This is a rough draft and incomplete, but the bulk of the idea is here. I'm sure I will continue to post updates as I work on it...
So You've Been Hired by The Church to Hunt Witches...
The Church is corrupt, dogmatic, self-righteous, bureaucratic, grandiose, powerful, vindictive, and filthy fucking rich.
Witches are cunning, violent, cruel, treacherous, obsessive, petty, and aggressively secretive.
Officially, The Church does not hire ne'er do well scum like you. All properly sanctioned and legal witch hunting is of course to be handled only by bonded holy knights of The Church. However, these days the knights are all abroad fighting in the war. Someone has to pick up the slack.
You are off-the-record contractors, necessary, but expendable and instantly disavowable. It's a shit job, but The Church pays oh so well.
So You've Been Hired by The Church to Hunt Witches is a system-agnostic adventure generator for tabletop role playing games. It uses a detailed outline of touchstone events which are each randomized to facilitate the creation of similarly themed, yet infinitely unique adventures. It can be used to generate single adventures or an entire episodic campaign. You as the GM will need to fill in detail, but the system will give you a strong start and hopefully more than a little inspiration. There are also tools in the Game Resources section which are there to help you fill in the gaps.
The tone of these adventures can range from dark to fully grim-dark, depending on preference. The PCs will be hunting dangerous and malicious creatures who prey on the weak for their own dark pleasures. This is however NOT a tool to create a game in which the PCs are gleeful arms of a fascist state or a violent patriarchy. Both The Church and the witches are evil. It is up to the players to decide what that means and what to do about it.
If hunting the witches isn't your group's cup of tea, sections of the adventure generator tools can still be used to create interesting and unique witches to use as NPCs or even a patron for a warlock PC.
What follows is a series of roll tables to use for generating a witch hunting adventure. As with any roll table in any adventure, if you see a result that you really like, pick it. Or if you have your own idea to use that you like better, use that. No need to roll. You don't need anyone's permission, and even if you think you do, I am giving you mine.
Generating The Adventure
I. The PCs Are Approached and Offered a Job By ...
D8 (1. retired knight 2. young priest 3. bishop's assistant 4. estranged/disgraced church leader 5. hunters guild member 6. concerned family member of person in destination town 7. altar boy 8. church deacon)
II. ... They Must Travel To ...
town name generator - 5D20
(1. Ross 2. Van 3. Man 4. Ess 5. Gail 6. Burn 7. Diel 8 Bear 9. Stuss 10. Hinn 11. Bonn 12. Ham 13. Rote 14. Wang 15. Eben 16. Feld 17. Salz 18. Graz 19. Hall 20. Klos)
(1. den 2. der 3. mer 4. en 5. ner 6. bin 7. gen 8. fal 9-20. add nothing)
(1. bell 2. kell 3. haff 4. binner 5-20. add nothing)
(1. kin 2. feller 3. felten 4. kesten 5. ten 6-20. add nothing)
(1. tetten 2. heim 3. stadt 4. raz 5. beck 6. keirch 7. bruk 8. berg 9. hofen 10. birn 11. bach 12. dorf 13. wald 14. land 15. holtz 16. dern 17. deln 18. nitz 19. mend 20 ling)
... Which is a ...
D6 (1. lonely farmstead 2-3. tiny village 3-4. small town 5. midsized town 6. large city)
III. ... On the Way To Get There They Must First Traverse A ...
D8 (1. haunted 2. polluted 3. cursed 4. flooded 5. living 6. labyrinthine 7. frozen 8.
D8 (1. forest 2. sewer 3. valley 4. graveyard 5. mountain pass 6. city 7. swamp 8. river)
IV. ... Which is Full of ...
D8 (1. wolves 2. bandits 3. zealots of the church 4. minions of the witch they are hunting 5. undead 6. another witch 7. competing hunters 8. a powerful troll)
V. ... Along the Way They Will Encounter ...
D (1. rickety bridge 2. dangerous river crossing 3. getting lost 4. prying eyes of an unfriendly town/city 5. hermit shack 6. treacherous weather 7.
D (random encounters
VI. ... In Order to Hunt ...
Witch Name Generator:
D10 (1. Auntie 2. Granny 3. Grandmother 4. Nanny 5. Momma 6. Mother 7. Mammy 8. Nanna 9. Ole 10. Old)
D20 (1. Agatha 2. Helga 3. Esther 4. Edith 5. Clara 6. Mildred 7. Hattie 8. Ethel 9. Gertrude 10. Bessie 11. Bertha 12. Evelyn 13. Matilda 14. Florence 15. Agnes 16. Gladys 17. Gretchen 18. Mabel 19. Winnifred 20. Claudette)
D20 (1. Grim 2. Grey 3. Black 4. Rot 5. Blood 6. Hell 7. Dark 8. Fang 9. Slime 10. Stink 11. Night 12. Puss 13. Snot 14. Moon 15. Piss 16. Rat 17. Mud 18. Bug 19. Spider 20. Dirt)
D20 (1. Tooth 2. Mouth 3. Foot 4. Eye 5. Hand 6. Claw 7. Beak 8. Knuckle 9. Nail 10. Finger 11. Toe 12. Back 13. Nose 14. Bottom 15. Face 16. Belly 17. Gut 18. Breath 19. Horn 20. Hair)
Witch motivation D12 (1. start a cult to their patron 2. corrupt children to evil 3. collect spell components 4. corrupt and torture innocents 5. bring patron to material plane 6. collect corpses 7. destroy the church 8. gain power 9. establish a coven 10. a feud with another witch 11. expand territory 12. kill people, cook them, and trick others into eating it )
Bekend table (familiars)
D12 (1-2 cat 3. rat. 4. owl 5. spider 6. crow 7. toad 8. lizard 9. wolf 10. hare 11. bat 12. roll 2 & combine)
with
D12 (1. wings* 2. vibrant colors 3. speech 4. clothing 5. a hat 6. human face 7. tail* 8. beard 9. mustache 10. horns/antlers 11. albino 12. gills*)
*if the creature normally has this, roll again
The witch bekend relationship is often powerful and peculiar. The two share a loving bond, though often also the pair can be a bit contentious. Much like an old married couple, a bekend would lay down their life for their master, but at the same time the two might argue and bicker constantly.
Witch's specialty D (1. divination 2. illusion 3. curses 4. cold 5. dreams / dream manipulation 6. unnatural physical strength 7. potions / poisons 8. beasts 9. plants 10. fire 11. mind control / trickery 12. summoning
Witch vibe table - The Witch...
D20( 1. adores 2. covets 3. loathes 4. dreams of 5. lusts for 6. obsesses over 7. longs for 8. born of 9. sings about 10. consumes 11. conjures 12. draws power from 13. whispers to 14. bathes in 15. listens to 16. runes show them 17. draws/paints 18. wears 19. fears 20. cooks)
D20( 1. twins 2. children 3. insects 4. rot 5. the moon 6. spiders 7. cats 8. lake water 9. blood 10. lies 11. mushrooms 12. fire 13. death 14. shadows 15. moss 16. secrets 17. rain 18. crows 19. their patron's rival 20. the PCs)
The witch should have a calling card or a symbol of her presence. The party should find this ominously in the woods, on the body of a victim, or in a child's bedroom. This should also be used to herald her arrival.
calling card (symbol)- D20 (1. autumn leaves 2. iron keys 3. black feathers 4. long wet hair 5. black sludge 6. seawater 7. cold/snow/ice 8. rot and mold 9. black sand 10. brightly colored candy 11. children's toys 12. extremely appealing & elaborate food 13. fancy formalwear 14. wildflowers 15. fetishes made of bone, sinew, sticks, teeth, ect 16. mirrors and reflective surfaces 17. thick lush greenery 18. spiders and spiderwebs 19. soil and mud 20. a particular insect (D6: 1. moths 2. flies 3. beetles 4. roaches 5. worms 6. crickets))
collection table - every witch obsessively collects something...
D20 (1. bones 2. moss 3. snake skins 4. teeth 5. fingernails 6. moths 7. night air 8. children's breath 9. unhatched animal eggs 10. broken weapons 11. preserved tongues 12. river stones 13. ash 14. tumors 15. spell books 16. stolen mail 17. strange teas 18. divination tools 19. dried flowers / plants 20. grave dirt)
More powerful witches may have a specific way that they must be killed and/or a death plague.
How Can they be killed? (weakness) D (1. only with sword won in a duel 2. holy fire 3. drowned 4. beheaded 5. crushed 6. consumed by animals 7. buried in sanctified ground 8.
If slain, a plague of... D12 (1. necromancy 2. rats 3. plants die & can not grow 4. spiders & flies 5. eclipse & darkness 6. boils and sores 7. nightmares 8. cold 9. weird plants 10. animals become aggressive 11. rain 12. whatever the witch collected)
VII. Upon Arrival at Their Destination They Find ...
Foreshadowing encounter D (1. bekend is watching the party 2. witch is watching the party in another form/ disguise 3. encounter results of witch's work 4. corpse of previous witch hunter(s) 5.
Initial State of the Town, D12 (1. paranoia 2. suspect about to be lynched (D6 1-5 suspect is innocent, 6 it's the witch) 3. mustering a hunting party 4. everyone distrusts everyone 5. divided on on the witch issue 6. violence 7. denial 8. given up 9. oblivious 10. adults missing, kids running the place 11. town children have been corrupted by witch 12.
VIII. ... The Locals are Blaming the Witch for ....
D20 (1-4. missing children 5. crop failure 6. serial murders 7. disturbed graves 8. bad omens 9. plague 10. animal deaths 11. terrible weather 12. nightmares 13. infertility / stillbirths 14. nightly wild animal attacks 15. the woods being haunted 16. strange animal behavior 17. strange things pulled from the water by fishermen 18. economic woes 19. that sound at night 20. missing valuables)
Is this actually the Witch's fault? D4 (1-3 Yes 4. No)
IX. ... The Ticking Clock Driving Tension in the Situation is ...
D (1. Hekse Nag (witch's night) approaches 2. prominent citizen is directly effected by the above issue and wants resolution 3. local church leader is riling up the people 4. rival hunters are on their way 5. the witch is going to complete a powerful ritual 6. folk are being killed 7.
X. ... Knocking on a Door to Interview the Inhabitants You Find ...
2D4 -1 people live here
their opinion of you: 2D6 (2. terrible, threatens you 3-5. poor, takes convincing to answer questions, will only help with motivation 6-8. mixed, average, could go either way 9-11. good, cooperates, will offer tea / lunch 12. fast friends, will help in any way possible, will offer you a place to stay)
Situation in the home: D10 (1. one resident was directly effected by the problem being blamed on the witch 2. everyone in the home except one thinks the witch is just a fairy tale 2. one person knows something and is hiding it 3. one or more have encountered the witch as children 4. disagreement on the witch issue 5. at least one person in the home thinks one of their family members is the witch 6. one member of the house sympathizes with the witch and has/will aid them 7.
They convey D2 false rumors and D2 true rumors
Witch Rumors D100
(1. can make you do things 2. can take animal forms 3. eats children 4. amphibious 5. can control weather 6. hibernates for years at a time 7. can't stand sunlight 8. has troubled this town for centuries 9. has been captured and killed before 10. knows your dreams 11. can travel through dreams 12. becomes nigh unkillable on Hekse Nag 13. forages for mushrooms 14. talks to animals 15. ages in reverse 16. hundreds of years old 17. can fly 18. can be invisible 19. travels underground tunnels 20. leaves small totems in the woods 21. eats insects 22. speaks with the dead 23. was once left at the altar 24. gave birth to a wolf 25. eat live fish from the river 26. uses squirrels as spies 27. can pass through solid walls 28. if she looks in your eyes she can know how you'll die 29. fell in love with a demon 30. was advisor to the emperor a thousand years ago 31. impervious to fire 32. causes sleepwalking 33. hut made of human bones 34. visits children at night with candy 35. knows your worst fears 36. knows your deepest desires 37. was born in a litter of wolves 38. three rows of teeth 39. lays eggs 40. hatched from an egg 41. sleeps in pig's blood 42. sells child's dreams at the Goblin Market 43. no reflection in mirror 44. can't stand singing 45. hides in the shadow realm during the day 46. once tricked a fae king 47. no steel weapon can harm her 48. can pass through a keyhole 49. goat hooves for feet 50. back is covered in fur 51. covered in black feathers 52. one cloudy eye can see ghosts 53. is part of an ancient coven 54. grows poisonous fruit in the forest 55. turns into a stag to trick hunters 56. drinks swamp tea 57. has black claws 58. strong sense of smell like a wolf 59. is a wendigo 60. lives at the bottom of a lake 61. bakes enchanted pastries 62. bakes victims into pies 63. strolls the forest as a beautiful woman 64. twelve fingers 65. birds spy for her 66. never sleeps 67. can take the form of anyone she has touched 68. dogs can tell when she is near 69. can see through any mirror/ glass surface 70. can travel through mirrors 71. lair is at the center of a labyrinth 72. voice can charm you 73. speaks to plants 74. is hiding a powerful magical item 75. is preforming a powerful ritual that takes years 76. has cursed a powerful official of The Church 77. can raise the dead 78. was born a raven 79. sister is a mermaid 80. mother was a banshee 81. was once a member of The Church and was cast out 82. blood is a powerful acid 83. can turn into a cloud of black flies 84. forked tongue 85. manipulated two sides into starting a terrible war long ago 86. has goat eyes 87. has horns 88. has bird legs/feet 89.
Each subsequent home after the first may add one new rumor (D4: 1-3 false 4 true), and will repeat the other rumors. Add personal stories, especially to the false rumors which should be embellished more and more with each retelling. Use both the truths and falsehoods to create the core situation-
XI. ... And With Further Investigation They May Find What is Really Going On...
D20 (1. prominent townsperson is the witch in disguise 2. secret cult within the town 3. town children have all been corrupted and work for the witch 4. local church leader in league with the witch 5. power clash between local church and political leader(s) 6. the witch is actually a demon or devil 7. the person everyone thinks is the witch is in fact not 8. the witch sent the request for you to come 9. someone in town is responsible for the problems and has created the witch narrative 10. The Church has set the PCs up 11. a coven of witches is at work 12. the witch is in the process of corrupting a part of the forest 13. 14.
XII. ... At the Most Dramatic Possible Moment, a Final Surprise ...
D (1. the witch has a final, more powerful form 2. that NPC that has been helping the PCs betrays them 3. the environment of the final battle escalates 4. someone (or something) they thought was dead comes back 5. the PCs lose something valuable to the fight (weapons, skills, magic, ect) 6. the witch curses the PCs, which raises the stakes 7. a PC is isolated 8. the witch gets reinforcements 9. the witch is able to heal 10. the witch reveals a shocking truth about The Church or makes the PCs question things 11. the witch gets an opportunity to flee, the PCs can chose to follow 12. the witch reveals the powerful curse that will occur if she is slain 13. the "witch" was actually the familiar in disguise, the familiar is the real witch 14. The entire town is controlled by/ supports/ has been replaced by/ ect the witch 15. the witch was being manipulated / controlled / threatened by a higher power and is an unwilling participant 16. the witch was a powerful being imprisoned inside the "witch's" body which is freed when slain
Game Resources
Hekse Praat - "The Witch's Tongue" is the witch language they use to communicate as well as in their spells, rituals, and curses. Here are some vocabulary words...
Hekse Nag - Witch's Night - The one night of the year when the veil between realms is thinnest, and therefore Witches are at their most powerful as their connection to their patron is strongest
bekend - the witch's familiar
krag - magic or "the power"
kerke - The Church
aarden - nature
beskwig - civilization , used as a curse word by withes
versam - a witch's collection, that which they obsessively collect
jagt / hekse jagt - a witch hunter
kind / kinder - children
Witch Trials - Suspected witches are put on trial by The Church, and while this can sometimes be a bit of a formality, it is taken extremely seriously. It is preferred (and more profitable) that witches be brought in alive, so that they can stand trial. Hunters bringing a suspect for trial must present formal evidence that they have collected during the hunt. [create one page evidence sheet, printer friendly for use as handout]
Witch Hunter's Guild - With the vast majority of Holy Knights abroad the need for witch hunters has grown to the point that a new guild has been formed. This guild is not recognized by The Church, the government, or even by other guilds due to its dubious legality, but its membership numbers are on the rise.
The Antelope & Toad - The unofficial witch hunters guild headquarters. This is the best place to find a job or meet fellow hunters.
NPCs- Anna "Stubbs" the bartender: a short, gnarled hedge of a woman. She runs a tight ship and takes no bullshit, but is kind and helpful if you tip well and follow the rules. Order anything other than ale or whiskey and she'll give you a snarl.
Karl, the regular: always perched in his corner seat - looks like he might have been something back in his day, now he is old, grey, and drunk. He'll tell you a story if you buy him a drink. All of his stories have a different scar to go with them.
Things overheard at the bar... D20 (
Someone sits down next to you... D10 (1-5. Hunter 6. priest 7. perspective hunter 8. retired hunter 9. injured knight 10. random citizen)
Who is... D20 (1. out of shape 2. creepy 3. well dressed 4. bad breath 5. overly friendly 6. gruff 7. boisterous 8. muscular 9. paranoid 10. aggressive 11. depressed 12. true believer 13. upbeat 14. professional 15. bloodthirsty 16. generous 17. nosy 18. bored 19. scarred 20. friend of Stubbs)
Who needs D10 (1. a job 2. a drink (or ten) 3. to escape a criminal charge 4. someone to take a job 5. to brag about exploits 6. a sympathetic ear 7. someone to take home 8. fast cash 9. to hide from The Church 10. to tell you a rumor about a witch)
An Ongoing Campaign - This system can be used to generate near infinite adventures for your players to hunt witches. In time, the following questions may arise:
Why are there so many witches? Is The Church evil? Are we evil for working for them? The game should be morally dubious. Show The Church doing evil things like railroading trials, ignoring the poverty of its people while hoarding wealth, abusing power, ect. The witches are also evil. They corrupt and murder children, engage in deals with horrific otherworldly beings, and generally revel in the misfortunes of others. This is the situation the PCs find themselves in. How they handle it is up to them. The townspeople that are stuck between the greed of The Church and the bloodlust of the witches are the only good folk, and you as the GM must make them worth fighting for.
When running an ongoing episodic campaign or "Witch of the Week" style play, you may want to insert a framing narrative. A framing narrative is an overarching story that adds structure and a serialized plot to the campaign. D6 (1.
You may choose to not roll for section I each time. Let the PCs develop a relationship with a certain representative of The Church or a contact at the hunter's guild. If they do a good job with their first hunt this person will keep coming back to offer them more jobs. The PCs could also just get jobs off the board at the Antelope & Toad as well.
