Whether you’re fighting it out with a warband of daemons deep in the Chaos Wastes or exploring the horrors of Innsmouth in the world of HP Lovecraft, there is lots of potential for extraordinary and innovative random events. These can keep your games fresh, engaging, and cinematic, even if you don’t have another human opponent to play against.

I’m using the Brutal Quest/Planet 28 rules systems as my framework here, but they can easily be tweaked and ported over to any other ruleset. Just like these new traits, abilities, and spells, I used AI to help generate this list. With the right prompts, follow-up instructions, and light editing, the possibilities for narrative really are limitless here. Enjoy…

Realm of Chaos Random Event Table

Distorted Reality (Surreal): The very fabric of the realm distorts. All characters suffer -1D4 to their agility until the end of the turn as they struggle to move through the shifting terrain.

Twisted Terrain (Surreal): The battlefield transforms into an otherworldly landscape. Choose a terrain feature (e.g., a forest, rock formation). Characters within 10cm of this terrain are affected by a random supernatural effect until the end of the turn.

Ethereal Echoes (Supernatural): Ghostly echoes of past battles fill the air. All characters may make one extra action this turn. However, any character who slays an opponent this turn suffers -1 brutality as the ghostly echoes haunt their psyche.

Daemonic Infusion (Supernatural): Chaotic energies infuse the battlefield. Choose one spellcaster character. They may cast one spell of their choice without spending an action this turn. However, after casting, they roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, they suffer mind death.

Twisting Shadows (Surreal): Shadowy tendrils reach out from the chaotic rifts, wrapping around a character’s limbs. That character may not make any actions or move this turn.

Flickering Realities (Surreal): The battlefield itself becomes uncertain. Roll 1D6 for each character at the beginning of their turn. On a roll of 1, the character is briefly transported to a random location on the battlefield. Roll 1D10 to determine where.

Chaotic Surge (Supernatural): Chaotic energy surges through one character’s body, making them temporarily invulnerable. Choose one character (yours or your opponent’s). That character gains immunity to damage until the end of the turn but cannot attack.

Baleful Mirage (Surreal): Illusory duplicates of all characters appear on the battlefield. Until the end of the turn, opponents must declare their target before making any attacks or actions, and then roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, they target a duplicate, and their action is wasted.

Chaos Incarnate (Supernatural): The embodiment of chaos takes form on the battlefield. Choose one character (yours or your opponent’s). They become a living conduit of chaos, gaining +3 brutality points but also suffer 1D6 damage at the end of their turn as the energies consume them.

Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror Random Event Table:

Eldritch Whispers (Maddening): Strange whispers fill the air, causing characters to question their sanity. Each character must make a (P) roll. Those who fail suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls until the end of their next turn.

Void Beckons (Terrifying): A portal to the void yawns open briefly. The character must make a break test. If they fail, they are drawn into the void, removed from the battlefield, and considered defeated.

Inexplicable Mutation (Bizarre): Cosmic energies warp one character’s form. They gain a random physical mutation (e.g., extra limbs, distorted features) that affects their abilities for the remainder of the battle. This should be determined by rolling on a random mutations table.

Cursed Relic (Dreadful): A malevolent relic surfaces on the battlefield. The character must make an (A) roll to resist touching the relic. If they fail, they are cursed, suffering a -1 penalty to all rolls until they defeat another character in combat.

Cosmic Revelation (Mystical): A character has a sudden, mind-bending revelation about the true nature of the cosmos. They gain +1 to all rolls for the remainder of the game.

Unearthly Shadows (Unsettling): Strange, shadowy figures flicker at the edges of the battlefield. All characters must make a break test. Those who fail are overcome with paranoia and suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls until the end of their next turn.

Whispers from Beyond (Maddening): Characters hear voices from beyond the stars. Each character must make a (P) roll. Those who fail are compelled to spend their next turn moving toward the nearest enemy character.

Cthulhu’s Gaze (Terrifying): The terrible presence of a cosmic entity looms over the battlefield. All characters must make a break test. Those who fail are filled with dread and suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls until the end of their next turn.

Eldritch Awakening (Dreadful): A character becomes a vessel for eldritch power. Choose one character (yours or your opponent’s). They gain a new ability called “Eldritch Blast” that allows them to deal 1D8 damage to any character on the battlefield. However, using this power causes them to suffer 1D6 damage due to the strain on their sanity.

Otherworldly Whispers (Mystical): Alien whispers guide one character’s actions. For the next two turns, they must move and attack as directed by another player of your choice.

Maddening Visions (Bizarre): A character experiences horrifying visions of a future ruled by cosmic horrors. They are filled with dread and must make a break test. If they fail, they are stunned and unable to take any actions for one turn.

Cosmic Mirage (Unsettling): The battlefield shimmers with bizarre illusions. Roll 1D10 for each character on the battlefield. On a roll of 1-3, the character becomes disoriented, suffering a -1 penalty to all rolls until the end of their next turn.

Sanity’s Erosion (Cataclysmic): The fabric of reality weakens further. Choose one character (yours or your opponent’s). They must make a (P) roll. If they fail, they lose 1 point of permanent (P) for the remainder of the campaign.

Stars Align (Mystical): The alignment of the stars grants one character insight into a powerful ability. They gain a unique, game-changing ability for the remainder of the battle. This ability is determined by rolling on a random table.

Cosmic Resonance (Terrifying): The cosmic forces resonate with one character’s presence. They become the focus of the cosmic energies, gaining +2 to all rolls until the end of their next turn.

Realm of Chaos, Cosmic Horror, & Lovecraftian Random Events

As mentioned earlier, I’m using the Brutal Quest/Planet 28 rules systems as my framework here, but they can easily be tweaked and ported over to any other ruleset. Just like these new traits, abilities, and spells, I used AI to help generate this list. With the right prompts, follow-up instructions, and light editing, the possibilities for narrative really are limitless here. Enjoy…

I recently played my first solo outing of the sci-fi skirmish game Planet 28 (check out the battle report, Echoes of the Abyss) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I’m gearing up to create a narrative solo campaign for Planet 28’s fantasy cousin, Brutal Quest.

As I’ve also been tinkering with AI, I thought I’d see if I could encourage it to generate some new abilities, traits, and spells for both games. With a bit of trial and error, follow-up prompts, and light editing, I now have the following list. A few of them might still need some polish and refinement, but I think there are a lot of really cool options here. At the very minimum, they get the imagination flowing for some new in-game possibilities.

Abilities

Distract: This character can use an action to create a distraction. All enemy characters within line of sight must pass an Awareness (AW) skill roll or become distracted, suffering a -1 penalty to all actions for their next turn.

Evasive Maneuvers: This character gains a +2 bonus to Agility (A) when attempting to avoid ranged attacks. They may make a free move action when they successfully dodge an attack.

Interrogate: After defeating an enemy in combat, this character may choose to interrogate them. Roll 1D6. On a 1, the enemy reveals valuable information about the game scenario or hidden objectives.

Tactician: Once per game, this character can provide tactical advice to a friendly character within line of sight. The chosen character gains a +2 bonus to their next action.

Trapmaster: This character may set traps on specific locations of the battlefield. When an enemy moves into or through the trap’s location, they suffer a -2 penalty to their Agility (A) skill and take 1D6 damage.

Life Leech: This character has the ability to drain life force from opponents. After a successful melee attack, they may choose to regain hit points equal to half of the damage dealt rounded down.

Resilient Resolve: This character gains a +1 bonus to their (P) skill when making break tests. Additionally, they can reroll one failed break test per game.

Artillery Strike: This character can call in a devastating artillery strike from off the table. Once per game, they may use an action to target an area within line of sight. Roll 1D6 for each character within that area, and on a roll of 4-6, they suffer 1D10 damage.

Frenzied Assault: This character goes into a frenzy in close combat. Once per turn, they may use an action to gain a +3 bonus to (F) for one melee attack. However, after this attack, they suffer a -2 penalty to (P) rolls until the end of their next turn due to exhaustion.

Phantom Steed: Once per game, this character can summon a spectral steed. This ethereal mount increases their speed to 20cm for one turn and allows them to move over any terrain without hindrance.

Traits

Evasive: Enemies receive a -1 to their Shooting skill when attempting to hit this character with ranged attacks. This penalty applies only if the character has moved in their last action.

Eerie Presence: Enemies within 5cm of this character suffer a -1 penalty to their skill rolls, representing their unease in the presence of this unsettling character.

Vengeful: When this character takes damage from an enemy, they gain +1(F) and +1(S) for the remainder of the game, versus that enemy, up to a maximum of +3 each.

Paranoia: This character must make a break test at the start of each turn. On a failed test, they may not perform actions on that turn.

Infiltrator: This character may choose to start the game hidden. They can only be revealed when they perform an action or are within 5cm of an enemy.

Hasty: This character can perform one additional action per turn but suffers a -1 penalty to all skill rolls for that turn.

Night Vision: This character can see in low-light conditions as if it were daylight. They do not suffer penalties for low light or darkness.

Acidic Blood: This character’s blood is acidic. When struck by a melee attack, the attacker takes 1D6 damage in retaliation.

Lone Wolf: This character excels when fighting solo. They gain a +1 bonus to all skills when not within 10cm of any friendly characters. However, they suffer a -1 penalty to (P) rolls when taking break tests when no allies are nearby.

Cursed Weaponry: This character wields cursed weapons that have a chance to inflict lingering ailments. When landing a successful melee hit, there’s a 25% chance that the target will suffer an additional 1D4 damage over the next three turns due to the weapon’s curse.

Spells

Time Warp: Select a character or vehicle within line of sight and make a (P) roll. If successful, you may choose one of the following effects:

• Fast Forward: The target character or vehicle gains an additional action this turn.
• Rewind: The target character or vehicle may undo their last action and choose a different one.
• Pause: The target character or vehicle is frozen in time and cannot be targeted or take actions for the remainder of the turn.

Dimensional Rift: Make a (P) roll. If successful, you may place a dimensional rift marker anywhere on the board. Characters and vehicles within 10cm of the rift at the start of their turn may choose to enter it. Upon entering, they reappear at a random location on the board at the start of their next turn.

Mirror Image: Make a (P) roll. If successful, the acting character creates illusory duplicates of themselves. For the next 1D4 turns, attackers must roll a D6 to determine if they target the real character or a duplicate. On a roll of 1-3, they target a duplicate, and on a roll of 4-6, they target the real character.

Shadow Walk: Make a (P) roll. If successful, this character becomes ethereal and may pass through obstacles and other characters for the next 1D6 turns. They are immune to damage during this time but cannot perform any actions.

Chain Lightning: This powerful spell allows the caster to release a bolt of lightning that arcs between multiple targets. Make a (P) roll; if successful, choose a starting target. The lightning then jumps to the nearest enemy within 10cm, dealing 1D6+2 damage. Repeat this process until there are no eligible targets or you fail the (P) roll.

Time Warp: This spell distorts time, allowing the caster to rewind or fast-forward a character’s actions. Make a (P) roll; if successful, the targeted character must reroll their last action and accept the new result.

Soul Bond: The caster establishes a mystical link with a friendly character within line of sight. For the remainder of the game, they can transfer up to 1D6 of their hit points to the bonded character once per turn. The bond is severed if either character dies.

Tide of Despair: This spell creates an aura of overwhelming despair within a 10cm radius. All characters, friend or foe, within this area must pass a break test or suffer a -2 penalty to all skills for one turn due to the crushing weight of despair.

Dimensional Swap: This potent spell allows the caster to switch positions with any character within line of sight, friend or foe. A successful (P) roll is required to execute this spell, and the switch is permanent.

Pandemonium: This chaotic spell creates a realm of chaos and unpredictability. For one turn, all rules and effects are randomly determined. Roll 1D6 for each action, and consult a chart to determine the outcome. This spell introduces an element of chaos and unpredictability into the game, making every action a gamble.

Planet 28/Brutal Quest: New Traits, Abilities, Spells, & Random Events

I plan to add to this list over time while trying out as many as possible of them in-game, too. I’ll be posting more about my Brutal Quest campaign in the near future. In the meantime, please check out my Planet 28 battle report, Echoes of the Abyss.