Embrace the Chaos of the Timeline!

Time travel in a TTRPG is more than just avoiding paradoxes; it’s a fantastic source of narrative chaos and unforgettable character moments! When your players rip a hole in spacetime, why not add a little extra flavour? Forget simple exhaustion—let’s get weird. We’ve created a random generator for those bizarre, unexpected side effects of chronomancy.

The Random Quirks of Time Travel Table

Ready to see what happens when you mess with the fourth dimension? The next time a character travels through time, have them roll a d20 on the table below to discover their strange new quirk. It’s a perfect tool for any Game Master running a sci-fi, fantasy, or modern TTRPG campaign.

1. Develops a severe allergy to a now-extinct plant.
2. Speaks in rhymes for the next 24 hours.
3. Believes they are being followed by a historical figure.
4. Gains a compulsion to hoard a specific, seemingly useless item.
5. All electronic devices malfunction within a 10-foot radius.
6. Randomly switches between languages they know.
7. Experiences vivid flashbacks of a life they never lived.
8. Loses the ability to perceive a specific colour.
9. Starts referring to people by the wrong names (but historically appropriate).
10. Develops an unusual craving for food that hasn’t been invented yet.
11. Inexplicably gains proficiency in a dead language.
12. Has prophetic dreams about minor inconveniences.
13. Their shadow acts independently for a short time.
14. Senses an impending doom that never arrives.
15. Becomes convinced they are a robot/alien/historical figure.
16. Their voice temporarily changes to that of someone famous.
17. Can only communicate through interpretive dance.
18. Constantly misquotes historical events.
19. Attracts swarms of anachronistic insects.
20. Briefly swaps personalities with their past/future self.

Putting Quirks into Play

How can you use this? Imagine a high-tension espionage game where a player suddenly believes they’re being followed by Abraham Lincoln. Or a fantasy hero zapped to the future who now shorts out every maglev train they approach. A sci-fi epic gets a dose of comedy gold when the stoic captain and their reckless younger self swap personalities mid-crisis!

Make Your Timeline Unpredictable

These quirks are a launchpad for incredible role-playing. They can be a one-off gag or the seed of an entire story arc. Feel free to adapt them, expand on them, and create your own tables. The goal is to make your players’ next trip through time a memorable one. Happy travels!