erradin
2017-10-26, 11:28 PM
(Credit for this idea goes to the Machine of Death anthologies. Great short stories. I recommend specifically the second anthology: This Is How You Die: stories of the inscrutable, infallible, inescapable, Machine of Death.)
I had a thought about including a Machine of Death in the a DnD campaign and wanted to see what you guys think. This idea came to me as a way to add some mystery and spookiness to a campaign by introducing an item that doesn't really have to effect the plot much or even change any mechanics. It can be as influential as you like or even inconsequential. Feedback or ideas/discussion on actual implementation are not only welcome, but encouraged. :)
The Artifice Of Prophecy (Machine of Death):
It is a small, enigmatic box covered in indecipherable runes. There is a single hole in one side, large enough for a finger to be slipped into. If someone does slip a finger into the box they feel a sharp pricking sensation. Investigation reveals their finger is bleeding slightly as if poked with a needle.
The runes on the box briefly become legible, revealing an extremely vague word or phrase with zero explanation. For example:
Cuts
Drowning
Not Quite Good Enough
Heat
Etc.
The theme is, naturally, causes of death-but don't tell the players this. All they get is the word. The machine is never wrong. Make sure you give them something vague enough that, if a character ever dies, you can slip it in as part of their death. Drowning, for example, could mean drowning in their own blood from a crushed lung. Not Quite Good Enough could be a nearly missed roll, a phrase the enemy says just before the coup d'grace, or what you tell the healer when they fail to save the character. Etc. You may want to plan these in advance. Once someone has a reading from the Machine, they always get the same result whenever they try the Machine again.
I had a thought about including a Machine of Death in the a DnD campaign and wanted to see what you guys think. This idea came to me as a way to add some mystery and spookiness to a campaign by introducing an item that doesn't really have to effect the plot much or even change any mechanics. It can be as influential as you like or even inconsequential. Feedback or ideas/discussion on actual implementation are not only welcome, but encouraged. :)
The Artifice Of Prophecy (Machine of Death):
It is a small, enigmatic box covered in indecipherable runes. There is a single hole in one side, large enough for a finger to be slipped into. If someone does slip a finger into the box they feel a sharp pricking sensation. Investigation reveals their finger is bleeding slightly as if poked with a needle.
The runes on the box briefly become legible, revealing an extremely vague word or phrase with zero explanation. For example:
Cuts
Drowning
Not Quite Good Enough
Heat
Etc.
The theme is, naturally, causes of death-but don't tell the players this. All they get is the word. The machine is never wrong. Make sure you give them something vague enough that, if a character ever dies, you can slip it in as part of their death. Drowning, for example, could mean drowning in their own blood from a crushed lung. Not Quite Good Enough could be a nearly missed roll, a phrase the enemy says just before the coup d'grace, or what you tell the healer when they fail to save the character. Etc. You may want to plan these in advance. Once someone has a reading from the Machine, they always get the same result whenever they try the Machine again.