weird Undead & Spirits.............................................................................. 126
Weird Ways to Communicate.......................................................................56
Weird Ways to Succeed............................................................................... 124
Weird Weaknesses..........................................................................................46
LISTS ABOUT MAGIC
Weird Adventure Seeds.............................................................................. 162
Weird Ailments............................................................................................. 202
Weird Alternative Versions of Spells...........................................................62
Weird Cures for Ailments or Curses.......................................................... 196
Weird Curses................................................................................................. 188
Weird Deliveries..............................................................................................40
Weird Dungeon Treasures.......................................................................... 242
Weird Folk Magic......................................................................................... 108
Weird Magic Item Drawbacks.......................................................................38
Weird Magic Item Enhancements................................................................42
Weird Magic Item Modifications..................................................................48
Weird Magic Items....................................................................................... 176
Weird Magical Accidents...............................................................................18
Weird Magical Creatures............................................................................ 152
Weird Ritual Requirements...........................................................................52
Weird Side Effects...........................................................................................26
Weird Sources of Magic or Power............................................................. 190
Weird Spell Drawbacks..................................................................................74
Weird Spell Enhancements...........................................................................24
Weird Spell Modifications.............................................................................20
Weird Spells.....................................................................................................96
Weird Treasures............................................................................................ 128
LISTS ABOUT OBJECTS, THINGS, AND CONCEPTS
Weird Ailments............................................................................................. 202
Weird Alien Artifacts................................................................................... 122
Weird Art....................................................................................................... 226
Weird Book Titles............................................................................................70
Weird Clothing................................................................................................90
Index
Weird Computers......................................................................................... 224
Weird Crops to Grow................................................................................... 110
Weird Dreams & Visions.................................................................................94
Weird Dungeon Corridors.......................................................................... 238
Weird Dungeon Doors................................................................................ 230
Weird Dungeon Floors................................................................................ 236
Weird Dungeon Furniture.......................................................................... 232
Weird Dungeon Treasures.......................................................................... 242
Weird Dungeon Walls................................................................................. 234
Weird Excuses............................................................................................... 102
Weird Food & Drink..................................................................................... 206
256
Weird Games................................................................................................ 212
Weird Governments.................................................................................... 186
Weird Holidays................................................................................................84
Weird Legends............................................................................................. 112
Weird Malfunctions........................................................................................64
Weird Materials............................................................................................ 214
Weird Miscellaneous Items........................................................................ 184
Weird Music.................................................................................................. 178
Weird PC Legacies or Prophecies.............................................................. 246
Weird Plants.................................................................................................. 134
Weird Radio Transmissions........................................................................ 104
Weird Religions and Gods.......................................................................... 146
Weird Robotic Modifications........................................................................58
Weird Rumors............................................................................................... 154
Weird Side Effects...........................................................................................26
Weird Sources of Magic or Power............................................................. 190
Weird Tech Item Drawbacks.........................................................................44
Weird Tech Item Enhancements..................................................................72
Weird Tech Item Modifications....................................................................16
Weird Treasures............................................................................................ 128
Weird Typical Item Drawbacks.....................................................................66
Weird Typical Item Enhancements..............................................................34
Weird Typical Item Modifications................................................................60
Weird Unexpected Objects...........................................................................50
Weird Vehicles
modern..................................................................................................... 158
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 170
Weird Ways to Communicate.......................................................................56
Weird Ways to Succeed............................................................................... 124
LISTS ABOUT ADVENTURES, ENCOUNTERS, AND EVENTS
Weird Adventure Seeds
horror/modern........................................................................................ 114
fantasy...................................................................................................... 162
sci-fi........................................................................................................... 208
superhero....................................................................................................86
Weird Apocalypses...................................................................................... 216
Weird Dreams & Visions.................................................................................94
Weird Excuses............................................................................................... 102
Weird Fumbles............................................................................................. 160
Weird Games................................................................................................ 212
Weird Hauntings.............................................................................................54
Weird Holidays................................................................................................84
Weird Legends............................................................................................. 112
Weird Magical Accidents...............................................................................18
Weird PC Legacies or Prophecies.............................................................. 246
Weird Radio Transmissions........................................................................ 104
Weird Rumors............................................................................................... 154
Weird Space Anomalies.............................................................................. 130
Weird Villainous Plots....................................................................................78
Weird Ways to Succeed............................................................................... 124
Weird Weather.............................................................................................. 132
Weird Wilderness Anomalies..................................................................... 168