Black Sword Hack: Curio Tables

One of the delights of running Castle Xyntillan was the periodic rolling on the Curio table. This d100 list contained items mostly mundane but sometimes magical, silly and serious, which helped to construct the setting (16th-century Alps, in the campaign's case). Each week a couple curios would show up in the base town's shop, and on other occasions the curios would be found in the pockets of Company victims or arriving by post. The items served as little bits of game-able whimsy--moustache wax showed up the same week as a moustached replacement character--or utility, as the bottles of acid and egg grenade did. They also served as a money-sink for an sp=xp campaign. 

As Prismatic Wasteland argues, setting should be communicated implicitly via starting gear options and random tables. Since I am starting a new (fingers crossed) campaign with Black Sword Hack, I began making a d20 starting equipment curio list, one for each character origin, even though the origin story, backgrounds, and weapons provide quite a bit of world-building during character generation. But twenty didn't seem like enough, and it seemed as though these items might be useful for body looting as well, especially more mundane things that might not be the adventure results that the standard Black Sword Hack matrix offers. In the case of scavenging corpses (or maybe visiting a small kiosk in a market), 4:6 rolls on the expected origin table, rolling 5 or 6, however, draws from the other "exotic" lists. Items marked with an asterisk might require further elaboration by the GM.

Inspiration from the original Curio list by Gabor Lux, as well as his "Nocturnal Table"; elements of Gus L's house rules starting gear; items on ktrey's "Random Impedimenta"; Zzarchov Kowalski's "A Thousand Dead Babies"; and probably a dozen whose authorship has been lost through table "Xeroxing." Thanks also to all the merchants who transited Afro-Eurasia early in the second millennium to serve the desires of consumers dwelling hundreds and even thousands of miles away from the origins of the status-bestowing products. These are, perhaps, a bit more mundane overall than sword-and-sorcery items should be. The number in brackets indicates slots for encumbrance (even though BSH does not have this rule).

Black Sword Hack Curios 

Roll	Barbarian	Civilized	Decadent	Roll
01	Amber Nugget	Abacus	Ambergris	01
02	Arrowheads, d6, Stone	Amphora, Olive Oil [2]	Arrowheads, d6, Glass	02
03	Baboon Face, Dried	Ankh Necklace	Bangles, Platinum	03
04	Bamboo Cutting	Arrowheads, d6, Silvered	Bird’s Nest, Edible	04
05	Bangles, Brass	Badge, Metal, Bird Relief	Blood, Gelatinous, Vial	05
06	Barb, Poisoned (1 use)	Bangles, Silver	Beads, Unholy	06
07	Bark, Curative (d6 hp/minor ailment)	Beads, Prayer	Blouse, Leopardskin	07
08	Basket, Reed, Woven	Bell, Small, Bronze	Bodice, Bone-Lace	08
09	Beads, String, Distant* Manufacture	Book, Devotional*	Body Part*, Sorcerer’s Shriveled	09
10	Belt Buckle, Mount*-Shaped	Book, Geography, Strange Things Noted in the [Cardinal Direction]	Book, Chirurgeon’s Manual	10
11	Berries, Staining	Bouquet, Dried, Odorous	Book, Demon* Summoning	11
12	Blanket, Camelhair	Bowl, Glazed Green Ceramic, Comical Bird Illustration	Book, Hagiography*	12
13	Blubber, Chewing	Brandy, Pint	Book, Lurid Poems*	13
14	Bone, Weird Animal*, Runed	Candles, Beeswax	Book, Skin, Tattooed*	14
15	Bonemarrow, Satchet	Cheese, Hard, Hunk	Camphor Unction (“Demon Brain Perfume”)	15
16	Bowl, Turtle Shell	Chop Sticks, Lacquered	Candle, Bloodwax	16
17	Butter, Goat	Chutney, Jarred	Cards, Prophecy, Missing “Death”	17
18	Cactus Leaf, Hallucinogenic	Cinnamon, 3 Sticks	Carvings, Ivory, Depraved	18
19	Candles, Tallow	Clove Paste	Centipedes, Pets	19
20	Cape, Leopardskin	Coconut Milk, Bottle	Cloak, Spidersilk	20
21	Carvings, Wood, Prurient	Codex, Random Language* & Subject* [2]	Clockwork Rat or Songbird	21
22	Caterpillars, Bag, Fragile	Coin, Bronze, Smooth	Clogs, Skin and Wood	22
23	Chain 10’, Bone, Etched	Comb, Ivory	Cockroach, Sugared	23
24	Charcoal Stick	Coral, Colorful Branch	Cod Piece	24
25	Chew, Dried Leaf*	Cylinder, Clay, Cuneiformed	Coins, Funereal	25
26	Clam, Sealed inside* 1) pearl, 2) sand, 3) black gunk, 4) fishbones, 5) a key, 6) nothing	Dates, Palm, Dried	Cuttlefish, Dried	26
27	Cord, 30’, Palm Fiber	Devotional Wafer	Doll, Lifelike Eyes	27
28	Deer Cake, Fermented	Dictionary, Short, 2 Languages (Random)*	Dust, Powdered Mummy	28
29	Driftwood Branch	Document, Governmentt, Indecipherable	Egg, Reptile, Leathery	29
30	Dung, Animal*, Bag	Fan, Paper	Egg, Thousand-Year-Old (Food)	30
31	Ear Gauge, Copper	Figurine, Soapstone, Salamander	Embalming Fluid	31
32	Earthworms, Live, Pouch	Figurine, Lumpenmetal, A God*	Eye, Glass, Green	32
33	Entrails, Livestock [2]	Fingerbone, Maybe Holy	Eyeballs, Human, Jarred	33
34	Fat, Congealed, Jar	Flask, Empty	Feathers, Harpy	34
35	Feathers, Ostrich	Fork, Two-Pronged, Verdigrised	Figurines, Obscene, Jade	35
36	Fish Sauce	Furniture, Bamboo Footstool [2]	Fingernail Clippings, Curled, 6”	36
37	Fish*, Smoked	Game Pieces, Wooden	Furniture, Ebony Footrest [3]	37
38	Fishing Hook & Line	Garment*, Ink-Stained	Glitter	38
39	Fowl*, Small, Alive	Geneaology of Family	Grave Dirt	39
40	Fur, Ermine	Gin, Bottle	Glue, Pot	40
41	Furniture, Hassock, Goatskin [3]	Goldfish, Jarred	Hair Dye	41
42	Gourd, Calabash, Small	Gown, Voluminously-Sleeved	Hair, Human, Bundled	42
43	Grease, Pouch	Holy Symbol*, Lacquered	Hairpin, Poisoned	43
44	Hand, Severed, Dried (5:6 human, 1:6 ape)*	Holy Symbol, Forgotten Cult*	Hook Hand	44
45	Hat, Wool, Knitted	Hose, Silk	Hookah [2]	45
46	Herbs, Fragrant	Incense Clock	Hourglass	46
47	Hide, Partially Tanned, Stinks	Ink & Quill	Incense Thurible	47
48	Honeycomb	Instrument, Rhubab/Guimbris/Fidel	Jellyfish, Dried, Sting!	48
49	Horn, Drinking	Jawbone, Saint’s	Kaftan	49
50	Incense Sticks	Jhodpurs	Lemur, Taxidermied	50
51	Ingot, Tiny, Brass	Key*, Ornate	Liver, Shark	51
52	Instrument, Flute, Bone	Kindling, Aromatic, Sandalwood	Lotus* Powder	52
53	Instrument, Sheepskin Drum	Lamp, Tarnished	Lubrication, Snail	53
54	Jerky, Livestock*	Locket	Manacles	54
55	Kelp, Still Moist	Map*, Hastily Sketched	Mask, Domino	55
56	Knife, Sacrificial, Snake Coils	Mustard, Satchet	Mask, Leprosy	56
57	Lizard*, Small, In Pouch, Live	Nightsoil, Processed, Pouch	Mead, Honeyed	57
58	Locust, Smoked, Bag	Notebook, Blackmail Material*	Mercury, Vial	58
59	Mask, Witchdoctor	Nuts, Betel	Mirror, Silvered	59
60	Mica, Small Sheet	Painted Cakes	Monkey, Pet	60
61	Mushroom, Poison	Papyrus Sheets	Noose, Silk	61
62	Musk, Polecat	Paste, Sweet Black, Jar	Nuts, Testicles of a Eunuch	62
63	Necklace, Ape Teeth	Peppers, Dried, Very Spicy	Painting, Oil, Portrait	63
64	Necklace, Cowrie	Pipe, Wooden	Pantofles, Felt	64
65	Necklace, Crocodile Teeth	Playing Cards, Marked	Paper, Scrap “Please Let Yunis Get Fucked” Scrawled	65
66	Nuts, Mongongo	Pot, Cooking, Metal	Pastry, Honeyed with Pistachio	66
67	Obsidian Cutting Tool	Prayer* Slips, Leather Neck Pouch	Paw, Mummified (Random Beast*)	67
68	Ochre Paint	Prints, Woodcut, Indecent	Peaches and Pears	68
69	Paste, White Oxide	Purse, Cut, Secret Pocket	Peacock Tail	69
70	Pillow, Moss	Receipt, Substandard Copper Ingots	Perfume, Overpowering	70
71	Pot, Large Seashell [2]	Recipe, Fish Pate	Pickled Meat, Jar	71
72	Purgative, Herbal	Ribbon	Pie, Eel	72
73	Resin, Tree, Flammable	Ring, Signet	Plate, Embedded Skull	73
74	Rhino Horn	Rope, Knotted, Hemp, 30’	Poppy, Powdered	74
75	Roaches, Jungle, Fried	Rushes, Fat-Soaked	Potion, Virility	75
76	Runestone, Tiny	Salt Cellar, Ivory, Tribesman Relief	Prosthesis, Wooden	76
77	Saddlebags, Woven	Scalpel	Punch, Eggmilk	77
78	Salt Block	Sculpture, Glass, Fragile	Puzzle-Box, Engraved, Wooden	78
79	Sand, Pink, Glassy Granules	Scytale	Rat, Live, Bagged	79
80	Scorpion, Live	Slippers, Dancer’s	Recipe, Roasted Dormice	80
81	Shrunken Head*, Human (2:6) or Monkey (4:6)	Smock	Robes, Mothsilk	81
82	Skull*, Tiny, Fragile	Soap	Robes, Worn Important Organization	82
83	Snakeskin	Songbird, Tropical, Small Cage	Rope, 30’, Silk	83
84	Snare	Spectacles	Rouge and Kohl	84
85	Spidersilk Pouch, Dried Rodent Inside	Spicy Paste, Jar	Saffron, Sachet	85
86	Starfish, Dried	Spindle, Wooden, Thread	Sand, Fine, Bag	86
87	Statuette, Bronze, Frog, Crude	Spyglass	Scarab	87
88	Sticks, Painted	Statuette, Random Beast*	Scarf, Sable	88
89	Stomach, Sheep, One End Sewn	Tea, Powdered	Scroll, Ravings	89
90	Sugarcane Cutting	Thimble, Tin	Smelling Salts	90
91	Teeth, Blackened, Loose	Tiles, Game	Snail, Pet, Silvered Shell	91
92	Testicles, Buffalo	Title, Expensive Obligations	Statuette, Basalt, Frog	92
93	Tool, Knapping	Token, Wooden, Monkey Relief	Statuette, Random Monster*	93
94	Trophy* of Defeated Enemy	Tonic, Sour, Inefficacious	Tadpoles, Jarred	94
95	Trousers, Yak Fur	Toy, Wooden, Crocodile	Tincture of Birthwort	95
96	Tuber, Pale, Fibrous	Turban, Cotton	Toad, Mummified	96
97	Unguent for Pests	Wax Seal, Personal	Umbrella, Paper	97
98	Warhorn, Antelope	Wax, Bees’	Veil	98
99	Wine, Mango, Wineskin	Wig, Human Hair	Wine, Pomegranate, Ewer	99
00	Yoghurt, Liquid, Pouch (3:6 alcoholic)	Wine, Vinegar, Jug [2]	Wine, Truffle, Bottle	00