Random Dungeon Graffiti Table

People scribble graffiti everywhere else, so why not dungeons? Lamentations, boasts, memorials, waymarks, gossip, threats, warnings, cryptic oddities -- they're all in there.

And for more variety, I have included two bonus tables, one for the graffiti's medium, and one for the language. You might want to roll the message first, because not all languages and media will be appropriate to every message. Or, skip rolling and just pick what you like. Enjoy!

Random Graffiti Medium Table - Roll 3d6

3	Raised letters in stone formed by Shape Stone spell
4	Chiseled into stone
5	Etched into stone
6	Scratched into stone
7	Scratched in dirt or dust
8	Blood
9	Mud
10	Paint
11	Chalk
12	Charcoal
13	Whitewash
14	Ochre
15	Ashes
16	Fresh blood
17	Carefully painted calligraphy
18	Carefully painted calligraphy that glows magically

Random Graffiti Language Table - Roll 3d6

3	Old High Draconic
4	A sacred church language
5	Goblin
6	Elvish
7	Common, but in an ususual regional dialect
8 - 13	Common
14	Common, but in an archaic dialect
15	Dwarvish
16	Orcish
17	An ancient script -- roll vs. Hidden Lore (Ancient Languages) to decipher, or use magic
18	Demontongue

Random Dungeon Graffiti Table - Roll 1d6, 1d6, 1d6

1, 1, 1  "Dorran, look for us in the white ch"

1, 1, 2  An arrow on the floor pointing 3 degrees east of north

1, 1, 3  16 tally marks

1, 1, 4  "Safer in the dark"

1, 1, 5  "Second sortie"

1, 1, 6  "Clear"

1, 2, 1  "Stranger, know that Hemmond the Brave died here"

1, 2, 2  "Bad water past here"

1, 2, 3  "Silence"

1, 2, 4  "Stairs" with an arrow

1, 2, 5  12 times 65 worked out in arithmetic

1, 2, 6  "Terror"

1, 3, 1  "Watch for spiders"

1, 3, 2  "Gods preserve us"

1, 3, 3  A map of the immediate area

1, 3, 4  "Ghost"

1, 3, 5  "Fought raiders here"

1, 3, 6  "Sen is a thief"

1, 4, 1  "The curse of the Empty Mind on those who stray from the path"

1, 4, 2  "Morra was right"

1, 4, 3  "Never trust a goblin"

1, 4, 4  "Revenge"

1, 4, 5  "5th camp"

1, 4, 6  "Angels watch"

1, 5, 1  "The demon is with me still"

1, 5, 2  "Can't kill"

1, 5, 3  "Treasure gone"

1, 5, 4  "Alone"

1, 5, 5  "Never never never never never never"

1, 5, 6  "Outlet must be near"

1, 6, 1  "Not worth it"

1, 6, 2  "Take my body to Oried"

1, 6, 3  "We will return"

1, 6, 4  "Ten when the fever hit. Now two. Pray for us."

1, 6, 5  "Mother"

1, 6, 6  "Gone"

2, 1, 1  "Cursed be the King"

2, 1, 2  "Many traps"

2, 1, 3  "Red good black bad"

2, 1, 4  "Don't stop here"

2, 1, 5  "Better than you have died here"

2, 1, 6  "All humans die"

2, 2, 1  "I found love, I lost love, I lost myself, death found me"

2, 2, 2  "Get out while you can"

2, 2, 3  "Ogre to north"

2, 2, 4  A map of a nearby room with a sketch of a battle plan

2, 2, 5  "Go down to go up"

2, 2, 6  "The wraith has three fingers"

2, 3, 1  "Knowledge is worth the price"

2, 3, 2  "Left left right"

2, 3, 3  "Water"

2, 3, 4  "What riddle has no answer?"

2, 3, 5  "We are brothers"

2, 3, 6  "Hope dies first"

2, 4, 1  "Beware the vaksa"

2, 4, 2  "In ten thousand hells / For ten thousand lifetimes / Ten thousand torments / Are not enough for you."

2, 4, 3  "Strike fast strike hard"

2, 4, 4  "Bring more water"

2, 4, 5  "In the silent room the"

2, 4, 6  "Five leagues southwest"

2, 5, 1  "Lekki was mad I had to kill him"

2, 5, 2  "Silver in well"

2, 5, 3  "A blessing on you, stranger"

2, 5, 4  "Treasure to fill thirty wagons we found here"

2, 5, 5  "Cross the bridge quickly"

2, 5, 6  "Hobgoblins first"

2, 6, 1  A horizontal line with vertical marks every 18 inches, 8 marks total

2, 6, 2  "8311"

2, 6, 3  A large square on the floor, as if outlining a trap or pit

2, 6, 4  "Time"

2, 6, 5  "The blue masks do not"

2, 6, 6  "We fought four witches here"

3, 1, 1  "Hall of kings"

3, 1, 2  "Captain will return"

3, 1, 3  "Weep, wretch"

3, 1, 4  "Cut off that which weakens you"

3, 1, 5  "No time"

3, 1, 6  "All returns to dust"

3, 2, 1  "The Manican Brothers passed here"

3, 2, 2  "Turn aside from wrath"

3, 2, 3  "The arrow of Sebburus flies straight"

3, 2, 4  "In the depths we found a place where the dead walk. We will not go back."

3, 2, 5  "I am the last"

3, 2, 6  "Frogs or snakes"

3, 3, 1  "No life after this"

3, 3, 2  "I abandoned my friends and they died. It's true, I am a coward. You would run too, if you saw what I saw."

3, 3, 3  "Keretz can't fight. He's no better than a mule."

3, 3, 4  "This place my tomb, and this my epitaph"

3, 3, 5  "Last corridor"

3, 3, 6  "Gorgon"

3, 4, 1  "Strength duty loyalty honor"

3, 4, 2  "Elves got Harfan I will"

3, 4, 3  "This Garzhad place you pass you die"

3, 4, 4  "Were they good men or evil? No matter, their gold is mine now."

3, 4, 5  "She has poison"

3, 4, 6  "This is not the end"

3, 5, 1  A group of ten dots in a triangular array

3, 5, 2  Two arrows, one pointing left and one pointing right

3, 5, 3  "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" (that's 27 times, if anyone counts)

3, 5, 4  "If you try to run you are already lost"

3, 5, 5  "All is forgiven"

3, 5, 6  "Salt"

3, 6, 1  "I warned him not to cheat"

3, 6, 2  "This is the path"

3, 6, 3  "185"

3, 6, 4  "I hear the bells"

3, 6, 5  "Six are near"

3, 6, 6  "Kemel saw the demon and lived"

4, 1, 1  "Count the teeth"

4, 1, 2  "The son is greater than the father"

4, 1, 3  "Guard"

4, 1, 4  A pentagon with each side numbered, starting with 1 at the bottom and going around clockwise

4, 1, 5  "Cast off all burdens"

4, 1, 6  "We drew lots for the sacrifice. It was the only way. We will remember you, Tekfas."

4, 2, 1  "Stand your ground"

4, 2, 2  A circle divided into quarters

4, 2, 3  "Three months and five days"

4, 2, 4  "Two to go"

4, 2, 5  "The wizard Zo is a poor employer"

4, 2, 6  "Know the hour"

4, 3, 1  "No swords"

4, 3, 2  Three arrows pointing right

4, 3, 3  "The tower"

4, 3, 4  "Stay out of the mist"

4, 3, 5  "Worms"

4, 3, 6  "Drink not from the cup of despair"

4, 4, 1  "Looks bad"

4, 4, 2  "Turn"

4, 4, 3  "Survive"

4, 4, 4  "No one hears prayers in this place"

4, 4, 5  "Tomb empty"

4, 4, 6  "Leave the dead to the dead"

4, 5, 1  "Ruby cursed"

4, 5, 2  "Stand on the stone at the back of the south chamber. Turn three times, face the wall, and pronounce the name "Theken" three times. Great will be the blessing."

4, 5, 3  "The omens have proved that I shall triumph"

4, 5, 4  "I stand and wait"

4, 5, 5  "Seven swans, seven swimming swans, swimming circles, seven swans"

4, 5, 6  "The men of Regeg-Hol are cowards"

4, 6, 1  "Judgement"

4, 6, 2  "We agreed to equal shares, but we did not share in death"

4, 6, 3  "I see your skull beneath your face"

4, 6, 4  "There"

4, 6, 5  "No torches"

4, 6, 6  "A-larkey lay lie lie"

5, 1, 1  "Both ways"

5, 1, 2  "We are illusions, you and I"

5, 1, 3  "Six shadows east maybe more"

5, 1, 4  "The priests of the great temple in Lutar-peng are corrupt"

5, 1, 5  "Human elf dwarf gnoll orc gnome" All of these except "gnoll" is crossed out

5, 1, 6  "Do not run across the bridge"

5, 2, 1  "Make haste"

5, 2, 2  "I dreamt I was the sky"

5, 2, 3  "I did not know such beauty could exist in the world"

5, 2, 4  "Why do they dance?"

5, 2, 5  "The prisoner deserves his fate"

5, 2, 6  "I cannot find the passage"

5, 3, 1  "Gleefully we arrived, sorrowfully we depart"

5, 3, 2  "There is a new king under the earth"

5, 3, 3  "That elf deserved it"

5, 3, 4  "Enough graves"

5, 3, 5  "The skin has come loose"

5, 3, 6  "Catastrophe"

5, 4, 1  "Tunnel under bridge"

5, 4, 2  "I should have brought more rope"

5, 4, 3  "Our maps are worthless"

5, 4, 4  "A panther stalks me"

5, 4, 5  "When the third bell tolls, the sparrow flies"

5, 4, 6  "Blood in the water"

5, 5, 1  "They won't stop laughing" repeated over and over again. If someone bothers to count, 52 times.

5, 5, 2  "The statement below this one is true" / "The statement below this one is true" / "One of these statements is false"

5, 5, 3  "Bring a gift for the golden man"

5, 5, 4  "Right two, left three, right one, left one, right three"

5, 5, 5  "Master Metri cheats at cards"

5, 5, 6  "The greatest virtue is stubborness. The greatest sin is stubbornness."

5, 6, 1  "The good are not great and the great are not good"

5, 6, 2  "Dwell not on idle questions"

5, 6, 3  "Break the jar"

5, 6, 4  "Listen"

5, 6, 5  "Sharat"

5, 6, 6  "Better orcs than rats"

6, 1, 1  Six crescents facing rightwards

6, 1, 2  "She is watching"

6, 1, 3  "Of all the evils that dwell here, the hornets were the worst"

6, 1, 4  "The fool of a wizard brought us here for a book. Can he read it while he's dead?"

6, 1, 5  "Carry a coin in your mouth"

6, 1, 6  "A cursed arrow strikes twice"

6, 2, 1  "The purest will survive"

6, 2, 2  "Catch mice, catch cats"

6, 2, 3  "You can never get clean down here"

6, 2, 4  "If you have survived the grinding wheels, thank Geppias"

6, 2, 5  A clock face with the hands showing 14 minutes past 7

6, 2, 6  "Unknown unseen"

6, 3, 1  "Which way?"

6, 3, 2  "The Tower"

6, 3, 3  "A faithful heart is my shield"

6, 3, 4  "Silver and gold, silver and gold / Are not such treasures as you've been told"

6, 3, 5  "Light the fire, douse the fire"

6, 3, 6  "The moss gives you blisters"

6, 4, 1  "Do you hunt me, or do I hunt you? Let us meet in the crypt and end this."

6, 4, 2  Two vertical lines, half an inch apart, running from floor to ceiling

6, 4, 3  "We killed the creature and threw its body into the fire. The skull would not burn. We buried it here. If the gods are merciful, it will not rise again."

6, 4, 4  "Mystas is no hit with the ladies"

6, 4, 5  "The demoness has fled this lair. We seek her next in Pertegua."

6, 4, 6  "If we walk in the lands of the dead, where shall our spirits know peace?"

6, 5, 1  "The mind sharpens the blade, the blade sharpens the mind"

6, 5, 2  Four squares arranged in a square

6, 5, 3  "Time emptied these halls, and time will fill them yet"

6, 5, 4  "I hope that those who read this are not as lost as I"

6, 5, 5  "Speak my name and be free"

6, 5, 6  "I swear by all the gods that if I am delivered from this hell I will build a chapel at Menhad"

6, 6, 1  "Illumination"

6, 6, 2  "Hail Uld, god of warriors, protector of men in battle"

6, 6, 3  "There are three tribes of orcs, and they will fight each other if you can provoke them"

6, 6, 4  "Cold"

6, 6, 5  An alchemical symbol -- roll on the Random Alchemical Symbol Table

6, 6, 6  "Goodbye"

Random Alchemical Symbol Table

In case you suddenly need to whip up a recipe for a potion. Or perhaps you'd like a mysterious symbol to appear somewhere.

Please note that alchemical notation varied widely, and I make no representation that the symbols I use here are the best or most common symbols used for any particular substance. They are all drawn from reputable sources, and I picked the ones I liked.

Roll 1d6, 1d6

1, 1 Earth
1, 2 Water
1, 3 Air
1, 4 Fire
1, 5 Gold
1, 6 Silver
2, 1 Mercury
2, 2 Copper
2, 3 Iron
2, 4 Tin
2, 5 Lead
2, 6 Zinc
3, 1 Arsenic
3, 2 Antimony
3, 3 Bismuth
3, 4 Cinnabar
3, 5 Borax
3, 6 Lodestone
4, 1 Aqua Vitae
4, 2 Aqua Fortis
4, 3 Aqua Regia
4, 4 Vitriol
4, 5 Oil
4, 6 Milk
5, 1 Amber
5, 2 Alkalai
5, 3 Ashes
5, 4 Soap
5, 5 Nitre
5, 6 Quicklime
6, 1 Sal Ammonaic
6, 2 Salt
6, 3 Sulfur
6, 4 Verdigris
6, 5 Vinegar
6, 6 Wax

Random Golem Table

Really, this table is just an excuse to make up some variations on your basic golem. There is a particular Gygaxian pleasure in saying "okay, if this thing exists, then it must exist in all of these variants, each having its own special traits, because one type of anything is never enough."

The golems are all based on the stone golem statted in Dungeon Fantasy 3, p. 26.

Random Golem Table

Roll 1d.

1 Clay Golem
2 Stone Golem
3 Brass Golem
4 Bronze Golem
5 Iron Golem
6 Lava Golem

Clay golem. As stone golem, except ST 18, HP 25, DR 0, punch (12): 1d+2 crushing, maul (12): 3d+6 crusing, or two-handed sword (12): 3d+4 cutting. These golems are formed of soft and yielding clay, and weapons are likely to get stuck in them. Treat any successful cutting, piercing, or impaling melee weapon attack as if the weapon were a pick, requiring an ST roll and a ready maneuver to pull free. See Picks, B405.

Brass Golem. As stone golem, except ST 22, HP 32, punch (12): 2d crushing, maul (12): 4d+6 crushing, or two-handed sword (12): 4d+4 cutting. Brass golems are electrically charged. In combat, anyone who touches a brass golem or strikes it with a metal melee weapon takes 1d burning damage from the electricity, unless somehow insulated (with leather gloves, for instance). Anyone who grapples with a brass golem takes the damage and must also roll vs. HT or fall unconscious.

Bronze Golem. As stone golem, except ST 23, HP 35, DR 5, punch (13): 2d+1 crushing, maul (13) 4d+7 crushing, or two-handed sword (13): 4d+5 cutting. Bronze golems are tuned to ring like a bell when struck. Anyone within 1 hex of a brass golem struck by a crushing or cutting weapon takes 1d crushing explosive damage from reverberations, and if in close combat, must make an HT roll to avoid stunning.

Iron Golem. As stone golem, except ST 25, HP 40, DR 8, punch (14): 2d+2 crushing, maul (14): 5d+5 crushing, or two-handed sword (14): 5d+1 cutting.

Lava Golem. As stone golem, except ST 24, HP 30, FP 20, DR 3, DR (fire/heat only) 50, punch (12): 2d+1 crushing +1d burning, maul (12): 4d+8 crushing, or two-handed sword (12): 4d+2 cutting. Lava golems are formed of a mass of molten rock with a barely solidified crust. They radiate intense heat, causing 1d of fire damage at 2 yards, 3d at 1 yard, and 4d in close combat. Anyone foolish enough to grapple a lava golem takes 5d fire damage per turn, and the golem will attempt to grapple an opponent if it misses three melee attacks in a row. Any crushing or cutting attack that penetrates DR splashes the golem's molten innards around, striking anyone withing 1 yard on a 9 or less for 1d fire damage.

Unlike other golems, lava golems have Fatigue Points. Its FP is only depleted by cold damage, from which it loses an amount of FP equal to the HP loss. Until it is destroyed, it regains this FP at the normal rate for living creatures.

Stone Golem: see Dungeon Fantasy 2, p. 26.

Random Animal Table

Hey, who doesn't like a giant random table? Here's one for animals, restricted to those that can survive out of water at least temporarily. You probably want to roll high.

The wizard waves his magic wand and turns you into a...

Roll 1d, 1d, 1d.

1, 1, 1  Earthworm

1, 1, 2  Slug

1, 1, 3  Snail

1, 1, 4  Leech

1, 1, 5  Tick

1, 1, 6  Louse

1, 2, 1  Aphid

1, 2, 2  Gnat

1, 2, 3  Fruit Fly

1, 2, 4  Termite

1, 2, 5  Mosquito

1, 2, 6  Bedbug

1, 3, 1  Housefly

1, 3, 2  Firefly

1, 3, 3  Crane Fly

1, 3, 4  Cicada

1, 3, 5  Grasshopper

1, 3, 6  Cricket

1, 4, 1  Dung Beetle

1, 4, 2  Cockroach

1, 4, 3  Weevil

1, 4, 4  Ladybug

1, 4, 5  Stag Beetle

1, 4, 6  Scarab Beetle

1, 5, 1  Scorpion

1, 5, 2  Spider

1, 5, 3  Tarantula

1, 5, 4  Centipede

1, 5, 5  Wasp

1, 5, 6  Dragonfly

1, 6, 1  Hornet

1, 6, 2  Praying Mantis

1, 6, 3  Ant

1, 6, 4  Bee

1, 6, 5  Moth

1, 6, 6  Butterfly

2, 1, 1  Pond frog

2, 1, 2  Tree Frog

2, 1, 3  Toad

2, 1, 4  Newt

2, 1, 5  Salamander

2, 1, 6  Skink

2, 2, 1  Lizard

2, 2, 2  Rat Snake

2, 2, 3  Coral Snake

2, 2, 4  Python

2, 2, 5  Viper

2, 2, 6  Cobra

2, 3, 1  Chameleon

2, 3, 2  Gecko

2, 3, 3  Iguana

2, 3, 4  Gila Monster

2, 3, 5  Monitor Lizard

2, 3, 6  Tortoise

2, 4, 1  Freshwater Turtle

2, 4, 2  Sea Turtle

2, 4, 3  Crocodile

2, 4, 4  Alligator

2, 4, 5  Raven

2, 4, 6  Vulture

2, 5, 1  Crow

2, 5, 2  Penguin

2, 5, 3  Sandpiper

2, 5, 4  Seagull

2, 5, 5  Pelican

2, 5, 6  Albatross

2, 6, 1  Duck

2, 6, 2  Goose

2, 6, 3  Heron

2, 6, 4  Crane

2, 6, 5  Stork

2, 6, 6  Swan

3, 1, 1  Emu

3, 1, 2  Kiwi

3, 1, 3  Canary

3, 1, 4  Parrot

3, 1, 5  Toucan

3, 1, 6  Ostrich

3, 2, 1  Hummingbird

3, 2, 2  Starling

3, 2, 3  Robin

3, 2, 4  Sparrow

3, 2, 5  Swallow

3, 2, 6  Finch

3, 3, 1  Wren

3, 3, 2  Cuckoo

3, 3, 3  Dove

3, 3, 4  Pigeon

3, 3, 5  Lark

3, 3, 6  Kingfisher

3, 4, 1  Magpie

3, 4, 2  Cardinal

3, 4, 3  Mockingbird

3, 4, 4  Bluejay

3, 4, 5  Thrush

3, 4, 6  Owl

3, 5, 1  Partridge

3, 5, 2  Pheasant

3, 5, 3  Quail

3, 5, 4  Grouse

3, 5, 5  Chicken

3, 5, 6  Turkey

3, 6, 1  Woodpecker

3, 6, 2  Peafowl

3, 6, 3  Osprey

3, 6, 4  Hawk

3, 6, 5  Falcon

3, 6, 6  Eagle

4, 1, 1  Seal

4, 1, 2  Walrus

4, 1, 3  Sea Lion

4, 1, 4  Kangaroo

4, 1, 5  Opossum

4, 1, 6  Sloth

4, 2, 1  Anteater

4, 2, 2  Armadillo

4, 2, 3  Bat

4, 2, 4  Muskrat

4, 2, 5  Marmot

4, 2, 6  Capybara

4, 3, 1  Mouse

4, 3, 2  Vole

4, 3, 3  Hamster

4, 3, 4  Gerbil

4, 3, 5  Guinea Pig

4, 3, 6  Rat

4, 4, 1  Chinchilla

4, 4, 2  Chipmunk

4, 4, 3  Squirrel

4, 4, 4  Hedgehog

4, 4, 5  Porcupine

4, 4, 6  Beaver

4, 5, 1  Prairie Dog

4, 5, 2  Mole

4, 5, 3  Gopher

4, 5, 4  Hare

4, 5, 5  Rabbit

4, 5, 6  Mongoose

4, 6, 1  Skunk

4, 6, 2  Otter

4, 6, 3  Ferret

4, 6, 4  Weasel

4, 6, 5  Badger

4, 6, 6  Wolverine

5, 1, 1  Elk

5, 1, 2  Roe Deer

5, 1, 3  Red Deer

5, 1, 4  Whitetail Deer

5, 1, 5  Moose

5, 1, 6  Reindeer

5, 2, 1  Pronghorn

5, 2, 2  Eland

5, 2, 3  Antelope

5, 2, 4  Impala

5, 2, 5  Gazelle

5, 2, 6  Okapi

5, 3, 1  Giraffe

5, 3, 2  Gnu

5, 3, 3  Bison

5, 3, 4  Yak

5, 3, 5  Musk Ox

5, 3, 6  Bull or Cow

5, 4, 1  Cape Buffalo

5, 4, 2  Water Buffalo

5, 4, 3  Hippopotamus

5, 4, 4  Goat

5, 4, 5  Ibex

5, 4, 6  Mountain Goat

5, 5, 1  Wild Sheep

5, 5, 2  Domestic Sheep

5, 5, 3  Onager

5, 5, 4  Dromedary Camel

5, 5, 5  Bactrian Camel

5, 5, 6  Rhinoceros

5, 6, 1  Zebra

5, 6, 2  Donkey

5, 6, 3  Pony

5, 6, 4  Mule

5, 6, 5  Draft Horse

5, 6, 6  Racehorse

6, 1, 1  Pig

6, 1, 2  Wild boar

6, 1, 3  Giant Panda

6, 1, 4  Black Bear

6, 1, 5  Brown Bear

6, 1, 6  Polar Bear

6, 2, 1  Lapdog

6, 2, 2  Scent Hound

6, 2, 3  Retriever

6, 2, 4  Sheepdog

6, 2, 5  Grayhound

6, 2, 6  Terrier

6, 3, 1  Mastiff

6, 3, 2  Hyena

6, 3, 3  Fox

6, 3, 4  Coyote

6, 3, 5  Jackal

6, 3, 6  Wolf

6, 4, 1  Housecat

6, 4, 2  Bobcat

6, 4, 3  Caracal

6, 4, 4  Lynx

6, 4, 5  Ocelot

6, 4, 6  Cougar

6, 5, 1  Cheetah

6, 5, 2  Snow Leopard

6, 5, 3  Jaguar

6, 5, 4  Leopard

6, 5, 5  Tiger

6, 5, 6  Lion

6, 6, 1  Rhesus Macaque

6, 6, 2  Baboon

6, 6, 3  Gibbon

6, 6, 4  Orangutan

6, 6, 5  Chimpanzee

6, 6, 6  Gorilla