The Science Fantasy Frankentable

The Frankentable is an ever-growing multi-purpose random generator. 11,578 lines as of today. I’ve been maintaining and expanding it since 2020-2021, using Inspiration Pad Pro.

It’s gonzo science fantasy, sort of like Carcosa, but with even more stuff added in. I copied some stuff from my favorite PDFs and blogposts. I added tons of names from ancient civilizations. Lists of random adjectives and nouns... And wrote thousands of lines of custom content.

I love it, because it’s finetuned to how my brain works and always inspires gameable ideas... And it’s just fun adding stuff to it. I used to to run solo hexcrawls (session 1, session 2), then a randomized hexcrawl for my friends, use it all the time when I’m creating dungeons (to come up with fresh ideas), generate settlements. I used it to make pre-gens for a recent pick-up game.

Unfortunately, I cannot share it, sorry! It has copyrighted material in it alongside my own stuff. But I can only recommend creating your own Frankentable! Either as a digital tool, or, who knows, maybe as a bunch of index cards?

 

Just a sampling of raw results:

Seeds:

• regular sisterhood going to polluted inn
• android (Mawia, Sovereign of the baggy Pterodactyl-infested standing stone) telling bad news regarding lucky spaceman
• brigand (Mardonius) and archaeologist (ruby warlock Pro-Consul) searching for runaway lover Pharadates (the vigilante)
• cart-pusher (Urshanabi, Chief of the fountain) going to helipad
• motley cult embarking on expedition to mist-covered stone circle

 

Objects:

• stone flower
• stone staff, imbued with the power to poison
• oversized cape
• fake bottle, rumored to hold the power of invincibility
• glowing pharmacon, imbued with the power to overcome fear

Buildings:

• narrow bakery closed
• ancestral cairn is actually a front for something sinister (connected to hierarchic cult)
• bustling bank under attack from monarchist herald
• stucco-covered bakery rumored to hide secret knowledge
• decrepit carpentry rumored to hold treasure

 

Locations:

• (10 hexes west from here) windswept volcano is the hide-out of militaristic brotherhood
• (11 hexes west from here) poisonous Sabertooth-infested castle infested with vermin
• (14 hexes west from here) otherworldly garrison staked out by chimeric food-seller
• (5 hexes north-west from here) bowl-shaped sierra staked out by Giant Snake
• (3 hexes east from here) pleasent barrow hides buried treasure

 

Temples:

• Shrine of the unarmed Idol
• Fane dedicated to the seductive Goddesses
• Temple dedicated to the Goddess of Pain
• Temple of the blessed holodisk
• Sanctuary of the glorious drug

 

Creatures:

• bland clockwork bird with phantasmal resurrected ostrich parts
• rugose Basilisk
• ambushing predator
• Caveman
• many-eyed goblin

 

Today in the arena:

• Today in the arena: pantomine
• Today in the arena: sacrifice in honor of the king
• Today in the arena: the unknown Kritias, Bastard of Cythereia vs. the Ubiquitous, crowd-favorite, both driving old zeppelin (to submission; the prize: 900 coins)
• Today in the arena: the exotic the Great Mother vs. Aristogeiton, Son of the Mighty, the famed, both mounted on ostrich (to submission; the prize: 80 coins)
• Today in the arena: a group of 16, led by the infamous Tharybis charging a stronghold defended by a group of 16, under the command of the famed Bisaltes (the prize: 100 coins) 

Spells:

"Restore Humongous Stream"
This complex sorcery is forbidden.
It affects illusions, alternatively, it has an effect from the Tome of Adventure Design: Voodoo (caster’s motions cause similar effect elsewhere).
It requries symbolic sacrifice. The spell takes a day to cast.

"Scorching Helm of Distortion"
This complex rite is forbidden.
It affects spirits, alternatively, it has an effect from the Tome of Adventure Design: Creates visible illusion.
It has no special requirements. The spell is cast instantaneously.

"Statute of Silver"
This strange sorcery is considered lost.
It affects souls, alternatively, it has an effect from the Tome of Adventure Design: Unlocks or unfastens.
It must be cast accompanied by drum beats. The spell takes several days to cast.

"Feeble Sword"
This high-level ritual is unobtainable.
It affects demons, alternatively, it has an effect from the Tome of Adventure Design: Creates servant, organic.
It has no special requirements. The spell is instantaneous.

"Untouchable and Humongous Thunder"
This high-level sorcery is hard to find.
It affects earth, alternatively, it has an effect from the Tome of Adventure Design: Creates servant, inorganic.
It requries purity. The spell is cast instantaneously.

 

Settlement:

Ecbatana

Megapolis (population: 21000)
Ruled by thirsty actor (Black Pudding Lieutenant) looking to hire explorers to retrieve ritual saw, rumored to hold the power to destroy dwarf satyr-sun cat hybrid-type creatures from rock formation
Features: buildings on stilts, palisade, rich mines nearby, failing crops, powerty
Important locations: decrepit alehouse, "The Eternal Observatory of the river stealthy cat", Temple of the True Gods, quaint bank, once strong and famous graveyard, abandoned vinyard
artisan's quarter:
Locations of note:
1. sacred flying ship rumored to hold valuable deadly tiger-meat
2. hallucinatory school re-opened
3. tidy bank collapsing
4. old mausoleum crumbling
commercial district:
Locations of note:
1. empty harbor burning
2. evil teleport circle infested with vermin
3. venerable temple (Shrine sacred to the beautiful Lord) staked out by hybrid archaeologist
4. famed portico is the hide-out of infighting secret society
slums:
Locations of note:
1. abandoned power plant occupied by psychic forest fish
2. funerary sell-sword's mansion uncovered
3. illusory observatory discovered
4. funerary spaceman's home occupied by Green Dragon-blabbering vibrant scientist hybrid

Seeds: merchant (the White) in conflict with general (Neferhetetepes) over weapon, one-legged & winged diviner (Amenirdis) looking to hire laborers

 

Dungeon:

The Secret Fane

Rumored item(s): mechanical cape, rumored to hold the power to summon the Daimon of the Sun

Goal: rescue/free captive(s)/slave
Main inhabitant: Elf
Additional inhabitant type: jumping assassin with antlered diamond dog head

Level 1

16 rooms
Featured area(s): audience hall, crystal cavern, cryochamber
Keywords: climbable surface, landscape, falling bricks, sliding doors, irregular, something that strengthenes, sensitive information regarding person in power, communication, cave-like, cryptobotany

Random encounters:
1. many-limbed many-limbed bird lying in ambush
2. Banth sleeping
3. shining vulture fading in and out
4. iron woman-cyclopic flower hybrid investigating a strange object
5. blabbering aerial ruffian investigating a strange object
6. crackling mushroom-Wolf hybrid sleeping

Level 2

25 rooms
Featured area(s): engine room, factory, launch pad
Keywords: crawling machines, sloping floor, passivity, so many computers, harsh light, new shape, purple, cryptozoology, murals, pool

Random encounters:
1. Sabertooth with horrid scaly femme fatale parts
2. mutated Vulture
3. ululating monochrome shark with cosmic giant robot parts
4. feathered crab
5. bloodthirsty Chimera
6. psionic Stone Giant

  

Solo Dungeon Crawl steps:

Monster (glass ambushing centaur) in Square Room, 10' x 10'
    Description: responds to light
No exits

Corridor: Continue straight. Check again in 60'

Corridor: Left-turn at 90 degrees. Check again in 30'

Moldy & rotten wooden Door, on the left, leads to: Monster (diabolic Giraffe) & Treasure (937 sp) in Circular Room, 30' in diameter
    Description: smell of the ocean, crawling out of a well  Exit on opposite wall, Corridor: Right-turn at 90 degrees. Check again in 30' + Trap! (Slowing gas, 2 hours) + Trap! (Contact poison)

Corridor: Four-way intersection. Check again in 30'

Character:

Harmocydes, Daughter of Menalcas

anarchist wrestler
Cleric, 2

Strength 13 (+1)
Intelligence 8 (-1)
Wisdom 9 (0)
Dexterity 11 (0)
Constitution 8 (-1)
Charisma 13 (+1)

Armor: leather
Weaponry: scimitar, sword
Equipment: flask, electric lamp, specialist tools, tent, breastplate, looted from the rounded dancehall
Power: none