Your players are traveling through the ruins of an ancient keep, a sinister dungeon, or a town square when they come across a great, stone statue. Use this d100 table to generate a random statue description!
| d100 | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1 | A weather worn, articulated wooden mannequin with three heads (one of them a devil's) and six arms. The arms move, crudely, and hold instruments. The legs are goat hooves. An old, much abbreviated and poorly spelled inscription at the base reads, "Ruin Ye Goode Faithe". Perched on the shoulder of the devil is a Blue Jay carrying a twig in its beak. |
| 2 | A goddess or demigoddess holding a torch up high and wrapping her cloak around a trio of young looking slaves with broken chains on thier wrists and ankles. |
| 3 | It is a statue dedicated to a famous saint of a local Lawful Good religion. The statue depicts a man reaching to the sky, towards something. |
| 4 | This plinth evidently once held a statue of someone important; now, only their feet remain. |
| 5 | It appears to be of a wizard or sorcerer poring over a tome. The fists are raised and clenched and body language is tense or pained. The statue is missing its head. |
| 6 | A tall ornate column with a continuous spiraling bas-relief depicting multiple scenes of the greatest deeds of an ancient conqueror. On top of the column stands tall a statue of said conqueror wearing a smooth cuirass, with a spear in one hand and a scale in the other he looks far away towards the sunset. |
| 7 | It is a statue of a queen from long ago. She is wearing a long, flowing dress and is holding a scepter in her hand. |
| 8 | A sort of "henge" of nine half spheres, each of a different type of stone, round side polished mirror smooth, and about the size of a comfortable chair, in a stone-henge type circle around a head high prism made of flawless quartz crystal at least 3 feet across. The half-spheres' rough hewn flat faces are aligned to the center and precisely aimed at the peak of the prism. Close inspection might reveal a 1" hole through the center of each sphere, aimed at the point of the prism. |
| 9 | A perfect sphere, about three feet in diameter and made from an unknown metal of some kind. It is polished to a mirror finish. Despite its shape it cannot be rolled, perhaps magically fixed in place. |
| 10 | A fool in motley, seemingly hanging upside down by a noose around their foot. The fool is blindfolded. Through creative artifice in the stone, it seems as though nothing holds the form up, as if it really were suspended by the rope. |
| 11 | A bronze statue of a hound, a beloved local icon. Its snout and paws are worn down to a noticeable polish from the many hands that have rubbed them for good luck. (Doing so may or may not grant Inspiration.) |
| 12 | This small statue is carved from wood and depicts the founder of the town. He is a halfling with a bald head and big beard, hoisting a garden hoe skyward. In his other hand, in an oddly gruesome twist, is the head of an orc. |
| 13 | This ancient statue is clung with moss and ivy. An elvish warrior-queen gazes northward, toward something no longer apparent, her left hand clasping a cracked crystal ball. Her right hand thrusts out ahead, and appears to have once held a sword. The return of the queen's sword, the party soon learns, is a matter of local legend. |
| 14 | A large shallow bowl on edge, facing the viewer, made of polished brass, on a stylish, rough hewn plinth of black granite. Any water nearby is always magically levitated to fill the bowl as if it were horizontal. A nearby skylight or window makes a convenient and interesting reflection on the water surface. |
| 15 | Seven finely dressed nobles dancing along with two musicians playing horns. One of the nobles in the center of the piece is wielding a sword and cutting off the head of another. All have serene expressions upon their faces. |
| 16 | Two plate-mailed knights jousting on horseback, but strangely with lances only and without shields. One knight wears a helmet bearing a bird, the other a helmet with a small tower. Miniature figures of very animated folk surround the two jousters. |
| 17 | It is a statue of a pyramid of skulls. Or perhaps it is a pyramid of metal-plated skulls? |
| 18 | It’s a statue of a local explorer, holding a telescope to one eye, looking at something in the distance. He traveled the world several decades ago and the villagers will gladly show the party a map of the world where the explorer named everything after himself. Of course, the PCs will only need an easy intelligence check to recognize everything by their real names, like say Waterdeep. |
| 19 | An open book hewn from fine marble. Each day the text of the page is different. Usually it is in one of many dead languages that few still living can comprehend. It is said that a great ancient library once stood on this site before being destroyed by war. Each day the statue displays one of the millions of lost tomes opened to a random page. The legend is that a powerful mage created the statue in an effort to recover some piece of priceless knowledge. Despite checking every day for the rest of their life, the library's collection was so vast that the mage never found what they sought. |
| 20 | It is a statue of a God of War, with piles of weapons and armor laying at their feet. The God stares ahead. |
| 21 | A recumbent (resting) unicorn being speared by a hunter. The hunter has a serene expression upon their face, and has two birds perched upon their shoulders, while a third bird seems about to pluck out the dying unicorn's eye. |
| 22 | A statue of a royal knight standing victoriously atop a pile of what appear to be drow, his foot resting on the back of a still-living one attempting to crawl away. Though the face and posture of the knight seem heroic, careful attention to detail was paid to capture the fear and anguish in the face of the drow. |
| 23 | It is a statue of a plague doctor in full uniform. The air seems a little sweeter near the statue. |
| 24 | It is a statue of a grinning gnome stabbing a roaring devil in the back of the leg. |
| 25 | It is a statue of a king holding a ceremonial mace high in the air. |
| 26 | A gang of humanoid revolutionaries actively destroying a guillotine and forcing the head of a struggling executioner beneath its blade. A basket of heads rolls gruesomely at the statues' feet. |
| 27 | A block of Nephrite carved as a scaled, fire-breathing legless wyrm, with eyes made of carnelian, rotating and swallowing miniature humanoids in a brutalist, elemental style. The block is at least 10 feet on each side. The snake twists and turns unpredictably at right angles in three dimensions, filling at least 50 percent of the available space, and masterfully narrows as it's body recedes into the negative space of the stone block's interior, creating a disorienting, and somewhat hypnotic forced perspective, but also revealing the unimpeachable skill and mastery of whomever carved it. It is said that when a storm approaches on moonless nights, the stone somewhat glows. |
| 28 | A trio of marble mermaids sit atop a plinth in the center of a fountain. Each holds aloft a pitcher from which water pours forth. The floor of the fountain contains a scattering of copper and silver coins. |
| 29 | This statue looks familiar, you realize it’s you! Whoever is looking at the statue sees themselves. Multiple people viewing it together all see themselves. |
| 30 | It is a very realistic statue of a medusa. Are medusae vulnerable to their own kind's petrifying abilities, or is this merely the product of a strange artistic sense? |
| 31 | A knight kneeling before a regal, motherly figure. The knight has an ecstatic expression upon their face gazing up; the regal figure a soothing or relaxed expression gazing down. The regal figure is richly robed, and clearly pregnant, holding a giant key in their right hand, and a large owl in their left. The knight is armored in chainmail, and a scabbard, but the scabbard contains no sword. |
| 32 | It is a statue of a single, heavenly angel descending onto a corpse and guiding its soul into the afterlife. |
| 33 | A weather worn statue of an exaggeratedly pregnant woman, a look of anger or disgust upon her face, using a butter-churn, a rusting iron horseshoe has been nailed near the bottom, leaving a stain. The work is articulated, the arms move up and down, the belly spins to reveal a carving of a demon or imp, and the face of the woman turns to reveal a death's head behind. An inscription, much abbreviated, along the side reads, "Spoileth Ye Butere". |
| 34 | From afar it seems like any other small shrub. Upon closer inspection you realize that it is actually a statue made from green stone. Either it was once a living plant that was turned to stone, or it is a stunningly detailed carving that required incredible skill and patience. Despite its delicate appearance, it appears to be in perfect condition with no visible damage. |
| 35 | A stylized whale vomiting forth every type of sea creature in a froth. A tiny caricatured boat and fisherman are trapped in the maelstrom. |
| 36 | A seemingly unfinished work of a humanoid slave struggling to break free from unseen bonds. Only half of the work is carved, as if the humanoid is carving itself out of the stone with its struggle. That which has been revealed from within the stone is masterwork in quality. |
| 37 | Two noblewomen in archaic dress, facing each other, legs a-caper, skirts furled, they intertwine fingers. They appear to be dancing. Their forms are intricately detailed, but their faces are void. One is literally a void, the other is a smooth blank egg shape with an inscrutable rune in the exact center. |
| 38 | A statue of a hero, holding a sword. Some of the arms plating has fallen off, revealing some simple gears. Every morning at 9 the gears try to move - but are blocked by a small stone, making a screeching sound. If the stone is removed the gears work normally, and every 9 AM the hero raises the sword and waves it in the air - before moving it back down. |
| 39 | A fifteen-foot marble wall depicts a great battle in high relief. Dozens of knights and horsemen trample about a beach, clashing with dozens of fishfolk warriors emerging from the sea. The fight appears clumsy, ill-fought and ignoble, and it is unclear which side is supposed to be winning. Bodies of both sides pile up on the sand. Overhead, the sun is eclipsed. A bronze plaque dedicates the relief to the Human-Fishfolk Diplomatic League. |
| 40 | A servant in dishabille carrying a basket of roses is loading a trebuchet with the flowers. The trebuchet uses forced perspective. |
| 41 | A statue of a large ornate goblet that collects rain or any liquid poured inside it. However, it cannot overflow. When the level of the liquid gets close to the rim all of it mysteriously drains rapidly, leaving the goblet empty. No one has yet figured out where the liquid goes or how the mechanism works. |
| 42 | It is a statue of a king from long ago. The surface of the statue is covered in scratches and any precious stone that was embedded in the statue has long since been stolen. |
| 43 | It is a statue of a recent king that has been completely defaced. The head of the statue lies in pieces at your feet. |
| 44 | It is a statue of a great necromancer that terrorized the region for many years. The statue has a skull face that seems to stare right through you. |
| 45 | It is a statue of a group of devils gathering souls from a pile of corpses. You can almost hear the souls screaming... |
| 46 | Rough, flat slabs of perfect white marble about two inches thick, and eight feet high by three feet wide, arranged in a sinuous spiral such that each slab is no more than 12 inches apart at the widest point. A perfect, snake-like hole, complete with subtle scale pattern on the inside, and wide enough for a human arm to fit through, spirals in the opposite direction several times through each slab. |
| 47 | A flat disk with seven stars in an arc, one prominently large at the zenith, carved stone vines wrap the plinth but open up to stylized flowers that frame the disk and stars. |
| 48 | A series of imposing spikes at odd and aesthetically displeasing angles. A series of inscriptions along the base in multiple dead and forgotten languages reads, cryptically, "This is not a place of honor, No esteemed deeds are commemorated here". |
| 49 | The real heroes, a statue of craftsmen and women of a variety of races making adventuring gear (weapons, armor, kit) on a shared workbench. Items left as tribute will disappear, sometimes reappearing having been made magical. |
| 50 | It is a statue commemorating a famous (yet temporary) alliance. An elf and a dwarf shake hands, respect on their faces. |
| 51 | A freshly used executioner's block and chains, in pristine, sterile black marble. The dripping gore is somehow captured perfectly. |
| 52 | A small, woven basket made of sharp thorns, in the shape of a boat atop a stylized wave-wracked sea. A swaddled baby is inside, along with a long-sword, shield, crown, and orb. The babe is holding a laurel branch in their tiny hand. Overseeing the babe is a Shrike (bird) who has impaled several mice and fish upon the thorns. |
| 53 | It is a statue of a famous merchant prince from long ago. The eyes of the statue are embedded with precious gems. |
| 54 | It is a statue of a woman staring at something in her palm. However, whatever she was holding seems to have been broken off and taken away. |
| 55 | A statue of a human commoner in mid-stride. The figure is unremarkable, but somehow familiar. This familiarity is felt by all who view the statue, though none can exactly place who the statue depicts or where they might have seen this person. |
| 56 | It is a statue of a great horned demon, reaching in front of itself, seemingly to grab the person looking at the statue. |
| 57 | It is the statue of a king in armor that gives its back to the viewer–head bowed and hands over the face. Inscribed on the pedestal in Elvish is "shame". |
| 58 | A giant apple, carved of stone and painted bright red, marks the entrance to a local orchard. It is a cherished landmark hailed by locals as The World's Biggest Apple. Somehow, you doubt that even this is true. |
| 59 | It is a statue of a god who turns into an eagle. The statue depicts him as a humanoid with eagle wings instead of arms and a beak instead of a nose and mouth. |
| 60 | A pregnant woman in a sharp iron crown, with three arms, three legs, and three separate anguished faces looking in different directions is tearing her breast and giving violent birth at the same time. One face is devouring the newborn. |
| 61 | It’s a statue depicting a wyvern and a soldier, the wyvern lays on its back writhing in pain while the soldier stands on top of the wyvern and is pushing his spear through the creature’s chest using all his strength and bodyweight to pierce the thick skin of the wyvern. |
| 62 | Two devilish imps in a tug of war with two cherubs on each of the shoulders of a great mage with floppy hair. The literal, metaphorical thread of thought that each side is trying to influence runs between the mage's ears. A great deal of effort has been put in to get the hat just right. |
| 63 | A delicate statue of a bird, about to take flight. It looks to be made out of crystal clear glass, but will not break. A few rocks lie by it, as if thrown at it. |
| 64 | A bronze statue of a huge serpent coils itself around a freestanding marble column. It gazes upwards, its eyes set with glittering emeralds. Atop the column is a lit brazier of magefire. |
| 65 | It is a statue of a rugged miner swinging their pickaxe. A plaque at the bottom reads "Couldn't have made this without you". |
| 66 | A great warrior-king caught in mid-disintegration; fully half of a Rune of Power etched into his enraged face, a portion of the actual physical manifestations of the magical runes left from the casting are captured, somehow, in the work. An enterprising mage might learn a few forbidden things or two from this masterwork. |
| 67 | It is a statue of two figures facing each other with a rectangular frame in-between. The figures heavily resemble each other, but one is a human, while the other is a demon. |
| 68 | An elegant deity-queen in fine marble, clothed only in flowing, sheer, diaphanous silk, with so many lifelike folds it appears as if the stone itself were really fabric. One hand and arm is raised in the act of casting a spell, the second hand and arm are lowered, and both legs appear to be performing a dance. The face is a featureless smooth, shallow bowl shaped depression. |
| 69 | It is a statue of the ouroboros, the mythical snake that eats its own tail as a symbol of eternity. |
| 70 | It is a statue of a predatory animal in a sitting position. You feel as if it's watching you. |
| 71 | A holy warrior impaling a lich on an intricate and intimidating looking holy lance. The lance is broken. |
| 72 | It is a statue of an old king sitting on his throne, with a spear in his hand. |
| 73 | It is a statue of a valiant knight in full plate. The knight is holding his shield, which is decorated with a specific coat of arms, in front of him. |
| 74 | A crystalline statue of a fabled master assassin in repose, lying in the throne of a king who was supposedly killed by them. The statue is plainly visible when seen straight-on, but becomes completely invisible when viewed from more than a 30deg angle. The Crystal of the statue is completely mundane, only worked by what must have been an absolute master craftsman. |
| 75 | A gigantic stone head that was shorn off a larger-than-life statue, taken as plunder by the king's grandfather in a war of conquest in a far-off land. |
| 76 | An abstract form resembling two large vertical cones touching point to point, with a crystal sphere at least 1 foot across impaled upon it. The sphere has an array of 26 finger sized holes radially spaced around the equator. The bottom cone has a finger-sized spiral groove with 13 rotations up its entire length. |
| 77 | It is a statue of two lovers embracing. With their poses and the statue's position, you can barely see the lovers' faces. |
| 78 | A condemned person moments before being drawn and quartered. The condemned is crying out. The statue is incredibly detailed, and even features gruesome whip scars on their back. |
| 79 | A series of life-size, interlocked and entangled humanoid forms in forced perspective. The forms are all abusing, attacking, or fighting each other, some attempting to tear or devour limbs, others with various weapons. All appear distraught or afraid. The most "distant" and smallest forms are being actively devoured by the "closest" and largest. |
| 80 | A young, well-to-do woman, a strapping soldier, and a little pet dog. The woman is dead, dying, or on a sick-bed. The woman and soldier are done in an abstract style, while the dog is lavished in life-like detail. The arms-man has committed suicide by stabbing themselves in the chest with a sword. An empty scabbard lies on the ground, strap pulled by the dog. |
| 81 | Two statues of saints adorn either flank of a staircase. On the left, a dwarf holding a shortsword and an abacus; on the right, a human holding a basket of bread. They are dressed in robes and gaze sideways at one another. You feel a sense of calm as you pass between them. |
| 82 | A statue of a dire wolf with its head arched back in a pitch dark room. It howls when any light is produced in the room. |
| 83 | A holy feast, filled with fine food and drink, and a fine table, captured in utmost perfect detail. Beneath the table is a drunken minstrel attempting to steal some of the wine. A cherubim actively seeks to dissuade the drunkard wrapping their face with a cloudlike veil, while a devil actively prods the exposed buttocks of the drunkard with a fork. |
| 84 | An archer god with winged feet and seven eyes riding a crescent moon. Their arrows and bow are extremely long. |
| 85 | A life sized statue of a wizard holding a workable lamp. Lighting the lamp with magical fire causes the statue to rotate and shine the light on a nearby wall, revealing a secret door. |
| 86 | A small fishing boat and crew, navigating through seemingly perilous waters. The statue is about half life-size in scale. |
| 87 | An abstract form sits on a windy hilltop in a park: three long, curved tubes, cast of polished bronze and interwoven intricately. Each catches the wind and plays a low, whistling note, which combines in a sweetly melodious chord. |
| 88 | It is a statue of a famous monster slayer from ages past. Stories of their deeds have traveled far and wide. |
| 89 | It is a statue of a noble atop a horse, dressed as if they are getting ready for a pageant. |
| 90 | A statue dedicated to The Pyromancer, an ancient adventurer with a penchant for fireballs. The statue of black stone, depicting a dragonborn in sorcerer robes, hands reaching forward as if mid-spell. The statue will very occasionally and without warning spout flames from its outstretched hands |
| 91 | The statue of a dwarven folk hero stands before you, raising a mighty warhammer to the sky. If the top of the warhammer is pressed down, it opens a secret door in this room. |
| 92 | A minecart full of ore and mining equipment, and a small, tired, mine-donkey. |
| 93 | It is a large, slightly tilted slab of stone, onto which water drips down from an unknown source above. A small groove has formed around the droplets' path. A plaque at the bottom reads "Monument to Persistence". |
| 94 | It is a statue of a dwarf kneeling, deep in prayer. His hands are clasped together and his eyes are tightly shut. |
| 95 | It is a statue dedicated to a long-forgotten god of Thievery. No one has laid eyes on this statue for centuries. |
| 96 | A caricature of an obscure harvest deity with a circular calendar carved over their smiling visage and hands cupped as if expecting an offering. The calendar is articulated to spin. The statue includes carved stalks of what appear to be flax. |
| 97 | It is a statue of a king atop his favored horse. The king looks as if he is readying himself for battle. |
| 98 | The statue of an elf king sits before you in a stone throne, its entirety wrapped in long, crawling ivy. If the ivy is cleared away, it grows back within 24 hours. |
| 99 | It is a statue of a very important religious figure that died when they were very young. The good that they did for the world will never be forgotten. |
| 100 | A two part statue comprising the large body of a pirate-king bravo, 3x life-size, carved from a lemony-green variegated alabaster with onyx, combined with a contrasting pink variegated alabaster with calcite throne behind. The king is seated, one hand in a metal gauntlet (made of carved stone) resting on an armrest, the other is holding a stone sword as if leading a charge. The king's nose is visibly replaced by an actual pewter prosthetic. The throne has been defaced, but in such a way as to have clearly been carved that way originally. The king's clothing and notably oversized hat, is a distinctive style of fine fashion among the sea-going swashbucklers, from a period of time roughly 100 years ago. |