Getting a drink in a tavern usually means running into an old-timer who has seen too much and survived with just enough coin to keep their mug full.
Character Name
| d20 | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bramwell “The Brick” |
| 2 | Kestrel of the High Moors |
| 3 | Silas One-Eye |
| 4 | Mother Marrow |
| 5 | Gallowglass |
| 6 | Orla the Tall |
| 7 | Hobb the Stout |
| 8 | Vane the Veiled |
| 9 | Corvus Thorne |
| 10 | Pippin “Rat-Catcher” |
| 11 | Elara of the Sunken Isles |
| 12 | Mordecai Grave-Tender |
| 13 | Seraphina the Pale |
| 14 | Thistle the Nimble |
| 15 | Barnaby “Big-Iron” |
| 16 | Lysandra the Loud |
| 17 | Grimnir of the Iron Crags |
| 18 | Rowan the Red |
| 19 | Zadok the Silent |
| 20 | Blythe the Bold |
Last Big Score
They may tell you all about this…maybe for a coin, maybe for a few mugs of beer, or they might not and this is really just rumoured.
| d20 | The Payout |
|---|---|
| 1 | A chest of minted platinum from the Sunken Galley. |
| 2 | A single, fist-sized emerald stolen from a sleeping dragon. |
| 3 | Extorted a kingdom for the safe return of a kidnapped heir. |
| 4 | Sold the location of a Mithril vein to a dwarven mining guild. |
| 5 | Looted the silver-plated plumbing from a wizard’s tower. |
| 6 | Found a legendary sword and sold it to a local lord for a lordship. |
| 7 | Embezzled the gold reserves of a defunct Mercenary Company. |
| 8 | A heavy bag of “Astral Dust” from a crashed planar vessel. |
| 9 | Won a deed to the tavern itself in a high-stakes card game. |
| 10 | Recovered a collection of ancient tapestries. |
| 11 | Pillaged the reliquary of a forgotten, heretical god. |
| 12 | Traded a captured Manticore to a travelling circus. |
| 13 | Found a “Box of Infinite Spices” and retired on the trade profits. |
| 14 | Looted a lich’s wardrobe; turns out silk from the afterlife is priceless. |
| 15 | Reward for slaying a beast that had been eating the local cattle for a decade. |
| 16 | Discovery of a hidden cellar of vintage Elven wine. |
| 17 | Bribed by a villain to “lose” the final battle and go away forever. |
| 18 | Stole the jewelled crown of a goblin king. |
| 19 | A pouch of diamonds that they decided not to use. |
| 20 | Collected a massive bounty on a former adventuring companion. |
Why Did They Retire?
| d20 | The Reason |
|---|---|
| 1 | Injury: Lost their “sword hand” to a Mimic. |
| 2 | Trauma: Saw their entire party melted by a Black Dragon. |
| 3 | Cursed: If they ever step into a dungeon again, they’ll turn to stone. |
| 4 | Wealth: They actually reached their gold goal and stopped. (Rare!) |
| 5 | Family: Found out they had a child and didn’t want them to be an orphan. |
| 6 | Guilt: Realized the “monsters” they were killing were just local villagers. |
| 7 | Fear: Got hit by a “Finger of Death” spell and survived; won’t risk it again. |
| 8 | Boredom: Tired of sleeping on wet stone and eating iron rations. |
| 9 | Legal: Wanted by every major city for “archaeological malpractice.” |
| 10 | Health: Developing a nasty cough from too much dungeon mould. |
| 11 | Religious: Had a vision from a god of Peace. |
| 12 | Spite: Retired just to watch their rival fail without their help. |
| 13 | Ennui: Realized the gold doesn’t actually fill the void. |
| 14 | Marriage: Fell in love with a local innkeeper. |
| 15 | Magic: A botched teleportation left them permanently dizzy. |
| 16 | Theology: Convinced that every dungeon is actually a living, hungry god. |
| 17 | Exhaustion: Simply can’t carry a heavy pack any more without their back seizing. |
| 18 | Prophecy: Told they would die on their next adventure. |
| 19 | Bureaucracy: Tired of the paperwork required by the Adventurer’s Guild. |
| 20 | Memory: A ghost stole their memories of how to fight. |
The “One That Got Away”
| d20 | The Legend |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Amber Library: A library where books are read by touch, containing all spells. |
| 2 | The Iron Titan: A mountain-sized automaton buried in the desert. |
| 3 | The Fountain of Youth: But it only works if you drink it from a skull. |
| 4 | The Vault of Time: A room where one hour inside is a year outside. |
| 5 | The God-Seed: A golden acorn that grows a palace overnight. |
| 6 | The Silent Bell: A bell that, when rung, deletes a specific memory from everyone in the world. |
| 7 | The Infinite Orchard: A grove where every fruit gives a different permanent buff. |
| 8 | The Ghost Ship of the Sands: A ship that sails on dunes and holds a pirate king’s soul. |
| 9 | The Mirror of Elsewhere: A portal to a world where everything is “right.” |
| 10 | The Sword of Seven Sins: A blade that grows stronger with every crime committed. |
| 11 | The Throne of the Stars: A seat that allows you to talk to the constellations. |
| 12 | The Under-Sea Cathedral: A temple to a fish-god filled with gold pearls. |
| 13 | The Bridge of Birds: A bridge made of solid light that appears once every 100 years. |
| 14 | The Map of Tomorrow: A map that shows where gold will be tomorrow. |
| 15 | The King in the Mountain: A sleeping hero waiting for a specific horn to wake him. |
| 16 | The Well of Whispers: A hole in the ground that tells you how you will die. |
| 17 | The Clockwork Heart: A relic that can bring life to any machine. |
| 18 | The Dragon’s Graveyard: A hidden valley where ancient dragons go to die. |
| 19 | The Sky-City of Ool: A floating metropolis that hides behind clouds. |
| 20 | The Final Page: The last page of the Book of Fate, which is currently blank. |
Rumours
Here is a d20 table of rumours the local patrons might whisper about the retired adventurer at the bar.
Local Rumours & Gossip
| d20 | The Rumour | Truth Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | They didn’t retire; they were exiled from the capital for “unnatural” acts. | L |
| 2 | That “last big score”? It was actually stolen from the local Baron’s vault. | P |
| 3 | They still keep a Bag of Holding under their floorboards, stuffed with gold. | T |
| 4 | Their missing limb wasn’t lost to a monster-it was the price of a dark pact. | P |
| 5 | They have a map to the “One That Got Away” tattooed on their back. | T |
| 6 | They’re not actually human, but a Doppleganger who killed the original hero. | L |
| 7 | If you buy them three rounds of the most expensive ale, they’ll give you a key. | T |
| 8 | Every full moon, they go back to the old dungeon to leave “offerings.” | P |
| 9 | They are only “retired” because they are secretly working for the Thieves’ Guild. | L |
| 10 | The sword they sold wasn’t legendary; it was a clever illusion that’s now fading. | T |
| 11 | They are the only person alive who knows the true name of the local lich. | T |
| 12 | Their “scars” are actually a form of magical writing that changes over time. | P |
| 13 | They didn’t find the King’s Emerald; they are the King, hiding in plain sight. | L |
| 14 | They wake up screaming every night because a ghost followed them home. | T |
| 15 | They have a hidden stash of “Healing Potions” that are actually just coloured water. | P |
| 16 | The “Myth” they talk about is a lie to get young fools to do their dirty work. | L |
| 17 | They still have the “God-Seed,” but they’re too afraid to plant it. | T |
| 18 | They are deathly afraid of the sound of bells because of a past trauma. | P |
| 19 | They are actually much younger than they look; the dungeon aged them magically. | T |
| 20 | They are waiting for a specific party of adventurers to arrive and “finish the job.” |
How to Use This Table
- The Check: If players spend a night drinking and chatting, have them roll a Charisma check (or your system’s equivalent).
- The Result: On a success, they get a True (T) or Partial (P) rumour. On a failure, they get a Lie (L) or a Partial (P) truth.
- The Hook: Use the rumours to lead players toward one of the adventure modules or dungeons you’ve already prepared.
Reaction Table
When an adventurer gets cornered by “new blood” asking about their past, their reaction usually depends on how much they’ve had to drink and how much they trust the person asking.
Roll 2d6 and add the party’s Charisma modifier (or subtract if they’ve been rude).
NPC Reaction Table
| 2d6 | The NPC’s Response | Mechanical Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | Hostile Dismissal: They slam their mug down and tell the party to “get lost before things get ugly.” | The NPC refuses to talk to the party for the rest of the week. |
| 3–5 | The Cold Shoulder: They ignore the question entirely, staring into their drink with a haunted look. | They require a bribe (at least 5gp) or a very high Charisma check to continue. |
| 6–8 | Cynical Deflection: They laugh it off as “drunk talk” and try to change the subject to local weather or sports. | The party gets a Lie from the Rumour Table instead of the truth. |
| 9–10 | Weary Nostalgia: They sigh, lean in, and confirm part of the story, but warn the players to stay away from it. | The party receives a Partial Truth and a piece of useful advice (+1 to next related check). |
| 11–12 | Passing the Torch: They see something in the players. They tell the full story and offer a physical lead. | The party gets a True rumour and a map, key, or minor item related to the “Myth.” |
| 13+ | The Drunken Mentor: They become an ally. They might even offer to pay for the party’s first round of supplies. | The NPC becomes a “Patron” who provides a safe house or lore whenever the party returns. |
Flavour Tweaks (The “Old-Timer” Vibe)
- The “Thousand-Yard Stare”: If the roll is low, describe their eyes glazing over as they remember a dead friend.
- The Scars: If the roll is high, have them show a specific scar that proves the rumour (e.g., “See this? That wasn’t a sword. That was a Rust Monster bite.”).
- The Warning: Regardless of the roll, an OSR NPC should always end the conversation with a warning about how “the dungeon always wins in the end.”