Not Just a Blessing or a Curse!

How many times has a player touched a strange magical artifact and the outcome was simple? They either get a buff or a debuff. Let’s be honest, that can get a little stale. What if the consequences of supernatural encounters were more complex, blending incredible boons with tricky new burdens? This approach creates amazing depth and fantastic roleplaying opportunities your players will love.

The Power of Mixed Blessings

Purely positive or negative outcomes are predictable. A mixed result, however, is a story! Imagine a character blessed by a Dryad. They can now speak with plants, an amazing boon for gathering information. But what’s the catch? Now they feel the pain of every chopped tree and trampled flower. Suddenly, a simple walk through the city becomes an exercise in empathy and horror. That’s the kind of narrative juice that makes a campaign memorable!

The Unexpected Boon & Burden Table

Next time a character has a brush with the supernatural, a weird ritual, or a fey bargain, roll a d20 on this table. Get ready for some brilliant chaos!

1. Heightened Senses: Benefit: Advantage on Perception checks. Burden: Overwhelmed in crowds (disadvantage on concentration checks).
2. Enhanced Strength: Benefit: Advantage on Strength checks. Burden: Accidentally break fragile objects and give clumsy handshakes.
3. Improved Intellect: Benefit: Advantage on Intelligence checks. Burden: Difficulty with simple concepts (disadvantage on Empathy checks).
4. Increased Charisma: Benefit: Advantage on Charisma checks. Burden: You attract unwanted attention (disadvantage on Stealth checks).
5. Spiritual Connection: Benefit: Advantage on saves vs. charm. Burden: Vulnerable to psychic energy (disadvantage on saves vs. psychic damage).
6. Temporal Awareness: Benefit: Advantage on initiative rolls. Burden: Time feels erratic (disadvantage on tasks requiring patience).
7. Luck Boost: Benefit: Once per long rest, reroll a failed check. Burden: Minor misfortunes plague those nearby.
8. Healing Touch: Benefit: Advantage on Medicine checks. Burden: You feel a phantom echo of the pain you heal (disadvantage on saves vs. fear).
9. Animal Affinity: Benefit: Advantage on Animal Handling checks. Burden: Compelled to help any distressed animal you see.
10. Plant Empathy: Benefit: You can understand the general state of plants. Burden: You feel distress when plants are harmed.
11. Technological Aptitude: Benefit: Advantage on checks with technology. Burden: You distrust natural or magical solutions.
12. Artistic Inspiration: Benefit: Advantage on creative arts checks. Burden: Prone to dramatic mood swings.
13. Knowledge of the Beyond: Benefit: Advantage on Arcana checks. Burden: Suffer from disturbing visions (disadvantage on saves vs. madness).
14. Physical Resilience: Benefit: Advantage on saves vs. poison. Burden: Most food tastes bland and uninteresting.
15. Mystical Protection: Benefit: Resistance to one energy type. Burden: Metal feels unnaturally cold and is difficult to work with.
16. Improved Reflexes: Benefit: Advantage on Dexterity saving throws. Burden: You can’t stay still (disadvantage on stealth checks when stationary).
17. Dream Walking: Benefit: You can enter and influence dreams. Burden: Difficulty telling dreams from reality (disadvantage on Insight checks).
18. Voice of Authority: Benefit: Advantage on Intimidation checks. Burden: You sound unintentionally abrasive (disadvantage on Persuasion checks).
19. Direction Sense: Benefit: You are never truly lost. Burden: Overwhelmed by directions in new places (disadvantage on concentration checks).
20. Ethereal Sight: Benefit: You can see into the Ethereal Plane. Burden: Constant visual static (disadvantage on Perception checks on the Material Plane).

Ideas for Any TTRPG System

This table is incredibly versatile! Try it out in your favorite game:

• Call of Cthulhu: Perfect for lingering side effects after witnessing a horror or completing a ritual.
• Starfinder: Use this for subtle mutations after an encounter with strange alien life or weird cosmic radiation.
• D&D or Pathfinder: An ideal result for a Fey bargain, a divine intervention gone awry, or a failed curse.

Create Unforgettable Stories

Using blended outcomes turns a simple mechanical event into a rich, character-defining moment. It gives players new quirks to explore and challenges to overcome that go far beyond the numbers on their character sheet. Adapt this table, expand on it, and have fun creating some truly unique stories at your table!