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.
I’ve been very much enjoying playing in the Tomb of Anihilation module for D&D 5E that takes place in the jungle continent of Chult. I thought I’d create some trinkets that were suitable for swamp/jungle worlds or areas, they can be generated by rolling a D100:
| No. | Trinket |
|---|---|
| 1 | A small canoe with a magically transparent floor. |
| 2 | A hat fashioned from a large lily pad. |
| 3 | A handful of mushrooms, they have a 50% chance of inducing psycodelic visions if eaten. |
| 4 | Bone nose jewellery that grows warm–when worn–if danger approaches. |
| 5 | A wooden ceremonial mask depicting a demonic visage. |
| 6 | A handful of colourful glass beads. |
| 7 | The possibly created skeleton of a creature that appears to be half monkey and half fish. |
| 8 | An ivory statue of an elephant that trumpets loudly if someone tries to steal it. |
| 9 | A soft yellow fruit containing sticky juice that helps combat sleeplessness. |
| 10 | A hello seed pod that could be used as a drinking vessel. |
| 11 | A pair of wooden sandals that prevent the wearer sinking in soft jungle soil. |
| 12 | A wooden pot containing tea made from bat guano. |
| 13 | A sticky paste prepared from insect shells and snake venom that glows softly in the dark. |
| 14 | A preserved tiger's eye. |
| 15 | A small pot of a foul smelling paste that–when applied–repels mundane insects. |
| 16 | A small buckler fasioned from the shell of a jungle turtle. |
| 17 | A pot of bright red dye made from the crushed shells of jungle insects. |
| 18 | A large clay container of dried bat guano that can be fashioned into gunpowder. |
| 19 | A wooden mask that brings sweet dreams if worn whilst sleeping. |
| 20 | A bracelet made of bird skulls that occasionally caws when not worn. |
| 21 | A small frog statue that causes a river boat to remain stable regardless of how choppy the waters are. |
| 22 | A comb made from the skeleton of a piranha. |
| 23 | A leather pouch containing a handful of edible grubs. |
| 24 | A handful of seeds which–if swallowed–cause the person to violently upchuck everything eaten in the last few hours. |
| 25 | A small satchel crafted from shed snake skin. |
| 26 | The fragmentary diary of an ancient warrior who was seperated from his platoon and died in the jungle. |
| 27 | A snake tooth dagger that has an internal reservoir for holding poison. |
| 28 | A clay pot containing a nourishing–if nauseating–stew made from monkey brains. |
| 29 | A 4-pronged bamboo spear. |
| 30 | A fragment of an ancient clay tablet containing some strange runes. |
| 31 | A parchment map that may lead to a lost jungle temple. |
| 32 | The severed and preserved rattle of a deadly snake. |
| 33 | A naturally occurring stone sphere the size of a mans fist. |
| 34 | A small petrified nut, when placed in water it absorbs up to 5 pints of water. When the nut is sharply tapped the water is released. |
| 35 | A severed parrot claw that twitches when the rains are about to come. |
| 36 | A fragment chipped from a large stone head. |
| 37 | Two gold pieces bearing the image of a monarch of a lost empire. |
| 38 | A stone fertility figurine of a woman sitting cross-legged. |
| 39 | A blue dye made from crushed jungle beetles. |
| 40 | A geode containing a dazzling array of clear crystals. |
| 41 | A necklace made from the beak of a jungle parrot. |
| 42 | A bracelet fashioned from a tigers teeth, mark of manhood for one of the tribes. |
| 43 | A bangle made from the preserved skin of a piranha, it makes a chewing sound when blood is in the vicinity. |
| 44 | A large flower that smells like a corpse, the odour attracts numerous insects to it. |
| 45 | A wooden warriors mask that makes the wearer very intimidating. |
| 46 | A bamboo fishing-spear. |
| 47 | An ivory bracelet depicting a tribal warrior. |
| 48 | A large ant preserved in amber. |
| 49 | A wooden mask that allows limited communication with apes. |
| 50 | A river-hunting charm that helps the owner catch fish. |
| 51 | A beetle in a clay container, the beetle rattles inside the container when there is dead flesh nearby. |
| 52 | A small whistle shaped liked a bat, it produces a high-pitched noise when blown only audible to certain animals. |
| 53 | A tiny monkey that has been trained to climb to the top of trees and gather fruit for its master. |
| 54 | A stone shaker containing a mixture of ground, pungent jungle spices. |
| 55 | The furry seeds of a jungle plant that stick to fabrics when brushing against them. |
| 56 | A wooden mask that allows the wearer to perceive spirits and ghosts clearly. |
| 57 | A ceremonial rattle made from a dried seed pod, when shaken it produces a pungent, spicy aroma. |
| 58 | A stone idol depicting a long forgotten jungle god. |
| 59 | A drum crafted from gorilla skin whose sound carries for miles in the jungle. |
| 60 | A large jungle nut that glows softly for an hour when shaken, after the hour the nut must be placed in direct sunlight for a similar length of time before it can be used again. |
| 61 | A crudely carved goblin idol taking from a tribe of jungle dwelling greenskins. |
| 62 | A flat, dark stone with holes bored into it matching the constellations in the night sky. |
| 63 | A fist-sized stone with a depresson in the centre of it, the depression can hold up to a pint of water. Any water placed into becomes safe to drink. |
| 64 | The fossilised skull of a tiny dinosaur. |
| 65 | A crystal skull that glows with an inner light under certain conditions. |
| 66 | A large stone grinder used to prepare roots and vegetables. |
| 67 | Three jungle yams, although sour they are perfctly nutritious, each one counts as a days ration. |
| 68 | A reed-woven hat to protect the wearer from the heat. |
| 69 | A machete that allows the wielder to clear foliage at twice the speed they would do normally. |
| 70 | A parchment containing copies of several large geoglyphs made by previous jungle explorers. |
| 71 | A set of simple wooden sandals that leave behind animal footprints. |
| 72 | A wooden child's toy carved in the shape of a canoe. |
| 73 | A small, unworked gemstone. |
| 74 | A shrunken head attached to a piece of leather thonging. |
| 75 | A small stone with a hole through the middle of it, the stone is threaded on a piece of thonging to be worn as a necklace. |
| 76 | A thick paste made of rendered animal fats and berries that protects the skin from the rays of the sun when applied. |
| 77 | A colourful bag fashioned from jungle reeds. |
| 78 | A simple wooden shovel. |
| 79 | A small flint tool used for scraping the rough husks from jungle vegetables. |
| 80 | A large plant seed that smells like rotting flesh, if planted in a corpse it will not rise as undead. |
| 81 | A bundle of mint-smelling leaves that–when chewed–help freshen breath. |
| 82 | The shrunken head of an orc. |
| 83 | Four strips of jerky, each counting as half a days rations. |
| 84 | A clay, tribal ancestor figurine. |
| 85 | A small hide tent decorated with a fearsome visage. |
| 86 | A bullwhip made from tanned and twisted leather. |
| 87 | A pot of semi-liquid white rubber. |
| 88 | A drinking chalice fashioned from the hollowed out skull of a gorilla. |
| 89 | A necklace made from elephant ivory, it will help the wear recall one forgotten fact before crumbling to dust. |
| 90 | A wooden canoe paddle that calms the waters around it. |
| 91 | A small blue/black stone, when placed it water it floats if the water is clean and sinks if not. |
| 92 | A water carrier crafted from jungle vines. |
| 93 | A large, flat leaf that can be used to provide shade or collect water. |
| 94 | The seed pods of a large jungle plant, if ground and mixed with water it produced a bitter drink that helps stave off fatigue. |
| 95 | A ripe coconut. |
| 96 | A cloak made from jungle leaves and insect shells that aids with camouflage. |
| 97 | A stone statue of some forgotten deity, that seems emit a low rumbling chant in an unknown tongue when struck by moonlight. |
| 98 | The huge claw of a giant jungle predator, if wielded it has the stats of a dagger. |
| 99 | A small leather pouch containing scraps of fur and bone from some unidentified beast. |
| 100 | A drum made from a human skull. |
