Random Robot Generator: Roll All Dice

Inspired by this post from Necropraxis, I couldn't resist making my own random robot generator using the "roll all the dice" technique, which in this Web log will henceforth be known as the Roll All Dice method because it reminds me of the film Destroy All Monsters.

In this case "Roll All Dice" includes the d3 and the d30 as well as the usual d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. (You may use a d6 to represent the d3 in the usual way, although I'm lucky enough to have an actual d3 that survives from my childhood copy of the board game Chopper Strike.)

Please note that this table generates robots of science fiction rather than automata of fantasy or mythology, although the effects are described using terms compatible with Dungeons & Dragons or Labyrinth Lord or their ilk. It may, of course, be used with any game of any genre as desired.


Random Robot Generator
(Roll All Dice)


Size

Roll 1d3 (or choose)

1. Small (1d4 HD, AC 4)
2. Medium (1d8 HD, AC 3)
3. Large (1d8+4 HD, AC 2)


Torso

Roll 1d4

1. Boxy
2. Cylindrical
3. Humanoid
4. Spheroid


Limbs

Roll 1d6

1. Blocky
2. Humanoid
3. Spheroid
4. Spindly
5. Tentacular
6. Tubular

(Choose number of limbs or determine randomly.)
(Choose manipular parts or determine randomly: claw, hand, mini-tentacles, or multi-tool.)


Locomotion

Roll 1d8

1. Hover
2. Legs
3. Rollers
4. Legs
5. Treads
6. Legs
7. Wheels
8. Legs


Head

Roll 1d10

1. Nil
2. Disklike
3. Domal
4. Conical
5. Cubical
6. Cylindrical
7. Humanoid and/or helmeted
8. Multifaceted
9. Pyramidal
10. Spheroid


Hand-to-Hand Weapon

Roll 1d12

1. Blade (damage: 1d8)
2. Chain saw (damage: 2d8)
3. Circular saw (damage: 3d6)
4. Contact shocker (as the spell shocking grasp)
5. Contact stunner (stuns target for 1d6 rounds)
6. Drill (damage: 2d10)
7. Grinder (damage: 4d6)
8. Jackhammer (damage: 1d12)
9. Man catcher (damage: 1d2 + capture; roll bend bars to escape)
10. Power shears (damage: 2d6)
11. Reinforced manipular part (+1 damage)
12. Vise pincer (damage: 1d6 + capture; roll bend bars to escape)


Ranged Weapon

Roll 1d20

1. Atomic blaster (damage: 1d8/HD; range: 120')
2. Dart gun (damage: 1 hit point + sleep; range: 30')
3. Death ray* (as the spell death spell; range: 180')
4. Destructo ray** (damage: 1d6/HD; range: 120')
5. Disintegrator ray* (as the spell disintegrate; range: 60')
6. Disruptor (damage: 1d10/HD; range: 100')
7. Electro ray** (damage: 1d6/HD; range: 120')
8. Flamethrower** (damage: 3d10; range: 80')
9. Force ray*** (damage: 2d6; range: 120'; pushes target)
10. Freeze ray*** (damage: 1d6/HD; range: 60'; encases target in ice)
11. Grenade launcher
12. Gyrojet rocket launcher (damage: 1d10; range: 300')
13. Heat ray** (damage: 1d6/HD; range: 200'; ignites combustibles)
14. Laser (damage: 1d6/HD; range: 240')
15. Netcaster (as the spell web; range: 30')
16. Immobilizer ray* (as the spell hold person; duration: 2 rounds/HD; range: 120')
17. Petrification ray* (as the spell flesh to stone; range: 60')
18. Slugthrower (damage: 1d8; range: 240')
19. Sonic ray*** (damage: 3d6; range: 60'; deafens target for 1d12 turns)
20. Stun ray* (range: 180'; stuns target for 2d4 rounds)

* No "to hit" roll needed; save vs. Wands to negate effect
** No "to hit" roll needed; save vs. Wands for half damage
*** No "to hit" roll needed; save vs. Wands for half damage and to negate effect

Special Features

Roll 1d30

1. Amphibious
2. Beverage dispenser
3. Burrowing capability
4. Detachable probes (as the spell wizard eye)
5. Directional orientation sensor (direction, altitude, depth)
6. Displacement (improves AC by 2; +2 to saves)
7. Divisible (splits into five smaller robots)
8. Electromagnet
9. Extended range communicator
10. Flight capability (as the spell fly)
11. Force field (as the spell wall of force)
12. Heightened senses
13. Holographic projector
14. Med kit
15. Radar
16. Reflective armor (repels all lasers; +2 to saves vs. visible rays)
17. Reinforced armor (improves AC by 1)
18. Reinforced frame (improves HD by 1)
19. Short range teleportation (as the spell blink)
20. Sonic nullifier (as the spell silence 15' radius)
21. Spotlight
22. Stationary invisibility (as the spell invisibility, but only when motionless)
23. Substance analyzer
24. Tech kit
25. Transformable (changes into vehicle or different robot shape)
26. Vacuum cleaner
27. Variable gravity generator (0-2 Gs)
28. Wallclimbing capability (as the spell spider climb)
29. Water purifier
30. X-ray vision (range: 20')

Random Ray Gun Generator

These tables may be used to generate the focus, beam, color, and type of ray produced by any ray gun or ray attack. Certain colors may be more appropriate for certain types of rays and may be rerolled or chosen as desired.

[Edit: An updated and improved version of this article exists here.]

Focus

Roll 1d6

1. Narrow
2. Narrow
3. Narrow/Wide
4. Narrow/Wide
5. Wide
6. Wide


Beam

Roll 1d8

1. Continuous
2. Pulsed
3. Continuous
4. Phased
5. Continuous
6. Ringed
7. Continuous
8. Fluctuating


Color

Roll 1d10

1. Red
2. Orange
3. Yellow
4. Green
5. Blue
6. Indigo
7. Violet
8. Black
9. White
10. Invisible


Type

Roll 1d12

1. Death ray
2. Destructo ray
3. Disintegrator ray
4. Electro ray
5. Force ray
6. Freeze ray
7. Heat ray
8. Immobilizer ray
9. Petrification ray
10. Shrink ray
11. Sonic ray
12. Stun ray

Example:

A roll of 1, 4, 8, 3 yields a Narrow Focus, Phased Beam, Black Disintegrator Ray.

Notes:

• "Narrow/Wide Focus" means either setting may be selected.
  
• A "Pulsed Beam" consists of a continuous beam with regular pulses.
  
• A "Phased Beam" flickers.
  
• A "Ringed Beam" consists of a series of individual rings emitted rapidly. One example is the ray gun that appears in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
  
• A "Fluctuating Beam" may be described variously as "rippled," "wavy," or like an electrical discharge.
  
• All ray types hit their target as long as a.) there is line of sight, b.) the target is within range, c.) the target lacks a defense against the ray, and d.) the target fails to save (vs. Wands or whatever the referee chooses).
  

Elaborations

Power sources will vary depending on the setting. In general, a fully charged ray gun will have 100 charges (subtract 0-9 charges or more if found during an adventure). Some models may use power clips containing 10 or 20 charges each.

Recharging a ray gun with a compatible power source requires 10 hours of recharging time (10 charges per hour). Power clips may be recharged in one or two hours (for the 10 and 20 charge clips respectively).

Each shot will drain a ray gun or its power clip of one or more charges. Ray guns capable of variable settings will drain additional charges at higher settings. For example, a destructo ray gun might have six settings: 1d6 damage = 1 charge; 2d6 damage = 2 charges; 3d6 damage = 3 charges, etc.

Possible Ray Properties

• Death Ray medium range; successful save negates effect; expends 2 charges; targets with more than 8 HD are unaffected; nonliving targets are unaffected
  
• Destructo Ray medium range; successful save = half damage; expends 1 charge/1d6 damage (maximum setting of 6)
  
• Disintegrator Ray short range; successful save negates effect; expends 2 charges
  
• Electro Ray long range; successful save = half damage; expends 1 charge/1d6 damage (maximum setting of 6)
  
• Force Ray long range; successful save negates effect; expends 1 charge vs. small targets, 2 charges vs. medium targets, 3 charges vs. large targets; pushes target and causes 2d6 damage
  
• Freeze Ray short range; successful save = half damage; expends 1 charge/1d6 damage (maximum setting of 6); encases target in ice
  
• Heat Ray long range; successful save = half damage; expends 1 charge/1d6 damage (maximum setting of 6); ignites combustibles
  
• Immobilizer Ray medium range; successful save negates effect; expends 1 charge; renders target immobile, but conscious
  
• Petrification Ray short range; successful save negates effect; expends 2 charges; transmutes target to stone
  
• Shrink Ray short range; successful save negates effect; expends 1 charge; reduces target's size
  
• Sonic Ray medium range; successful save = half damage; expends 1 charge; causes 3d6 damage
  
• Stun Ray long range; successful save negates effect; expends 1 charge; renders target unconscious; nonliving targets are unaffected
  

League After League

When it comes to fantasy role-playing in ancient or medieval settings, I have a preference for outdated units of measurement. They are consistent with in-character dialogue and they are neutral with regard to the systems of measurement used by gamers all over the world. That is why I proposed the adoption of the cubit as the basic unit of measurement for fantasy settings. Suppose, however, you need to measure much greater lengths such as the distance between two towns. The kilometer, of course, is out. The mile is historically accurate, having been first used by the Romans as the mille passuum ("one thousand paces"), but it is also currently used in the U.S. The neutral solution would be to adopt the league.

The league is an obsolete unit of measurement that was once quite popular in many countries and remains popular in fantasy literature, which makes it eminently qualified to be used in fantasy role-playing. A league is simply 3 miles (or approximately 4.8 km), and its origin was practical: it was the average distance a person or horse could walk in one hour. If ever there was a unit of measurement made for itinerant adventurers, the league is it. And unlike the mile, it doesn't evoke a specific empire or culture. The league is both generic and folkloric. In other words, it is perfect for our uses.

1 league = 3 miles = 15,840 feet = 5,280 yards = 4.827 km

As for how many cubits are in a league...

1 league = 10,560 cubits

Whilst I'm on the subject, if you happen to be playing in an historical setting (or an alternate history) that uses miles and cubits, the following conversion may be useful:

1 standard mile = 3,520 cubits

Another option is simply to use all Roman units of measurement including those that survived to the present in some nations, e.g. pes (foot), mille passuum (mile), uncia (ounce), libra (pound), etc. (See the Wikipedia article Ancient Roman Units of Measurement for more information.)

Let It Be Cubits

In my fantasy role-playing, I have an aversion to anachronistic units of measurement and the out-of-character dialogue they encourage. Although I have nothing against the metric system, I find it unacceptable in the context of pre-Enlightenment settings. Alchemists did not measure their concoctions in milliliters and moneylenders did not weigh precious metals in kilograms. I find it hard to immerse myself in a medieval setting in which Robin Hood takes aim at a target 50 meters away and it's x kilometers to the nearest river.

I could always resort to the units of measurement still popular in the States (and used in Dungeons & Dragons and its ilk), many of which are appropriate to a medieval setting (e.g. ounces, pounds, feet, yards, miles, etc.), but this renders the rules a little less accessible to gamers more accustomed to the metric system. What to do?

The solution is to use a system that is equally unfamiliar to everyone. Allow me to reintroduce the cubit. Based on the average length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, the cubit has varied over time and from nation to nation (the ancient Egyptian royal cubit was between 20.6 and 20.8 inches, the Aztec cubit was 20.7 inches, the ancient Chinese cubit was 20.9 inches, the ancient Greek cubit was 18.2 inches, etc.), but it has commonly been rendered as 18 inches (or 46 cm), especially in the Old Testament, and this is the cubit we shall be using.

The 18 inch cubit is perfect for fantasy gaming use. It does not evoke mood-breaking modernity, yet it is easy for gamers to translate into units they understand. For the U.S. gamer, a cubit equals one and a half feet or half a yard. For most other gamers in the world, a cubit equals approximately 0.5 meters. If the rules were to use cubits, it would make them truly universal. International gamers would not need to be annoyed by movement rates of 120' and U.S. gamers would no longer need to argue about whether 12" was 120 feet or 120 yards and why it was being expressed in inches. (Yes, I know the answer to that, but I'm trying to make a point rhetorically.) For the sake of simplicity and sanity, let it be cubits.

1 cubit = 16 inches = 0.5 yards = approximately 0.5 meters

Do you need a unit of measure smaller than a cubit? The Old Testament cubit also provides the answer, being divided into 6 palms of 4 fingers each for a total of 24 digits.

1 cubit = 6 palms * 4 fingers = 24 digits

So, a palm equals 3 inches and a finger equals 0.75 inches. At any rate, when in doubt, one can always just use one's forearm, palm, or fingers to estimate!

Displacer Cake Insinuation

Not to alarm anyone, but I have made a minor change to the wand of wonderment (q.v.) [and the wand of surprise (q.v.)]. Previously, effect #53 read "The target becomes invisible for one day." This would not be an issue were it not for the fact that there are already two effects involving invisibility for varying periods of time, and the purpose of the random table is to maximize unpredictability (at least in the case of this magic item). Therefore, I have replaced that line with the following:

53. A displacer cake materializes before the target.

To those unfamiliar with displacer cakes, they are merely cakes (of any type) that always appear to be 1-3 cubits (or more) away from their actual position. Perhaps this is due to their "molecular vibrations," an uncanny optical illusion, or a special type of pixie dust. No one knows for certain. All that is known is that they appear to be as delicious as they are elusive.

Mid-NaNoWriMo Report

It is halfway through National Novel Writing Month and I am still in the game, although I confess I have fallen behind. [Excuses deleted.] At any rate, I am lagging, but I haven't surrendered. If I fail to meet the 50,000 word goal by the 30th, I will continue writing until I finish my novel and I will set a secondary, personal deadline of December the 31st.

The setting for my novel is evolving incrementally in the same manner as some of my past campaign worlds. One starts with the immediate vicinity, then one expands the details of the world as the player characters travel to new places and meet people from other lands. This, of course, is the opposite of another method of worldbuilding, which is to map and populate the world first, usually including topography, boundaries, roads, cities, nations, cultures, resources, etc. before the first adventure is even written. I have tried that method in the past, but I have found that it is often more of a hindrance than a help to my creativity. The very first sessions of proto-Dungeons & Dragons began as adventures within a single location (Castle Blackmoor), gradually expanding to encompass larger regions as those details were needed. It is a strategy that has worked well for me in gaming, and it seems to be working well for my novel, which is fortuitous as I intend this novel to serve the dual purpose of being the basis for my next campaign world.

Idle Thought on the Eve of NaNoWriMo

It is less than an hour before National Novel Writing Month begins, and I am faced once again with the question of whether I will (or can) participate. My proclivity for perfectionism would seem to preclude this activity (in an earlier attempt, the word count of my notes was equal to that of my novel in progress), but it occurs to me that if I force myself to take a much lighter approach, I might be able to accomplish this task (which is to write a novel of 50,000 words or more within the month of November). A lighter approach would be much easier if I could approach it from the angle of writing a novel that would be of use to me in another area of interest, such as, say, gaming. Not only would the novel be a source of material to use in my gaming by way of creating adventure seeds, non-player characters, and background information for a campaign setting, but gaming itself could inform the novel. I'm not proposing to convert specific experiences at the gaming table into a novel, but I am contemplating the possibilities of thinking about my novel from the point of view of what I as a gamer would enjoy if I were playing it instead of reading it.

This plan is so crazy, it just might work!

Magic Item: Wand of Surprise

My first improvement upon the wand of wonder, the wand of wonderment (q.v.), increased the number of possible effects from 19 to 100. The wand of surprise not only doubles this, it offers the wielder a modicum of control determined by the wielder's technique. The following article was originally written as a system neutral randomizer, but has been adapted for use with dice and the Original Role-Playing Game (as well as its offshoots).

Magic Item: Wand of Wonderment

Some of my players are partial to magic items that have random effects, and one of their favorites is the infamous wand of wonder. The wand described in the original AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide had only 19 different randomly determined effects. My version has 100 different effects, because variety is the spice of adventuring (and because the greater the chaos, the greater the entertainment value). The following article was originally written with no system in mind and was meant to be used online, but has been adapted for use with actual dice and You Know What Role-Playing Game (and its relatives).

Magic Item: Nighty Nightcap

Also known in more pedantic circles as the cap of perfect repose:

Nighty Nightcap

This cap, when donned, will lull one into a deep, restful sleep lasting precisely eight hours, after which it will slip off, allowing one to awaken fully refreshed and alert. During the magical slumber, the wearer will be utterly oblivious to all sounds, smells, lights, jostlings, or other incidental stimuli occurring in the vicinity including earthquakes, hurricanes, meteor bombardments, clog-dancing, and other bothersome disasters. The slightest deliberate attempt to wake the sleeper, however, even if it is the merest whisper, will rouse the wearer instantly, causing the cap to fall off his or her head and cancelling the rejuvenatory effects of that slumber. To place the cap on a subject who is aware of the attempt and actively resisting, the instigator must make a successful "to hit" roll. The subject is not entitled to a saving throw, but can be roused quite easily by anyone attempting to do so.