We’ve all been there. The party alchemist fumbles a crucial roll, and suddenly, the whole table looks to the GM. What happens now? An explosion is classic, but why not add some real chaos to your campaign? When a failed alchemy check occurs, instead of just saying “it doesn’t work,” let’s make it memorable!

That’s where this Wild Alchemy Mishap Table comes in. It’s a fantastic GM tool for adding unpredictable, fun, and sometimes dire consequences to your alchemist’s experiments.

What is the Wild Alchemy Mishap Table?

This d100 table is designed to inject pure, unadulterated chaos into any TTRPG session where potions and poultices are brewed. The outcomes range from minor cosmetic changes and social inconveniences to genuinely hazardous magical surges. It ensures that no two failed alchemy checks ever have to be the same!

How to Use This Table

The perfect time to roll on this table is when a player fails an alchemy or crafting check, especially on a critical failure! As the GM, you can also decide that a particularly volatile combination of ingredients requires a roll, success or fail.

Feel free to apply modifiers to the d100 roll based on the situation. Brewing a simple healing potion in a pristine lab might grant a +10 to the roll, while mixing dragon’s blood and lich dust during an earthquake could warrant a -20!

d100 Wild Alchemy Mishap Table

1. Minor Skin Irritation: -1 to social checks for 1 hour.
2. Temporary Colour Change: Skin/hair turns a random colour for 1d4 hours.
3. Foul Odour: Emits a noticeable, unpleasant smell for 1d6 hours.
4. Mild Nausea: Disadvantage on Constitution saving throws for 1 round.
5. Object Transmutation (Minor): A small, non-essential object turns into something useless (e.g., a coin turns into a button).
6. Potion Inversion: The potion has the opposite of its intended effect.
7. Uncontrollable Hiccups: Disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks for 1d4 rounds.
8. Temporary Mute: Character cannot speak for 1d4 rounds.
9. Minor Explosion: A small, harmless explosion of light and smoke.
10. Hair Loss: All hair falls out. Regrows at a normal rate.
11. Limb Numbness: One random limb becomes numb for 1d4 rounds.
12. Temporary Blindness: Character is blinded for 1 round.
13. Animal Transformation (Minor): Briefly transformed into a small animal (rat, toad) for 1 round.
14. Plant Growth: Nearby plants grow rapidly.
15. Sticky Situation: Character’s hands become incredibly sticky for 1d6 rounds.
16. Levitation (Minor): Floats 1d4 feet off the ground for 1 round.
17. Metallic Taste: Experiences a strong metallic taste for 1d4 hours.
18. Uncontrollable Laughter: Bursts into uncontrollable laughter for 1d4 rounds.
19. Attracts Insects: Attracts a swarm of harmless insects for 1d4 rounds.
20. Hallucinations (Minor): Experiences mild visual or auditory hallucinations for 1d4 rounds.
21. Potion Bubbles: The potion bubbles over, making a mess, but is otherwise fine.
22. Weakness: -2 to Strength checks for 1d4 rounds.
23. Glowing Skin: Skin glows faintly for 1d6 hours.
24. Shrinking: Shrinks by 1d10% for 1d4 rounds.
25. Growing: Grows by 1d10% for 1d4 rounds.
26. Feather Growth: Small feathers sprout on the character’s skin for 1d4 hours.
27. Invisibility (Partial): One random item on the character becomes invisible for 1d4 hours.
28. Echoing Voice: Voice echoes for 1d4 rounds.
29. Soap Bubbles: The potion creates a stream of soap bubbles for 1d6 rounds.
30. Teleportation (Minor): Teleports 1d4 feet in a random direction.
31. Acidic Touch: The potion drips with mild acid, causing 1 point of damage on contact.
32. Magnetic Attraction: Attracts small metal objects for 1d4 rounds.
33. Illumination: The potion emits bright light, acting as a torch for 1d4 rounds.
34. Speed Boost: Gains +10 movement speed for 1 round.
35. Slow: Movement speed is halved for 1 round.
36. Confusion: Character is confused for 1 round.
37. Fear: Character is frightened for 1 round.
38. Silence: A 5-foot radius around the character becomes silent for 1 round.
39. Stench: A wave of foul odour emanates from the potion, affecting a 5-foot radius.
40. Fog Cloud: A small fog cloud appears around the character.
41. Grease: The floor around the character becomes covered in slippery grease.
42. Web: A small web shoots out from the potion.
43. Entangle: Plants around the character attempt to entangle them.
44. Sleep: Must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or fall asleep for 1 round.
45. Charm: Charmed by the nearest creature for 1 round.
46. Hold Person: Paralysed for 1 round.
47. Blindness/Deafness: Blinded or deafened (50/50 chance) for 1 round.
48. Darkness: A small sphere of darkness appears.
49. Fireball (Minor): A burst of flame deals 1d6 fire damage to the character.
50. Lightning Bolt (Minor): A small bolt of lightning deals 1d6 lightning damage to the character.
51. Cold Snap: The temperature drops drastically in a 5-foot radius for 1d4 rounds.
52. Weak Gravity: Jump distance is doubled for 1d4 rounds.
53. Strong Gravity: Movement speed is halved for 1d4 rounds.
54. Magnetic Pulse: Small metal objects are flung away.
55. Time Slow: Perceives time as moving slower for 1 round.
56. Time Fast: Perceives time as moving faster for 1 round.
57. Duplicate (Imperfect): Creates a temporary, imperfect duplicate for 1 round.
58. Shadow Clone: Creates a shadowy duplicate for 1 round.
59. Teleport Self (Short): Teleports 1d10 feet in a random direction.
60. Teleport Object: A random object on the character teleports 1d10 feet in a random direction.
61. Summon Swarm (Insects): Summons a swarm of harmless insects.
62. Summon Swarm (Rats): Summons a swarm of harmless rats.
63. Acid Rain (Minor): Acidic rain falls in a 5-foot radius for 1d4 rounds.
64. Fire Resistance (Temporary): Gains temporary resistance to fire damage for 1d4 rounds.
65. Cold Vulnerability (Temporary): Gains temporary vulnerability to cold damage for 1d4 rounds.
66. Lightning Attraction: Attracts lightning for 1 round.
67. Grounding: Becomes grounded, unable to levitate or fly for 1d4 rounds.
68. Energy Drain: -2 to all ability checks for 1 round.
69. Energy Surge: +2 to all ability checks for 1 round.
70. Phasing (Minor): Momentarily phases through a solid object.
71. Plant Control (Minor): Can briefly control nearby plants.
72. Metal Control (Minor): Can briefly control small metal objects.
73. Illusion (Self): Creates a minor illusion of themselves.
74. Illusion (Object): Creates a minor illusion of an object.
75. Fear Aura: Emits an aura of fear, affecting nearby creatures.
76. Charm Aura: Emits an aura of charm, affecting nearby creatures.
77. Weakness Aura: Emits an aura of weakness, affecting nearby creatures.
78. Strength Aura: Emits an aura of strength, affecting nearby creatures.
79. Confusion Aura: Emits an aura of confusion, affecting nearby creatures.
80. Clarity Aura: Emits an aura of clarity, improving mental focus.
81. Anti-Magic Field (Minor): Creates a small, temporary anti-magic field.
82. Magic Surge: Wild magic surges from the character, causing a random magical effect.
83. Temporal Stutter: Time momentarily stutters around the character.
84. Gravity Shift (Minor): Gravity briefly shifts direction in a small area.
85. Elemental Shift: One element (fire, water, air, earth) becomes dominant in the area.
86. Planar Bleed: A brief glimpse of another plane is visible.
87. Astral Projection (Brief): Consciousness briefly separates from their body.
88. Dream Walking: Briefly enters the dream of a nearby creature.
89. Reality Warp (Minor): Reality momentarily warps in a small area.
90. Summoning (Minor): Summons a minor, harmless creature from another plane.
91. Elemental Burst: An explosion of a random elemental energy (fire, water, air, or earth).
92. Time Loop (Minor): Repeats the last 1d4 rounds.
93. Dimensional Rift (Minor): A small, unstable dimensional rift opens.
94. Gravity Inversion (Localized): Gravity is inverted in a small area for 1 round.
95. Matter Duplication (Temporary): Duplicates a small object, which disappears after 1d4 rounds.
96. Energy Absorption: Absorbs a nearby energy source (e.g., light from a torch).
97. Feedback Loop: Creates a dangerous feedback loop with another magical effect.
98. Chaotic Surge: Unleashes a surge of pure chaos energy with unpredictable results.
99. Reality Fracture: A small, visible crack appears in reality.
100. Gravity Well: Creates a localized gravity well, attracting all metal objects within 10 feet.

Embrace the Chaos!

This table is more than just a list of penalties; it’s a springboard for role-playing and unexpected adventure. A simple failed roll can lead to a hilarious social encounter, a desperate combat scramble, or even a brand-new plot hook. So the next time your player’s potion goes sideways, grab your d100 and let the glorious chaos unfold!