Your players are ready to relax after an action-packed day of adventuring. But what surprises await them when they step into the tavern? Here’s a list of one hundred unique, thrilling, and sometimes risky features that might be waiting inside.
| d100 | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1 | This tavern requires all guests to wear masks. It is a somewhat shady, but otherwise classy place . Much of the clientele is the city elite looking for excitement, but the prices allow a working class crowd for them to blend in with. |
| 2 | This tavern is the very definition of upper class. They won't let anyone inside that isn't wearing the appropriate noble clothing, ESPECIALLY not dirty adventurers. Once inside, all of the couches and seats are made with the finest velvet. The wines and dishes they have for sale are immaculate but incredibly expensive. |
| 3 | Knee high platforms crisscross the tavern floor so that the Halfling servers can easily fill mugs and clear tables. It does make for a tripping hazard for tall folk, so watch your step. |
| 4 | The common area in this tavern has an open room to let sunlight in and a lush garden filled with beautifully tended plants from all around the region. |
| 5 | The ceiling of this tavern is painted to look like the night sky. Small motes of witch light are embedded into the ceiling, giving the 'stars' a shimmering look to them. |
| 6 | The bar is managed by a sorceress and her apprentices. Unseen servants carry orders between tables while the apprentices tend to the kegs of magically enhanced brew. Many of the doors and passageways of the tavern may be used as portals if the proper keys and rituals are performed. |
| 7 | This tavern has a challenge called the 'Potion Chug'. At the end of the week, all of the loose and lost potions that the tavernkeeper finds around the bar during clean up is all poured into a small barrel of ale. The challenge is to drink a whole pint of the magical ale. Drinking the ale causes all sorts of random effects: anything from all your hair falling out to growing large bat wings on your back. |
| 8 | This tavern collects helmets that people have been killed in. Around the bar, there are dozens and dozens of dented, split, and rusted helmets. |
| 9 | The bar is known for its strong drinks. Occasionally, a drunken reveler will come in demanding 'hammerbrew', which will invariably knock them out for 1d4 hours. Hammerbrew is incredibly expensive and the barmaid demands to be paid in advance, including tip! |
| 10 | In the corner of the inn lies an extraordinarily carved statue of an elf made from wood. The statue has collected dust over the years, but the incredible craftsmanship is apparent. The tavernkeeper says that one stormy night, he was closing the windows and noticed the statue lying in the brush near the tavern. He has no idea where it came from, or who the statue is representing. |
| 11 | The proprietor of the tavern is a shifty old dwarf, always looking over his shoulder and scanning the room. Occasionally he is spotted speaking to the bar itself as he wipes down the counter top. Whenever the fire in the hearth is dying, he runs his hand over the mantle, whispers to it in a comforting manner before the entire building shudders, creaks, strains, before letting out a groaning exhale and the fire is revitalized. Some believe the tavern itself is living. |
| 12 | This rather expensive, high-end tavern serves dozens of traditional clay oven dishes. All of these are hand-made by the clay golem bartender, straight from the oven embedded in their chest. |
| 13 | This tavern inducts cultists. The owner of this tavern is a high-ranking officer within a dark cult, and the function of this tavern is to recruit new members. The owner relies on both magic and keen insight to identify customers with the right predisposition to be indoctrinated in the organization. If threatened, the owner will pull a rope, ringing a bell that will summon reinforcements. |
| 14 | The tavern has had enough of twitchy adventurers. All wood fittings have been burned to a blackened tone, and a large sign suggests any magic usage will lead to a ban from all establishments in the area. People are often thrown out for appearing to use magic, even if they aren’t. |
| 15 | This tavern has a high ceiling adorned with a crudely carved life-sized mermaid suspended over the bar. This nearly nude woman is adorned with more than a score of blackened and shriveled severed hands of patrons who did not pay their bills. |
| 16 | This tavern is the hangout of a dangerous gang. The locals all stay away, but travelers sometimes blunder in by mistake. The ruffians inside are silently estimating the party’s ability to defend itself. |
| 17 | The Bartender and serving girls all wear bright green and gold floral sashes over their left shoulders, draped across and tied at the right hip. A few patrons wearing similar sashes drink for free. |
| 18 | This tavern takes privacy and secrecy very seriously. When you first enter the tavern, you are given a mask and cloak and escorted to a private room with no windows. Patron's conversations are all kept private from the outside world. |
| 19 | There is some strange skeleton mounted to the wall above the fireplace of this tavern. Nobody knows what kind of creature it belongs to or where it came from, but it's been there for so long that patrons just accept and celebrate its existence. |
| 20 | The bar is situated on a pier, and has a lower level where patrons can fish and let their feet sit in the water, where small fish nibble on the skin harmlessly. The cook will fry up anything you catch for free! |
| 21 | This tavern is a front for investigators. A group dedicated to wiping out corruption built this tavern specifically to acquire evidence against nobles and government officials. The tavern is secretly staffed by retired law enforcement officers and journalists, and is replete with scrying devices and hidden observation chambers. Adventurers might be shooed away, or asked to aid in surveillance. |
| 22 | This opulent tavern is adorned with all manner of dark and gothic decorations. A favored haunt for all manner of unsavory characters, this tavern is actually a front for an organized crime ring. |
| 23 | The tavern is located in one of the poorer parts of the town but uncharacteristically lavish chandeliers, well-kept and polished countertops, and high-quality alcohol and entertainment make it a popular hideout for the city’s nobility (perhaps they fund the establishment). |
| 24 | The tavern is actually an illegal speakeasy. With prohibition laws in full effect many taverns have been forced to go underground. Supplied by illegal moonshine and smuggled liquor, this new style of tavern, the speakeasy, has become all the rage throughout the kingdom. Within a speakeasy, the party goes all night long, so long as the authorities don't spring a surprise raid. |
| 25 | This tavern has a number of magical paintings that can talk to people and hold conversations. The people in the paintings are always excited to hear about what's happening in the outside world. |
| 26 | This tavern’s flaws are being concealed by illusions. Desperate to impress a wealthy buyer, the owner has enlisted a wizard friend in covering up the establishment’s many, sometimes dangerous, deficiencies. Glamers conceal holes in the floor, vermin, shabby furniture, and hideous dishes. |
| 27 | A shady alchemist behind the tavern will sell sleeping potions and other concoctions for people to buy and spike drinks with. The tavern owner is aware of this man, but isn't doing anything about him due to him sharing some of his profits. |
| 28 | This tavern has a nautical theme. Every 'table' is actually a wooden boat that the patrons climb into. Nets, ship wheels, and whale bones line the walls of the tavern. |
| 29 | Benches mounted to the walls assure that every patron has a protected back. There are no stools or seats at the bar. No one will be getting backstabbed at this establishment. |
| 30 | The bar is staffed with retired 'adventurers'. All are significantly mauled, scarred and most missing fingers, eyes, or limbs. Similarly battered adventurers will drink for free, in return for a tale to the general audience. |
| 31 | The tavernkeeper at this tavern is obsessed with collecting new and exciting trinkets from around the world. The walls and corners of this tavern are adorned with glass cases that protect shiny trinkets and baubles that have been procured. The tavernkeeper is willing to sell or trade any of the trinkets. |
| 32 | An elaborate tapestry hangs behind the bar. Rumor has it that there are secret symbols and writings embroidered into the pattern. Some say it’s a treasure map. Others say it’s magical incantations for powerful spells. And others claim it hides the password for a secret society. The barkeep says she just thought it was pretty. |
| 33 | This tavern is built around a hot spring. The central area of this spacious tavern includes an open-air spring where bathers relax in a large pool. Inside, a smaller pool is used by the cooks for low-tech sous vide. Accommodations at this location are extravagant, with renowned chefs, far-traveled sommeliers, talented bards, silk sheets, and prices to match. |
| 34 | Soft, magical music fills the room, just over the din of the occupants. Each patron, however, hears a different tune/instrument to fit their mood/preference. |
| 35 | This tavern reeks of pickled fish. The owner cures them himself and sells them to travelers in sealed clay pots. The pots do little to mask the odor. |
| 36 | This tavern is filled with rats but not in a bad way. These rats belong to the tavernkeeper and she has named every one of them. The rats will wander around the tavern, sometimes climbing up the leg of a patron to try and get to their meals. |
| 37 | While normal appearing from the outside, inside the bar and tables are all molded from one tree, which is rooted in the bar and has carefully been bent and flattened over hundreds of years to serve as a bar and tables. The tree is still alive and growing, with a leaf sprouting here and there. |
| 38 | This tavern specializes in a number of fungi-based dishes. There is a cave system located a short distance from the tavern where the tavernkeeper collects and grows a variety of mushrooms. |
| 39 | This tavern is an intellectual hub. This tavern is empty when the PCs arrive, but slowly begins to fill up with robed patrons. This is the favored watering hole of several prominent sages and scholars. This is a site of intense intellectual debate and discussion, and they will not tolerate rowdiness of any kind. |
| 40 | An enchanted lute provides a musical accompaniment to the tavern. It has a respectable repertoire, but one string is out of tune. The tavern owner despises bards, having his lover swept off by one. |
| 41 | The mugs are enchanted to refill themselves when you snap your fingers. |
| 42 | This tavern takes privacy and secrecy very seriously. When you first enter the tavern, you are given a mask and cloak and escorted to a private room with no windows. What the patrons don't know is that the tavernkeeper has ways of listening in to each of the rooms and is planning to blackmail many of the city's most powerful people. |
| 43 | A saloon style tavern with a modest stage up front where all the patrons can see. On Friday nights, an astral seer tells of her prophecies. |
| 44 | A taxidermy Beholder hangs from the ceiling in the center of this tavern. It’s not a real Beholder. It was made out of leather and paint, but it’s up high enough that no one can get a close look. |
| 45 | One of the large walls in this tavern has a painted map of the region covering it. Patrons are encouraged to place a small nail into their hometown. |
| 46 | This tavern specializes in exotic wines from all around the region. The tavernkeeper is a traveler and will often ship wine from his many stops to the tavern for his patrons to enjoy. The players can find a wide variety of special wine bottles, maybe even one from the player's hometown. |
| 47 | The tavern has a archery/axe throwing range out back that is often used by customers to settle bets, disputes, or just have a good time. |
| 48 | The floor of this tavern is a beautifully crafted glass mosaic that explains in pictures how the city came to be. |
| 49 | Tavern secretly hides 10 coin-sized wooden emblems across it every morning. If you find one, you can exchange it for a bottom-shelf drink of your choice. The tavern is decorated enough that there are many spots for these to be hidden in. |
| 50 | A mediocre bard is performing to a bored crowd when the players walk into this tavern. The bard all of a sudden switches to a song poking fun at the players walking in, and the crowd finds it hilarious. The bard doubles down on his roasts. |
| 51 | This tavern is the halfway point between two major cities, which means that it receives a lot of business. It is not uncommon to see very popular and important people staying here. |
| 52 | This tavern's walls are decorated with scrimshaw, carved from bone, and fish that were mounted as trophies. |
| 53 | This tavern's common area is partitioned with thin curtains and has many cushions for comfortable lounging. The carpets are thick and sound-absorbent. |
| 54 | A life sized statue behind the bar of a human man covering his eyes is supposedly the original owner of the tavern. Legend has it he fell in love with a Medusa and she accidentally turned him to stone. Many spellcasters over the years have tried to reverse the condition, yet failed. |
| 55 | The tavern is a renovated monastery. The grounds were hallowed such that the entire area is magically silent. Patrons come from near and far for the extraordinary peace and quiet it offers. Ordering food and drink can be a bit of a hassle though, having to pantomime eating or drinking, and being brought whatever is being served that day. |
| 56 | Designed to be family-friendly, the Fungeon houses a dungeon-inspired obstacle course. For a fee, visitors can dodge "flames", battle "skeletons', and get chased by an "ogre". |
| 57 | This tavern has an enormous 'bonfire-style' hearth in the middle of the common room. Patrons are given raw meat to roast over the open fire as a meal. |
| 58 | This tavern is secretly serving rat meat. Unable to secure affordable proteins, the owner has procured several giant rat carcasses from a local hunter. The staff is uncomfortably maintaining the charade with lame excuses about the flavor of the food. |
| 59 | The menu (or barkeep/barmaid) insists on pairing everything on the menu with a spiced meat. You want ale? There's a meat for it. Wine? There's a meat for it. You just want to order some gruel and be left alone? Too bad! There's a meat for that. |
| 60 | This tavern is a temple to a god of mead and revelry. The tavern is staffed by a sect of gregarious priests who consider it their holy duty to provide alcohol without charge. They do, however, consider it a grave insult for those who imbibe to leave before becoming wildly intoxicated. |
| 61 | There is a library in a separate room connected to this tavern. The books are mostly stained with alcohol, but your players might find some interesting, forgotten tomes among the shelves. |
| 62 | There is a parrot in an iron cage behind the bar. Some nights, the tavernkeeper takes it out of its cage and shows off the tricks it knows. |
| 63 | The owner/bartender was a merchant for many years and can't reset a good haggle. A large chalkboard behind the bar displays a list of the lowest prices customers have managed to get out of him this evening, complete with a chalk portrait of the current #1 cheapskate. |
| 64 | This tavern was built by a couple who traveled here from a very far away land. The architecture, drinks, and food are all from their native country and the customs are completely foreign to the players. |
| 65 | This tavern is built within the ruins of an old fortress. The walls still have damage from when the original fortress was under siege, but the tavernkeeper thinks the aesthetic is what keeps business coming back. |
| 66 | This tavern boasts that it has the hottest chili in the region. If you can finish a bowl without passing out, you can add your name to the Wall of Flame. |
| 67 | Inside, this tavern's spacious common room is dominated by a great fighting pit set 20 ft. deep within its floor, known to everyone as 'The Pit'. |
| 68 | The tavern is adorned with replica versions of powerful weapons that existed in the realms history. The players can learn about some of the most powerful artifacts in your campaign here. |
| 69 | This tavern has a staircase that leads to an underground section of the building. When you descend the stairs, you are brought into an underground cavern that the tavern was built over. The cavern is decorated and even has a bar in the corner. For a fee, you can borrow fishing rods and fish for cave fish in the cavern's pond. |
| 70 | This tavern hosts divine beings. This tavern exists both in the mortal and divine realms. Though their true nature is cloaked, many of the patrons are gods in human form. Within these guises they test mortals with trials of worthiness, search for suitable prophets and champions, and give blessings to those who earn their sympathy. Many of the realm's demi-gods owe their conception to the tavern. |
| 71 | All patrons must check their weapons at the door of this tavern, much like a coat check. You are given a numbered ticket and the weapon is stored away in a back room behind a curtain. Unbeknownst to the players, this tavern is notorious for “accidentally” replacing high quality or magical weapons that have been checked with inferior duplicates. |
| 72 | This tavern has employed an ogre who has a culinary gift but a horrible temper. Patrons can often hear him screaming and throwing things around the kitchen while dining on his amazing dishes. |
| 73 | All of the furniture in this tavern is made of stone. It's not very comfortable but it keeps the furniture from breaking when a fight breaks out. |
| 74 | This tavern is being robbed. The owners are being held at knifepoint in another room. The robbers have decided that the best way through is to play the part of the wait staff and wait for the party to leave. |
| 75 | This tavern has an intricate slide and pulley system that allows beer to be delivered to every table without the tavernkeeper leaving the bar. |
| 76 | A magical crossbow is mounted over the bar. Some patrons believe that it used to belong to the tavernkeeper back in his adventuring days, but the tavernkeeper never admits or denies anything. |
| 77 | This tavern has a secret underground section that houses the local Thieves' Guild. Astute players may notice that certain patrons give the tavernkeeper a secret hand signal and then are escorted to a seperate room. |
| 78 | This tavern has several burning incense holders around the common room that give the inside a strong, exotic smell. The incense is all from far-off places in the world. |
| 79 | A century ago, the family that ran this tavern all died in a fire. In time, their spirits came to possess living hosts, whom they have forced to rebuild their home and act out their former lives. Now the tavern is a successful business. However, the staff can sometimes be seen weeping for no reason, or staring blankly for minutes at a time. The hosts are still trapped within their bodies, desperate for escape. |
| 80 | This tavern has a map of the world painted on the wall around the fireplace. Visiting travelers leave notes stuck in the cracks near various places with a bit of information about that area. |
| 81 | This tavern is being visited by an indiscrete noble having an affair. The noble is upstairs with their lover. In the common room are several members of the noble’s staff as well as many local folks who have pocketed pouches of gold to stay silent. There is an air of exaggerated nonchalance. |
| 82 | This tavern is heavily inspired by elven architecture and only serves elven cuisine. |
| 83 | A friendly dog lives in the common room of this tavern. The unusual thing is that everyone sees the dog differently. A highlander Barbarian sees the dog as a longhaired red highland setter, but a wood elf might see the dog as a black wolfhound, and a mountain Dwarf might see it as a small rat-terrier. This difference is unlikely to be noticed at the time, and only comes up during conversation later, after leaving the tavern. |
| 84 | The tavern is built right next to a beautiful but very loud waterfall. The tavern owner thought it was a smart business move to build next to the waterfall, but you can barely hear anything inside over the roar of the waterfall only a short distance away from the front door. |
| 85 | The drinking glasses in this tavern are prismatic and more durable. It's actually a side-business the tavern has going for it, you can buy them for 1 gold per glass and will be charged for breaking them (could have qualities other than being prismatic, the point is that they're special and could make for a good souvenir) |
| 86 | This tavern's inner walls are covered with torches and chandeliers that glow with a silver-white flame when lit. |
| 87 | Dozens of floating orbs of light, the size of goose eggs, drift lazily around the tavern, giving off plenty of illumination - to avoid dark corners and sinister plotting. |
| 88 | This location has long been a meeting place for spies to meet, make deals, and exchange information. Local folks come and go from the place without harassment, but unusual patrons, like traveling adventurers, are slyly and thoroughly investigated. |
| 89 | All of the beverage faucets in this tavern are fashioned to resemble a wooden snake spitting the liquid out. |
| 90 | In the corner of the tavern is a skeleton held together with a wired frame. The skeleton is dressed in burial clothing and is covered in dust. If asked, the tavernkeeper will claim that the skeleton is his grandfather, and he requested to be 'buried' in the tavern when he died years and years ago. It's also good luck to kiss the skeleton on the cheek when you leave. |
| 91 | Behind the bar, the tavernkeeper keeps a collection of fine plates hung upon the wall. There are 2d20 plates hung up, each with a different design. |
| 92 | This tavern is in a feud with a neighboring one. This tavern and the one next to it have been operated by the same ancient clans for hundreds of years, and the two clans have been embroiled in a feud for almost as long. Long ago, blood was spilt over their anger, but a betrothal between the families' young heirs has maintained the peace. These young people intend to find their own love elsewhere, opening the door for outsiders to somehow quell or exaggerate the conflict. |
| 93 | This tavern is known for the fire walking competition it hosts. A bed of coals rests in the center of the tavern and is carefully tended by its staff. Those who win the competition typically get free drinks and meals for the night. |
| 94 | There are 1d100 different cats taking refuge in this tavern. The innkeeper is an avid cat lover and takes in any and all strays. They are all very well fed and well taken care of. |
| 95 | In this tavern, a long dice table makes up the entire bar and you roll to determine the price of your drink. |
| 96 | In this tavern, all food and drink are brought to you by a tortoise with a small wooden table on its shell. Sometimes it may take a little while for your order to get to you. |
| 97 | This tavern is heavily decorated with old and well-used weaponry and split shields from a number of different factions and battles. |
| 98 | A tavern made by a master dwarven stonemason, each table and stool is a full piece of stonework, which slides glassily across the floor on clever grooves hidden in the floor. Given a few minutes, you can arrange every table in the place into one long feast table, with the tables making a sort of zig-zag line. |
| 99 | All the food and drink have a slightly off taste. Not to the point of inedibility, but enough to notice something's off about it. When asked, the bartender just smiles and says everything's spiced with a "special ingredient" here. An investigation will reveal the barkeep raises snails and uses their slime as a staple ingredient in all of the food. He uses the slime from his favorite snails for his regulars. |
| 100 | This tavern has an 'open-mic night' every night of the week. The players might find that they are in the company of a world-famous bard, a mediocre poet, a traveling acrobatic act, etc. It's always completely random. |
