Random Trinkets (3.5e Variant Rule)

Random trinkets are collectibles, curiosities, and crap. They may be found on collectors of curiosities or within curios. They generally are of little practical use, but may be collected by more eccentric NPCs or PCs. Their purpose is to provide a bit of flavour or colour to captured loot; show that there's more to the world than pure combat gear. Though they may sometimes be made of semi-valuable materials, trinkets are of low quality, practicality, and size, and can only be sold to most vendors for a maximum of 1 gp.

Interested persons are unusual individuals who will offer up to 5 gp for a trinket, usually because it pertains to their profession. Interested persons are assumed to be of varying degrees of eccentricity; even a chessmaster will probably not want to pay for a lone chess piece unless he is building an eclectic, oh-so-special chess set out of a thousand different sources. Curio shop owners, and other dealers of curiosities are interested buyers by default.

Random trinkets are generated with a d20 roll, as it corresponds to the list.

Random Trinkets Generation

d20 Roll	Trinket	Description of Trinket	Interested Buyers
1	1d4 coins, foreign or ancient culture	These coins are made of unusual but non-precious metals such as steel, electrum or tin. They are of little monetary value, even within their original culture.	Coin collectors, moneychangers
2	Deck of playing cards	A standard deck of playing cards. Includes two jokers.	Gamblers, casino owners.
3	Novelty deck of cards	Novelty cards. May be playing cards with unusual illustrations, or nonmagical recreations of a deck of illusions, deck of many things, or tarot cards.	Gamblers, fortune tellers.
4	Small bell	A small bell, possibly silver but often a cheaper metal. May be small enough to hang on an animal's collar or large enough to use as a dinner bell. Produces a high sound that usually doesn't carry over 15 feet.	Animal dealers, maids
5	Tuning fork	When struck, emanates a specific note, which varies by fork. Useful for tuning instruments.	Musicians, singers, bards of all type
6	1d2 d6	Six-sided dice. A wide variety of materials are possible, including bone, wood, stone, flawed crystal, or even pearl or jade.	Gamblers
7	Commoner's ring	A wedding band or other jewellery for those without much money; made of steel, iron, or other cheap metal. May be inscribed with a simple message or date, but does not include inset jewels (or even glass). Generally unremarkable craftsmanship.	Jewellers that serve commoners
8	Inkpen	An unusually well-made inkpen, made of metal instead of wood. May be grooved or even curved. Does not affect writing quality; offers little more than slightly superior ergonomics.	Scribes, wizards
9	Monocle	A glass lens set in a metal rim. The lens is of quite cheap quality and the glass is often scuffed, but makes reading slightly easier for those with weak eyes.	Scribes, sages, wizards
10	Small book	A leather-cover, bound book of 2d12+20 handwritten pages. Contains basic information in the field of any one of the knowledge skills. Some books may also delve into more specific topics. The book is unlikely to hold any significant information to anyone already familiar with the subject, and is unlikely to hold in-depth knowledge in any subject unless very specialized.	Librarians, sages, students
11	1d3 Marbles	Spheres of steel, clay, glass, rock crystal or even heavily flawed pearls. Are often chipped, scuffed, deformed or otherwise outside of perfect condition, but may have interesting designs. The number of marbles is insufficient to force balance checks, as in the Arms and Equipment Guide.	Wealthy children
12	Smoking pipe	Pipe for smoking tobacco. Is often of a nonflammable material.	Smokers, tobacco dealers
13	Stuffed animal	A toy made of fabric in the shape of an animal and stuffed with some soft material. Normal shapes include bears and rabbits, though it is far from impossible for the toys to take the shape of other animals or even more exotic creatures in the D&D universe.	Parents of small children
14	1d2 chess pieces	A random chess piece made of some semi-valuable material, such as pearl, jade, metal, or wood covered with approx. 4 microns of beautiful gold plating.	Chessplayers
15	Noncombat knife	A knife, sharp on one side. Useful for cutting rope or other material, but a tool, not a weapon. If forced into fighting, a knife made for a medium character deals 1d4 points of damage. Wielders suffer the standard -4 improvised weapon penalty but can apply bonuses from Weapon Focus: Dagger or similar effects.	Tool merchants
16	Thimble	A piece of metal, shaped like a bucket but extremely small. Grooved to stay on a fingertip, used to protect it while sewing.	Tailors
17	Map	A dog-eared map, often folded several times over. Usually the location the NPC is currently in, but possibly an area the NPC will travel to or from. It covers a small enough area to cover by foot.	Newcomers to the relevant area
18	Colored thread	Fine thread, suitable for sewing. Often scarlet, but possibly of some other vibrant colour. Makes for good stitching on extravagant clothing.	Tailors
19	Cheap perfume	Common perfume of a non-exotic scent. Is generic enough to be appropriate for both genders. Comes in a flask, or bottle of no more than a few ounces.	Wealthy commoners
20	Glass eye	A moderately well crafted glass eye. Not that convincing, but a usable replacement if your real eye has been removed.	People with eyepatches (not hard for an adventurer)

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