1d100 Magic Words – General

The Magic Word system is my attempt to replace the Magic User spell list with quick-and-easy spell creation. I like the idea of a world where most spells are unique to each Magician. As I mentioned in my previous post on the subject, I’m playtesting the idea in my current game, and it’s going really well! The group’s MU is enjoying the process of discovering new words, and coming up with unique ways to combine them. I am enjoying writing new spells, and the additional texture the system adds to my game world. Even the non-MU party members seem to be enjoying the odd sorts of magic created by the system.

The one hiccup I have been running into is quickly generating new words on the fly. I’ve tried a few different random word generators on the Internet, but there are just too many ungameable words to make those options feasible. What I need is a curated table of words to roll on. So I figured I’d just write up a d100 table of evocative words. I’ll probably do a new one of these every few months until I’ve got enough for a d1000 table.

This first list, I grant, is a little generic. I feel like it would be a mistake to leave out words like “fire” and “ice” in the base list. Later lists will doubtless be more oddball than this one. Perhaps after this each list will be themed? Like “100 evil words,” or “100 seemingly useless words?” That would be cool.

Two notes. First, remember that words encompass all of their various permutations. So discovering the magic word “Fire” means you can craft spells with words like “Firey,” “Fired,” “Fire’s” or “Firing” in their name.

Second, regarding the 10 “name” entries at the end. D&D has a long tradition of big-name casters like Tenser who live on through the spells that bear their name. I like this idea! So in the Magic Word system, using a specific wizard’s name as part of the spell you’re crafting means that what you’re actually doing is uncovering a spell first created by some long dead master of the arcane arts. And when the referee is writing up the spell, they can draw on that caster’s history and talent when determining the spell’s effects. In order that the players can reasonably have knowledge of the casters whose spells they are discovering, I’ve chosen to use mostly real-world historical figures. This more or less works in my current game, as it takes place in the distant future of our real world. Your milage may vary on that. I demonstrated how I intend for this to work in the “More Magic Words in Action” post.

  1. Shark
  2. Rabbit
  3. Bear
  4. Eagle
  5. Ape
  6. Serpent
  7. Frog
  8. Sight
  9. Smell
  10. Feel
  11. Taste
  12. Hear
  13. Balance
  14. Eye
  15. Brain
  16. Bone
  17. Blood
  18. Hand
  19. Hard
  20. Soft
  21. Send
  22. Return
  23. Open
  24. Close
  25. Truth
  26. Falsehood
  27. Riot
  28. Soothe
  29. Tiny
  30. Titanic
  31. Day
  32. Night
  33. Love
  34. Hate
  35. Peace
  36. War
  37. Acid
  38. Water
  39. Ice
  40. Electricity
  41. Fire
  42. Poison
  43. Gravity
  44. Nature
  45. Gas
  46. Beam
  47. Lash
  48. Absorb
  49. Invest
  50. Core
  51. Free
  52. Death
  53. Corpse
  54. Shatter
  55. Crush
  56. Laugh
  57. Fear
  58. Vile
  59. Screech
  60. Chain
  61. Wood
  62. Steel
  63. Soil
  64. Stone
  65. Shield
  66. Pierce
  67. Choke
  68. Alter
  69. Animate
  70. Move
  71. Play
  72. Share
  73. Know
  74. Distant
  75. Sigil
  76. Swift
  77. Wall
  78. Child
  79. Path
  80. Cancel
  81. Body
  82. Realm
  83. Ring
  84. Flight
  85. Weird
  86. Machine
  87. Code
  88. Reveal
  89. Secret
  90. Name: Lovelace
  91. Name: Moses
  92. Name: Robespierre
  93. Name: Washington
  94. Name: Zalekios (Unique to my game. You can use Cleopatra)
  95. Name: Socrates
  96. Name: Augustus
  97. Name: Napoleon
  98. Name: Shakespeare
  99. Name: Caesar
  100. Name: Hitler