Liven up your castle, college, wizard’s tower, monastery, or dungeon with some fantastical set dressing.

Categories

Roll 1d6.

1. Mundane Curiosities
2. Animate Objects
3. Magical Oddities
4. Plants & Animals
5. Odd Architecture
6. Unlikely Finds

1. Mundane Curiosities

Roll 1d20.

1. A (1d6: 1=vase; 2=pot; 3=statuette; 4=drum; 5=weapon; 6=hat) from a foreign land.
2. A (1d6: 1=horn; 2=cup; 3=club; 4=carved box; 5=idol; 6=oil lamp) from a foreign land.
3. A finely crafted chair that clearly dates to… (1d6: 1=the ancient realm; 2=the old empire; 3=the reign of the barbarians; 4=the first kingdom; 5=the reign of the evil overlord; 6=the days before the plague).
4. A chair on wheels, for an infirm person.
5. Some frilly underthings.
6. An executioner’s hood and great ax.
7. A box of puppets.
8. A large wicker basket full of smaller wicker baskets.
9. An artist’s wooden model of a person with articulated limbs, so it can be posed.
10. A fine slate chalkboard on a stand, which can be flipped around to use either side.
11. A songbird’s nest with three hollowed-out eggs.
12. Two very fancy ceremonial glaives mounted on the wall.
13. A collection of glass and ceramic bottles containing samples of various plants (originally for cooking, study, or potion-brewing).
14. A hat that marked the wearer as a member of a venerable institution.
15. A book about catching rats with dogs, with a chapter on breeding rats to make catching more lucrative.
16. A collection of wood, bone, and ivory scroll cases, neatly displayed in a custom rack.
17. A set of fist-sized balls carved from (1d4: 1=wood; 2=bone; 3=ivory; 4=stone).
18. A finely wrought… (1d6: 1=birdcage; 2=oil lamp; 3=framed mirror; 4=hand mirror; 5=mechanical clock; 6=walking stick).
19. An accurate 18-inch figure of a (1d6: 1=goblin; 2=orc; 3=hobgoblin; 4=gnoll; 5=troglodyte; 6=kobold).
20. Roll for an Unlikely Find.

2. Animate Objects

Roll 1d20.

1. Two empty suits of armor that patrol a corridor but are only for display. They ignore intruders and have no ability to fight.
2. An animate object that periodically does some minor bit of maintenance work, like watering plants or cleaning, long after its master is gone.
3. A child’s toy… (1d4: 1=knight; 2=knight on a horse; 3=horse and carriage; 4=dragon) that falls apart and puts itself back together again.
4. A statue of a minstrel that plays its lute and produces actual music. It plays a dozen songs, mainly when someone stands in front of it. If you turn your back on it, it stops.
5. A statue of a… (1d6: 1=horse; 2=wolf; 3=stag; 4=moose; 5=lion; 6=tiger) with wear marks indicating it was once frequently sat upon. Sitting on it causes it to walk in place.
6. An enchanted bird toy that flies around endlessly.
7. A harpsichord that occasionally plays itself.
8. A pen that, when dipped in ink, writes down whatever is spoken at or (spy version) near it.
9. An 18-inch tall “footman” construct that will follow its master everywhere, carrying his or her shoes, etc. (not a heavy adventuring pack). Human walking speed. Easily destroyed.
10. An 18-inch tall “linkboy” construct that will follow its master everywhere, carrying a lit lantern or torch (which it can’t light). Human walking speed. Easily destroyed.
11. An automaton that can move around but not fight. It’s a… (1d6: 1=bear; 2=wolf; 3=stag; 4=reindeer; 5=lion; 6=tiger).
12. A box that, when opened, folds down to create a little stage, with constructs that dance.
13. A fancy lady’s hat with a bird on top that moves realistically when the hat is worn.
14. A chessboard with pieces that will walk to the square indicated.
15. A glass ball filled with liquid in which floats an eyeball that is clearly alive.
16. The foot-tall figure of a man that, under the light of the full moon, transforms into a… (1d6: 1=wererat; 2=werebear; 3=werewolf; 4=weretiger; 5=werebat; 6=wereleopard).
17. A child’s carved wooden dragon with articulated body that, when pushed along on its wheels, undulates and moves its head from side to side, puffs smoke, and flexes its wings.
18. A permanent invisible servant that endlessly tidies up any objects that get moved for a master long dead.
19. A bucket that, when anything is put in it and a door is open, hops thru the open door and empties itself.
20. Roll for an Unlikely Find.

3. Magical Oddities

Roll 1d20.

1. A tapestry that depicts a pastoral scene of peasants at work on a manor changes with the seasons.
2. A crystal ball with a small defect that displays a different random far away scene each time someone looks into it.
3. Sculpted torches that ignite when touched.
4. Torches in magical sconces that ignite when visible movement passes nearby.
5. A small box that, when opened, produces a swirling light show in the air.
6. Two urns decorated in shifting patterns.
7. A close stool that makes anything set in it vanish when the lid is closed. (The contents end up in an outdoor refuse pile not far away.)
8. A ruined bridge, catwalk, or passage is actually intact but covered in an illusion.
9. A painting in a ruined mansion that always displays the current owners currently displays a regal pair of mice. If the heroes clear it, their likenesses replace the mice.
10. A wooden stirring spoon that, when placed in a hot pot, slowly stirs it until removed.
11. A musical instrument that, when played–however poorly–plays the tune you’re thinking of. If played by an expert, it adds flourishes the player can only imagine.
12. A rolled-up miniature rug that, when unrolled and laid on the floor, expands to 10-feet.
13. A fist-sized miniature trunk locked with a fancy lock larger than it is. If unlocked, the trunk expands to 3 feet long and shrinks again–along with any contents–when locked.
14. A painting that, when a command word is spoken, captures the scene in front of it, replacing the previous scene.
15. A painting of a book that one can reach into and open and read the pages.
16. A bell cast with the face of a woman that sings when the bell is struck.
17. A shirt that changes color to match something deliberately touched to it.
18. An item labeled “Perilous Wish”, which offers a magic wish but results in something equally bad happening to the wisher.
19. A small bird figurine that whispers the name of the last person you spoke to.
20. Roll for an Unlikely Find.

4. Plants & Animals

Roll 1d20.

1. Weak, grasping tendrils of animate plants that normally prey on rodents. They’re harmless to creatures as large as the heroes and retreat quickly.
2. A giant dog that’s very friendly but can’t be coaxed into leaving its territory.
3. A squirrel that has gotten in to search for food is trapped in a cage-like piece of decor.
4. A collection of… (1d6: 1=butterflies; 2=flies; 3=beetles; 4=moths; 5=spiders; 6=bees) pinned to a velvet cushion in a frame.
5. Towering mushrooms that are edible but not tasty.
6. Sundrinker flowers that gently turn to face light sources.
7. Mouser plants, which lure mice with false smells and catch and digest them.
8. Alarm vines, which hang from cracks and corners of the ceiling and recoil when touched, making a high-pitch keening noise, sure to get attention.
9. Squirrels that charge the heroes and chitter angrily, then retreat.
10. Lantern plants, which have tendrils that, when movement is near, raise bell-like blossoms aloft that light a small area (5-ft radius), found in groups in dark places.
11. A chameleon bird, whose feathers change color to make it blend in with its surroundings.
12. A couple of barter fish in a pool, which offer shiny stones and coins brought up from the bottom in an attempt to get food.
13. Heart flowers, which sprout gorgeous red blooms out of the chest cavity of large animal carcasses.
14. Harlequin weasels, which feature diamond patterns on their fur and which love to steal small items.
15. A giant… (1d6: 1-2=curious duck; 3-4=aggressive swan; 5-6=territorial goose), which will flee if credibly threatened.
16. A stuffed (taxidermied)… (1d6: 1=fluffy house cat; 2=dodo bird; 3=snake; 4=small crocodile; 5=monkey; 6=vampire bat), which, nevertheless, follows you with its eyes.
17. A stuffed (taxidermied)… (1d6: 1=fluffy house cat; 2=weasel; 3=pine marten; 4=polecat; 5=monkey; 6=fox), that assumes a different pose each time it’s newly observed.
18. Stickyburr plants, which leave gooey, sticky burrs on your clothes and, if you touch them, hands, and which are quite hard to get rid of.
19. A bogfellow, a living puddle of water that crawls from place to place, looking for just the right depression but which flees if something tries to drink it.
20. Roll for an Unlikely Find.

5. Odd Architecture

Roll 1d6.

1. A trapdoor in the floor that leads to a mysterious hole hiding… (1d6: 1=the bones of a child in a small chest; 2=a once beautiful dress, now ruined; 3=secret documents; 4=pewter flagons wrapped in muslin; 5=two ruined tomes; 6=the skull of a ram).
2. A water wheel in an underground river, still pumping water up to a fountain in a ruins.
3. An elaborate little house built inside a large chamber by a semi-intelligent creature.
4. A well with iron ladder runs set into the side, going down to a secret room next to the well’s pool of water.
5. A magical painting of a scene you can crawl into, but the furniture and people are static and the space is small. A key (useful elsewhere) is hidden behind a piece of furniture.
6. Shelving very high up on the wall of a high-ceilinged room, built for someone who wore boots of levitation daily.

6. Unlikely Finds

Roll 1d20.

1. Hidden away, a stuffed (taxidermied)… (1d6: 1=centaur; 2=couatl; 3=tortle; 4=ki-rin; 5=hybsil; 6=unicorn). It’s clearly old and so probably not killed by the current owner.
2. A crudely mummified (dead) human, wrapped in brown linen tied with twine.
3. A rug made of… (1d6: 1-3=bear skin; 4-5=owlbear skin; 6=human skin).
4. An iron maiden torture/execution device.
5. The neatly labeled skull of a… (1d6: 1=well-known outlaw; 2=notorious tyrant; 3=revered sage; 4=beloved jester/troubadour; 5=folk hero; 6=defeated enemy).
6. A stuffed (taxidermied) fish that sings a little song when touched.
7. A decorative glass ball 8 inches across, encasing a small (preserved) lizard.
8. The feather of a (1d6: 1=giant chicken; 2=pegasus; 3=griffon; 4=giant eagle; 5=couatl; 6=phoenix) on display.
9. A horned skull with the horns cut short and drilled out for use as candle holders.
10. The skull of a (1d6: 1=wolf; 2=bear; 3=eagle; 4=deer; 5=boar; 6=badger).
11. Two “statues” of people in terrified poses, turned to stone by some enchantment, now long past the time they could have been un-petrified.
12. A model of the sun, moon(s), and planet(s) that can be rotated to show various dates and can predict the phases of the moon and even, if you’re patient, eclipses.
13. Pieces of marble chipped out of a block to sculpt a statue, magically (but roughly) reassembled in two halves, showing the inverse figure of the statue.
14. The articulated and poseable skeleton of a (1d6: 1=monkey; 2=giant tortoise; 3=dodo; 4=mermaid; 5=falcon; 6=raven).
15. A set of disused halfling-sized furniture.
16. A suit of armor made for a giant.
17. An oversized scroll of precise drawings of… (1d6: 1=bats; 2=lions; 3=leopards; 4=winged horses; 5=unicorns; 6=dragons).
18. A silver… (1d6: 1=chalice; 2=loving cup; 3=salver; 4=horse; 5=knight; 6=eagle) made as a trophy for the winner of a tournament.
19. A display case with a… (1d6: 1=collection of shark teeth; 2=pair of elephant tusks; 3=rhino horn; 4=twig from the elven ur-tree; 5=piece of mythril ore; 6=piece of adamantite ore).
20. A scale model of the current location in its heyday.