Magic Missile Random Appearance Generator

Magic Missile is an ubiquitous part of D&D and it can take many forms. To randomly generate an appearance for the Magic Missile spell, roll a d20 3 times (1 roll per column) on the table below and fill in the following sentence with the words indicated by the rolls on the table afterwards.

 “When you cast Magic Missile, a large (1) (2) appears and shoots (4) from its (3)”

1d20	(1)	(2); (3)	(4)
1	Demonic	Hand; Finger	Fire
2	Skeletal	Hand; Palm	A knife
3	Mechanical	Face; Eyes	An arrow
4	Animalistic	Face; Nostrils	A skull
5	Ooze-like	Face; Mouth	A laser
6	Fiery	Eye; Pupil	Bones
7	Icy	Mouth; Tongue	A snake
8	Rocky	Mouth; Gullet	A sword
9	Gaseous	Nose; Nostrils	Electricity
10	Crystalline	Heart; Open Arteries	Shadows
11	Glowing Green	Heart; Center	Rainbows
12	Draconic	Disc; Center	Blood
13	Brass	Disc; Edge	Strips of flesh
14	Fleshy	Cube; Corners	Flies
15	Bloody	Cube; Side	Gold coins
16	Shadowy	Crossbow; Barrel	Jewels
17	Misshapen	Sword; Tip	Flowers
18	Filth-encrusted	Sword; Edge	Needles
19	Beautiful	Foot; Toe	A rock
20	Ancient-looking	Foot; Sole	Bolas

For example, Dave rolls 3d20 to generate the Magic Missile appearance of Connor the Calamitous, his Wizard PC. He rolls 17, 18, and 12. So when Connor the Calamitous casts Magic Missile, a large misshapen sword appears and shoots blood from its edge. This effect is purely cosmetic: the Magic Missile still only does 1d4+1 (or whatever) damage.

Cultural tradition and magical power

I was reading R. E. Howard’s The People of The Black Circle a few days ago and was struck by two interesting segments:

Khemsa's sorcery was based on hypnotism, as is the case with most Eastern magic. The way has been prepared for the hypnotist for untold centuries of generations who have lived and died in the firm conviction of the reality and power of hypnotism, building up, by mass thought and practise, a colossal though intangible atmosphere against which the individual, steeped in the traditions of the land, finds himself helpless.

But Conan was not a son of the East. Its traditions were meaningless to him; he was the product of an utterly alien atmosphere. Hypnotism was not even a myth in Cimmeria. The heritage that prepared a native of the East for submission to the mesmerist was not his.

Howard is presenting an idea that cultural tradition makes certain types of magic have greater effects on certain people. This is actually a neat idea. It can be expanded too; maybe certain cultural traditions lessen the effects of certain types of magic.

For example, maybe the Iron Tribe of the East Hills believe that pyromancy burns not only the body but also the soul because in their religion it’s the way that their demigod ancestor died. On the other hand, the Sun-hawk Tribe of the East Hills are fond of pyromancy and believe themselves to be descended from a fire-spirit that took mortal form. The Irons might have a chance of outright death or destruction of the soul when damaged by fire magic while the Sun-hawks might receive reduced damage when hit by fire magic. Maybe the urban populace of the Imperial Colonies finds it harder to resist the rural indigenous magic that conjures poison and disease while the Northmen of the Frozen Wastes receive greater benefits (and perhaps greater harm) from magic that involve/create something drinkable.

Of course, if you’re gonna run with this I think there have to be some fundamental factors worked in to the setting.

The tradition is social

By which I mean that this isn’t just one individual afraid of soul-devouring magical fire but a group of hundreds at the bare minimum.

The tradition is old

These ideas have been around among the group for at least a century if the people in question have human-length lifespans, longer if they’re kinda like dwarves or elves. 

(Optional) The tradition has a deep cultural/mythic/religious origin

For example, the Northmen drink a lot and drinking is central to their legends. For this reason drinking a healing potion has a greater effect on them.  For the Colonies, fantastical accounts of the land's deadly maladies and a conspiratorial fear of the natives weaken the Colonists' resistances.

Body, Bone, Soul: Necromancy in Tarfel

Two posts in one day! I better pace myself or I'll collapse from exhaustion. Truth is I've got a minor backlog of 21-ish posts at completion levels ranging from 0% to 25%. I try to knock out one every so often.

Carnomancy

Carnomancy is the magic of the flesh. It makes wounds heal or fester, it restores withered limbs or makes healthy ones rot on the body. Carnomancy is the most common form of healing magic and also the least restricted.  Carnomancers are also employed as animal and monster trainers, using magic to sharpen or dull some biological responses; they are also sometimes found working as torturers or loansharks, able to mete out and heal injuries. Carnomancers with an interest in undead can animate dead flesh, creating stereotypical zombies. Such zombies are sluggish because the magic coursing through them only animates their flesh, not their bones; without a skeleton to support it, undead flesh is limited to a slug-like locomotion. Needless to say, such activities are not well-regarded both for their desecration of the dead and the risk of disease.

Osseomancy

Osseomancy is the magic of bones. It restores bones to their original condition, reshapes them and strengthens them, or warps into instruments of torture or violence. Ossemancers in civilized lands mainly work as bonesetters and surgeons. Like Carnomancers, some Osseomancers get involved in seedier business relations but they demand higher pay than Carnomancers. Their cost makes criminal Osseomancers somewhat of a novelty. The stereotypical undead created by Osseomancers are magically animated skeletons of all kinds. In most civilizations, Ossemancers make a point of avoiding the animation of humanoid remains, preferring to animate animal skeletons. Skeletons never cause as much panic as a zombie but they aren't exactly popular either.

Animancy

Animancy is the magic of souls. It alone is the only component of Grand Necromancy that is nigh-universally outlawed, hated, and feared. Animancers manipulate souls, changing personalities, imposing terrible curses or dubious blessings, and denying souls their eternal rest by turning them into monstrous spirit-things. Wraiths are one of the many vile creations of Animancy.

Least Necromancy

Least Necromancy is the most common form of "True" Necromancy. Least Necromancers have a knowledge of both Carnomancy and Osseomancy as well as mundane sciences such as surgery and medicine. Least Necromancers rarely tend to be the types who raise an army of undead or what have you; they tend to operate openly as healers and secretly use undead they create as servants, orderlies, and test subjects for treatments that are too dangerous or illegal to practice on living people. The only dark side of the Least Necromancers is that they need bodies for all those assistants and test subjects. They acquire them most often by grave-robbing, although some don't mind murder either. Greater Zombies (or Fast Zombies as the unimaginative call them) are an example of a Least Necromancer's craft.

Lesser Necromancy

Lesser Necromancy is generally what people are thinking of when they hear "Necromancy". Lesser Necromancers know Animancy and either Osseomancy or Carnomancy, but never both. Lesser Necromancers can (and do) create small armies of undead. Because they taint Carnomantic and Osseomantic magic with Animantic elements, most undead they create tend to possess an instinctual hatred of the living and kill them whenever possible. Lesser Necromancers who master Animancy and Ossoemancy may eventually transform themselves into Liches; those who pursue Animancy and Carnomancy tend to create monstrosities such as the Blood and Flesh "Elementals".

Grand Necromancy

If Lesser Necromancy is the popular face of the discipline in the eye of the public, Grand Necromancy is the popular (and most feared) face of Necromancy among Mages. Grand Necromancers unify Animancy, Carnomancy, and Osseomancy in a terrible synthesis. While Least Necromancers tend to be eccentrics and Lesser Necromancers are little more than local nuisances, Grand Necromancers can topple entire kingdoms. Thankfully, few individuals are focused and skilled enough to master all three of this discipline's components and so they are thankfully rare. Grand Necromancers can create exceptionally powerful undead such as Mohrgs, Mummies, and Vampires.