I ran a poll recently asking people what they wanted my next D&D centred post that WASN'T a Monster Monday to be about. The results were pretty inconclusive as three of the four categories won, but it got me thinking about the feedback I've received on my blog so far and the things people seem to enjoy most about it. I've done a LOT of posts to aid DMs in their preparation of various creatures to battle, elements of world-building, loot ideas, quest hooks, and random encounters. However, it was building a character that inspired today's post!
If you have ever played Icewind Dale: Rime Of The Frostmaiden or The Wild Beyond The Witchlight you will know that the modules include trinket tables for character building - one related to the frosty, survivalist, norse-inspired setting of Icewind Dale and the other for the ethereal, chaotic magic of the Feywild. They are really useful tools for understanding the character you are building, weaving in some detail into your backstory, and finding ways to use those trinkets in campaign creatively. I loved them as a concept and thought it might be nice to build a table like that for a setting that is, in my opinion, a huge part of the DnD multiverse that lacks a lot of detail - the Elemental Planes.
Much of the lore surrounding the setting comes from previous editions of DnD, meaning that getting hold of it can be a little more challenging. I've found some great homebrew sources - Codex Of The Infinite Planes by Dave Coulson has so many great ideas on the things found within this setting (as well as the other planes of existence) and if you're interested in travelling beyond the Planes of Earth, Air, Water and Fire and finding the spaces between, then try this article from Storm Giant Games which has some neat ideas for the Planes of Smoke, Ice, Ooze and Magma.
So without further ado, here is my d100 roll table for trinkets that could be owned by characters native to or residing within those planes. DMs, feel free to use these as minor loot treasures also. At discretion, these trinkets can be rolled for randomly or perhaps picked out by players to serve as a source of inspiration? I would suggest maybe two or three at most if character are starting with them.
Roll 1d100:
A small, glass statue of a fiery bird that is warm to the touch.
A wooden wind chime that can produce its own wind when strung up and plays a discordant melody.
An icicle that doesn’t melt, no matter what the temperature around it is.
A comb made from an opalescent coral.
A stroboscopic disc that, when spun, follows the looped movements of a Fire Genasi dancer.
A wax sealed envelope. Inside is a letter written in Ignan from a someone to their sister.
A vial of pink sand. It glitters when the light catches it.
A small jar filled with ash. When the lid opens it lets out a steady but harmless stream of smoke.
A Xorn's fang, with intricate carvings along its edge.
A small pendant that, when tapped, emits the steady sound of breathing for the wearer's ears only.
A jar of brown, jelly-like goo that pulses of its own accord but achieves little beyond that.
A piece of shell from a Flail Snail.
A statue of a mighty Sea Serpent, seemingly made from ocean rock and masterfully crafted.
A small rock that vaguely resembles a face.
A candle that when lit emits a different coloured flame, dependant on the lighter’s mood.
A stone tablet with Terran writing inscribed onto it.
A glass orb that contains a never-ending, miniature thunderstorm.
A picture of a volcano spouting blue magma that looks to have been drawn by a child.
A necklace shaped like a tear drop that is beautifully painted in various shades of blue.
Sheet music for a Waltz, composed by a Marid noble.
Four brightly coloured stones or crystals that almost resemble tiny eggs in shape and look precious in nature.
A box of twigs that can be struck like matches to produce fire. These twigs never burn through.
A calendar that marks time differently to the Material Plane.
A pot depicting a battle between two Water Genasi tribes.
A small potion vial that looks empty and is labelled 'Bottled Wind - Use In Emergencies'.
A pretty ring that is rumoured to once have contained a powerful genie.
A wig made entirely of kelp in a variety of different colours. It smells faintly of the sea.
A pouch filled with a rare type of salt, sought after for its distinct flavour.
A wooden statue of a humanoid made completely of fire.
A fan decorated with a beautiful painting of a cloudy sky that matches the time of day when unfurled.
An urn of brown ash.
A small vial that makes a sloshing sound when shaken, even though it seems empty.
A box made entirely of stone that is big enough to fit jewellery within.
A vial labelled 'Liquid Fire - Do not drink!'.
An ankle bracelet previously worn by a powerful Efreeti.
A talon from an Aarakocra, which is sharper than a knife.
A children's storybook about a mischievous Dust Mephit.
A beautifully carved wooden smoking pipe, decorated with detailed patterns.
A locket that contains a small slip of paper inside, on which a message in Auran has been written.
An old dagger that is made from obsidian.
A small, wooden sail-boat toy. It moves in a circle by itself when placed in water.
A purple geode that sparkles when the light catches it.
A beautiful dress made in fabrics of red and gold. The wearer is able to make it harmlessly catch fire and put out the flames with a thought. The fabric remains in perfect condition.
The feather of a rare bird not native to the Material Plane.
An intricately carved snowflake made of stone that is cold to the touch.
A pretty conch shell that, when held up to your ear, produces the sound of waves.
A petrified heart of stone, said to previously belong to an Earth Elemental.
A small orb of light that is said to be the remnants of a fallen star, emanating a tiny amount of heat.
A spool of thread that looks and feels like wisps of a cloud.
Seeds from a rare type of magical algae that thrives in marshes, bogs or swamps.
A bottle labelled 'Seafoam Shandy'. The liquid is cloudy with a lot of froth on top.
A bangle made of intricately twisted, coloured metals. It is embedded with small, precious stones.
A charter detailing the businesses owned by a powerful Dao.
The iridescent scales of a Salamander.
A silk scarf that, when worn, seems to always flap in an invisible breeze.
A watercolour painting of a great sea, with a tiny island in the middle.
A pouch of tobacco that, when smoked, creates plumes of various different colours.
A pocket watch which has a complicated mechanism that plays out an underwater scene as time progresses.
A sand timer that has miniature creatures swimming in the sand.
A piece of charcoal that has been fashioned into a writing implement.
A book of poems written by a Cloud Giant.
A terrarium made up of magma rock and containing a lava waterfall.
The skeletal remains of a strange-looking fish.
A miniature pickaxe made of glass.
The pretty, delicate wings of an unusual bug of some kind.
A toenail that feels like hot metal, that once belonged to a Fire Giant. It is the size of the palm of a medium humanoid's hands.
A music box that plays an old Aquan lullaby.
An old map that details the way that the Elemental planes intersect and interact.
A woven tapestry of a beautiful city in the clouds.
An arrowhead made of black ice.
A vial of pond water in which small creatures are swimming around. They never seem to die.
Leaves that appear to be made of rose quartz, grown from a tree of crystal.
The preserved remains of a dead Chwinga.
A sheaf of papers that, when translated, are scenes from a play written in Primordial.
A mosaic plaque of a gigantic earth elemental that resembles a walking mountain.
A weathered book of tales from an Earth Genasi tribe.
An old invitation to a ball hosted by a powerful Djinni Caliphate.
A journal written by an intrepid adventurer who has traversed the Elemental Planes over many months.
A perfume bottle that contains the scent of a dying fire.
An enchanted globe that holds a small town, and creates a tornado that destroys it when shaken. When still, the town rebuilds itself.
A pair of gloves that are embroidered with symbols of the four elements on them.
A container filled with strange-looking, luminous fungi, labelled with 'Do not expose to sunlight!'.
A net made of a thin thread called Silkweed. It is much stronger than it looks!
A small, metallic orb that sparks ferociously with lightning but is actually harmless to touch.
A verdant green gem that no jeweller of the Material plane can identify.
A cloth doll with the general shape and features of an Air Genasi.
A set of miniature Gargoyle statues. Each is unique in shape, expression, and features.
A blood-red pearl, famously farmed in a prosperous underwater city.
A damaged, child-sized trident.
A belt, designed to be worn with a keikogi. Every day its embroidered design changes to depict a new scene from an Elemental Plane.
A bar of soap that smells of the sea air.
A crystalline goblet that holds twice the amount of liquid than it would seem to have room for.
A carefully curated collection of different types of soil, labelled and neatly organised in jars.
A set of dice carved out of yellow rock and hand-painted.
An old coin that depicts a fiery skull on one side, made out of a shining precious metal.
A golden mirror with a Kraken-shaped handle.
The hilt from a broken, glass sword.
A herbalists collection of various different seaweeds, coral and anemones that have different, minor properties.
A dowsing rod that helps the bearer to locate fresh water.
A silver circlet that has small feathers attached to one side.
And there we have it! I hope you enjoyed reading through this list and gain plenty of inspiration for your adventures set in the Elemental Planes, or even your character that have travelled from them. Have you ever used such a trinket table to inform character building or world-building? Let me know!