These random things articles are designed as quick idea generators for time-pressed GMs who want to inject some additional details into their game, in this article we’re looking at trinkets again. Trinkets were one of my favourite things about character generation in D&D 5th Edition; essentially each character starts with at least one, a small item or curiosity that has some odd property or something strange about it, it’s not a powerful magic item, just something interesting that could spur conversation and plot. Although this article was inspired by D&D 5E the same mechanic can be used in pretty much any game including OSR titles.
Nordic or frost encrusted landscapes seem to be a very popular theme in many fantasy campaign worlds, the trinkets below are ones that might be found on such a world, they can be generated by rolling a D100:
| No. | Trinket |
|---|---|
| 1 | A golden statue of a small woman dressed for battle but with a serence expression. |
| 2 | A stone tablet that has been defaced and re-inscribed many times as new religions have overtaken the area. |
| 3 | A piece of dark green stone with golden flecks in it, anyone who sleeps near the stone has unsettling dreams of wandering through a snow covered city of impossible angles. |
| 4 | A concave signalling mirror. |
| 5 | The tusk of a great beast fashioned into a spiralled horn that produces an odd piping sound when blown. |
| 6 | A small stone figurine carved in the shape of a mammoth. |
| 7 | A piece of clear quartz that turns a light pink colour whenever blood is shed within sight of it. |
| 8 | A tiny preserved skeleton that seems to be half man and half sea-lion. |
| 9 | The preserved fanged skull of a draugr, any blood spilt on the skull is absorbed into it. |
| 10 | A pair of snow shoes sealed against the damp. |
| 11 | A necklace made of a stone threading through with leather thonging, it depicts a strange creature that resembles a great furred giant. |
| 12 | A spear with holes carved in into the wooden body of the weapon, when planted in the group facing the wind it plays a slow but soothing tune. |
| 13 | A shield said to be made from the fingernails of frost giants. |
| 14 | A small clay cup that gives any water drank from it a sweet flavour. |
| 15 | A set of ivory runes believed to aid in fortune-telling. |
| 16 | A large bear tooth with a hole bored through it, anyone looking through the hole at a cave will know whether there are predators already occupying it. |
| 17 | A small stone cow, when placed in a jar of water it transmutes the liquid to milk. |
| 18 | A small metal flask containing a small amount of a red liquid that always remains a constant temperature. |
| 19 | A leather pouch containing a handful of salt with a strange blue colouration. |
| 20 | A small jar of a waxy ointment that removes the physical blemished caused by frostbite. |
| 21 | A fist-sized red stone said to be the fossilised heart of a fire giant. |
| 22 | An eye patch that–when worn–shows a faint golden glow around certain individuals. |
| 23 | A whale baleen brouch that allows the wearer to hold their breath for longer. |
| 24 | A fishing lure that moves in the owners hand when held near a body of water where fish are plentiful. |
| 25 | A small statue of a serpent that occasionally hisses. |
| 26 | The fang of a white wyrm engaved with the name of a lost tribal chief. |
| 27 | A hand-sized ivory carving of a seal that floats to the surface when dropped into any liquid. |
| 28 | A set of sturdy walking boots that allow the wearer to maintain their footing on unsteady ground. |
| 29 | A small metal coin on a piece of leather thonging, when allowed to swing free it also points northwards. |
| 30 | A metal gauntlet containing a severed hand, the hand stubbornly resist all attempts to remove it from the gauntlet. |
| 31 | An incredibly strong rope fashioned from straw-coloured strands of hair. |
| 32 | An illuminated page torn from a larger manuscript that seems to portray an ancient battle and the rise of a king. |
| 33 | A statue of a small dwarf-like creature, it's pose and demeanour seem to change, but only when it is unobserved. |
| 34 | A small bone eye mask that protects the wearer's vision from the effects of heavy snow. |
| 35 | A preserved fish eye that makes any food or drink within two feet of it taste strongly of fish. |
| 36 | A necklace of glass beads that change colour with the mood of the wearer. |
| 37 | A torc depicting a raven or some similar looking bird in flight. |
| 38 | An auroch skin sleeping bag that protects from the worst of the cold. |
| 39 | A clay pipe that produces thick black smoke when used. |
| 40 | The gold-coloured fleece of an unknown species of mountain animal. |
| 41 | A perfectly preserved rose that never withers. |
| 42 | A metallic armband containing threads of golden hair. |
| 43 | A caribou skin coat covered in mythological scenes. |
| 44 | A block of ice with a bubble inside it, each day the colour of the bubble changes. |
| 45 | A wood chopping axe with a blade that never seems to dull. |
| 46 | A narwhal horn carved around with verses in the language of the frost giants. |
| 47 | A set of chess pieces carved from ivory. |
| 48 | A piece of black stone that has a strange tri-lobed creature etched onto it. |
| 49 | An arrow flight that creates the sound of a roaring bear when fired. |
| 50 | A fishing spear that can be cast into a body of water three times a day and guarantee hitting a fish. |
| 51 | An ice-breaking spear than grows warm to the touch when it's user gets near thin ice. |
| 52 | A white stone that changes colour, turning darker when placed on food the less fresh it is. |
| 53 | A small pendant in the shape of a hammer, occasionally sparks fly from it. |
| 54 | A silver cloak pin styled in the shape of a dragon's head. |
| 55 | The shrunken frozen head of an arctic tribesman, no matter the temperature it does not defrost. |
| 56 | A set of waterproof seal skin leggings. |
| 57 | A small metal pot containing some extremely strong-smelling fermented fish of an unidentifiable type. |
| 58 | A whetstone that can be used to give a razor edge to weapons in half the normal time. |
| 59 | A small black stone, when placed in snow it gathers enough snow to it to form a fist-sized snowball. |
| 60 | A dagger that seems to be made from a shard of ice wrapped in mammoth skin, the ice never seems to melt but it steams when the weapon is drawn. |
| 61 | A helmet studded with the horns of a great snow beast. |
| 62 | A necklace of coal pieces that allows a wearer to hear the voices of winter spirits on the wind. |
| 63 | A toy wooden sailing boat, when placed in water, the sails unfurl if the water is safe to drink. |
| 64 | A piece of jewellery that–when worn in the hair–causes the wearer's hair to style itself in whatever manner the wearer desires, no matter the state of the hair previously. |
| 65 | A stone mask that–when worn–gives the wearer's voice a low, rumbling quality causing it to carry further than usual. |
| 66 | A symbollic necklace believed to prevent the wearer from returning as Draugr when they die. |
| 67 | A horn that magically fills with sweet water at dawn each day. |
| 68 | An ornately worn iron walking staff, the decoration appears to depict a man reaching skyward. |
| 69 | A clay pot containing a mixture of rendered animal fat and herbs that is believed to ward off yeti. |
| 70 | A mummified hand that twitches when the owner becomes aggravated or upset. |
| 71 | A small globe of glass that–when looked through–renders snow transparent. |
| 72 | An intricately minature version of a strange town contained in a snowglobe, every now and again lights flicker in the tiny houses. |
| 73 | A necklace made from colourful glass beads. |
| 74 | A piece of animal hide covered in strange white rune, when stored occasionally quiet laughter is heard from the hide. |
| 75 | A stone carving of a furred humanoid creature. |
| 76 | A ceremonial stag headdress thought to bring fertility and health. |
| 77 | A preserved giant tic. |
| 78 | The metal face-guard from a warriors helmet, it crudely depicts a stern looking face. |
| 79 | A disturbingly life-like white yeti mask. |
| 80 | A small harp that can play a selection of sweet melodies on command. |
| 81 | A stick of charcoal that produces water-proof writing when used. |
| 82 | A pair of tongs seemingly crafted from the jawbones of a long extinct animal. |
| 83 | A set of very accurate weights and scales. |
| 84 | An animal fat candle that produces light invisible to creatures of animal intelligence or lower. |
| 85 | A rope net that can draw itself shut when a command word is uttered. |
| 86 | A knife with a handle made from the fossilised bone of an extinct predator. |
| 87 | A wooden pipe that produces colour changing smoke when used. |
| 88 | Three stones linked together by a sturdy piece of rope, the stones are engraved with the words for 'beginning', 'middle' and 'end.' |
| 89 | A comb made of bone engraved with an ancient proverb about the dangers of vanity. |
| 90 | A tiny statue of an emaciated, skeletal man that occasionally winks. |
| 91 | A small piece of green stone that foams in water and can be used as soap. |
| 92 | A pair of fur bracers that allow a wearers aim to remain steady no matter how cold they are. |
| 93 | A piece of white cloth, when it is laid over the face of a dead person it holds their likeness for twenty four hours before returning to it's blank state. |
| 94 | An ivory stamp used for wax sealing letters, it bears the heraldic marks of an ancient and forgotten ruler. |
| 95 | A stone arrowhead, when laid under a person's head as they sleep it causes pleasant dreams. |
| 96 | A fishing line that never tangles or snags. |
| 97 | A dagger made from the tusk of a great beast. |
| 98 | A charm made from animal bones and feathers believed to ward off Draugr. |
| 99 | A silver hair pin. |
| 100 | A pine cone that resembles a bearded man's face. |
Ship image taken from Pixabay, designated as Public Domain.
Cool list of trinkets, thanks for sharing!