Arcane Spellcasting Mishaps
When an arcane spell has been cast, it often brings with it the unintended consequences of toying with forces beyond the spellcaster's control. When a spell check fails, the GM can consult this page to determine what the final outcome of the spell is.
Generic Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level force damage |
| 2-3 | All non-magical metal within 5' melts or takes 1 point of durability damage |
| 4-5 | Orb of darkness surrounds the party for one fight |
| 6-7 | Bizarre gravity, heavy or light |
| 8-9 | The caster emits blinding bright light |
| 10-11 | The spell affects the wrong target |
| 12-13 | The spell creates significant collateral damage |
| 14-16 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 17-19 | The caster gains a level of Exhaustion, CON check to resist |
| 20 | A different, random spell is cast |
Alternately, tables based on the particular type of arcane magic may be used instead at the GM's discretion.
Abjuration Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D4/spell level force damage |
| 2 | The caster is cursed to permanently take 1 point of force damage, each time they cast a spell in the future |
| 3 | The caster or a random ally is entombed alive in a crystal of pure magical force, effectively Petrifying them for 10 minutes |
| 4 | The legs and torso of everyone within 10' of the caster are locked solid by an unyielding force Restraining them for 10 minutes |
| 5 | The spellcaster's allies within 10' are all Staggered for one round |
| 6 | The caster draws the attention of a vengeful demon, who will possess a body and attempt to assassinate the caster sometime in the near future |
| 7 | The caster sees everyone as a decaying corpse, immediately gaining a level of Stress and requiring a WIS check to communicate with any ally or else they gain additional levels of stress until the effect ends after 1D6 hours |
| 8-9 | All within 15' of the spellcaster loses the ability to speak or hear anything for the next minute, instead only hearing noises like breaking glass |
| 10-11 | The spellcaster magically gains +6 temporary hit points |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target, perhaps helping an enemy rather than allies |
| 14-15 | The caster is Drained until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Exhaustion from fighting against the order of the universe |
| 20 | A different, random spell Abjuration spell is cast |
Curses Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level necrotic damage |
| 2 | The caster's soul is stolen by the spirits of the land, preventing the spellcaster from casting any spells until they and their allies recover the soul by doing a favor for the spirit |
| 3 | The caster is cursed with an irrational fear of caves if underground or of the open sky if outside which forces a WIS check to prevent acquiring a level of Stress each round they are not blinded by a band of thick material or hood |
| 4 | Unbeknownst to the caster, one of their allies chosen at random is cursed with a magical disease such as lycanthropy that only shows up later |
| 5 | All the caster's allies within 15' are Slowed for 1 minute |
| 6 | Anyone who does a paid service for the spellcaster or their allies incurs a debt to a demon lord but they don't necessarily know this so they are all mysteriously slain or disappear when this prince of the second world comes to collect |
| 7 | The spellcaster's eyes begin to bleed uncontrollably, causing 1 necrotic every round until a successful medicine or herbalism check is made to staunch the bleeding rendering them effectively Blinded until they can take a safe rest |
| 8-9 | A thick, choking fog covers the entire battlefield/area, making visibility beyond 30' impossible for 10 minutes |
| 10-11 | On their next round, an ally of your choice may make an extra melee attack using a quick action and moves 10' faster |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is Poisoned until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Stress |
| 20 | A different, random curse is cast |
Divination Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D4/spell level psychic damage |
| 2 | The caster's future is sullied with bad energy, and is permanently Cursed |
| 3 | Despite how hard they try, the caster is cursed not able to enter a place of worship such as a church, mosque, or temple |
| 4 | All of the caster's allies within 30' are magically Cursed for 1D6 days |
| 5 | All the caster's allies within 30' are drained for one day |
| 6 | The caster peers into the void, and sees something peering back – expect an attack from a random spiritual being in the next 2D6 days |
| 7 | The caster's eyes permanently change in their look of their pupil shape, size, and color |
| 8-9 | In a 60' radius of the caster all sound and sight “echoes” for the next 10 minutes, making all in the area Disoriented |
| 10-11 | An ally gains Advantage on their next D20 roll |
| 12-13 | Unbeknownst to the caster, the spell finds the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is drained until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Stress as they learn some things that are not meant for mortals to know |
| 20 | A different, random divination spell is cast |
Elementalism Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1d8/spell level fire/lightning/acid/cold damage |
| 2 | The magic backs up on the caster, stuck in their hand. They lose 1D8 HP and are Maimed by the mishap |
| 3 | The caster is cursed to always have bad, uncomfortable weather follow him wherever he goes |
| 4 | Everyone within 30' including the caster and his allies are Blinded for 1 minute |
| 5 | The caster's allies are staggered for 1D6 rounds |
| 6 | The spirits of the land are not pleased and immediately dispatch an appropriate spirit or elemental to appear and bring the caster back to the realm of the elves for trial |
| 7 | An immense celestial object tumbles from the heavens slowing as it approaches and hovering 100 feet above the point where the spell failed this perfect sphere of obsidian is 20' across and will detonate causing fires, earthquakes, and a thunderous ice storm that melts and floods destroying everything within a half mile sometime in the next 1D6 days |
| 8-9 | The air around you starts to burn and sting forcing all to make CON checks or take 1D6 fire, cold, acid, or lightning damage on their turn for 1 minute |
| 10-11 | One target of the spellcasters choice takes 1D6 fire,cold,acid, or lightning damage determined by the GM |
| 12-13 | The spell hits the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is staggered until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Exhaustion |
| 20 | A different, random elementalism spell is cast instead |
Goety Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level necrotic/fire damage |
| 2 | The caster is Blinded and he is incapacitated for a round as a demon pulls out his eyes and steals them back to hell; of course the caster can still see out of these eyes, and regularly witnesses horrors of the pits of hell forcing him to make regular Stress checks at the GM's whim until either the demon tires of the game and destroys the eyes, or the caster manages to summon the offending demon and defeat it to reclaim their eyes |
| 3 | The caster is bound to a demon, automatically suffering a level of corruption and forever cursed to consume a week's worth of rations each day, and still never feeling satiated |
| 4 | The caster and his allies are cursed to permanently grow goat horns marking them as demon-touched; over the next few days everyone will begin to notice the strange bony growths |
| 5 | The caster's allies are Slowed for one minute |
| 6 | Corruptor demons flash into existence and fill the area for a moment, forcing the caster and all allies to make a Corruption check or suffer a level of corruption |
| 7 | The caster is Incapacitated for a round as he vomits up gouts of long black worms each with the tiny face of a human being in pain that quickly slither off and escape |
| 8-9 | The area around where the caster failed their check is thrown into a magical zone of darkness for 1D6 days over a radius of 20' |
| 10-11 | The spellcaster unexpectedly gains the service of a Diabolus demon for 10 minutes or until it has fulfilled the spellcaster's commands |
| 12-13 | The spell hits the wrong target, or something wrong is summoned |
| 14-15 | The caster is slowed until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster glimpses hell and gains a level of Stress |
| 20 | A different, random goety spell is cast |
Hypnosis Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level psychic damage |
| 2 | The caster is cursed as their mind loses its ability to control their body, rendering him permanently Restrained - unable to stand or even move his limbs |
| 3 | The caster immediately falls Asleep |
| 4 | The caster and one random ally are cursed to switch bodies, immediately exchanging their equipment and STR, DEX, and CON attributes for 1D6 days with a 1 in 6 chance that the switch is permanent |
| 5 | All of the caster's allies are Confused for 1 round |
| 6 | A malevolent demon with a distinctive personality slips into the spellcaster's mind, which takes control of the spellcaster's body to sabotage the party - but only while the spellcaster's true personality sleeps so waking the spellcaster brings them back and dismisses the demon back to a place it cannot be detected or exorcised until the next time the spellcaster sleeps |
| 7 | The spell caster is cursed to no longer feel or recognize in others one major emotion chosen randomly by the GM such as fear, anger, excitement, sadness, happiness, or love |
| 8-9 | A cloud of multicolored mist appears in a radius of 30' from the point where the caster's spell failed which makes all Disoriented until the mist dissipates after one hour |
| 10-11 | Any sentient non-allies within 60' are immediately Shaken |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is Disoriented, until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Stress |
| 20 | A different, random hypnosis spell is cast |
Illusion Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D4/spell level psychic damage |
| 2 | The caster is cursed to always make any Perception, Investigation, or Insight check at Disadvantage |
| 3 | The caster is cursed to have an illusionary companion only they can see who continually insults and second guesses them |
| 4 | The caster's allies believe the spellcaster had turned into a monster and are Frightened by him for 1D6 hours |
| 5 | All the caster's allies are Fascinated until they take damage |
| 6 | An exact duplicate of the spellcaster is created somewhere in the world who wants nothing more than to make existence miserable for the spellcaster so that they commit suicide |
| 7 | The spellcaster is Staggered for 1D6 rounds as they explosively excrete rainbow colored feces |
| 8-9 | A cloud of multicolored mist appears in a radius of 30' from the point where the caster's spell failed which makes all Disoriented until the mist dissipates after one hour |
| 10-11 | All creatures with less HD than the spellcaster within 30' automatically fall Asleep |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is drained, until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Exhaustion |
| 20 | A different, random illusion spell is cast |
Necromancy Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level necrotic damage |
| 2 | The spellcaster is cursed to slowly transform into a ghoul, no longer able to be healed by divine magic and requiring the raw flesh of sentient mortals for sustenance, which tastes like dust if not stripped from the still-living and rising again as a fully undead monster if they drop to 0 HP |
| 3 | Whenever the spellcaster casts any spell in the future, they are cursed to inflict 2 points of necromantic damage on every mortal being friend and foe alike within 30' |
| 4 | The next ally of the caster to die immediately rises again as a zombie with all their full HP and capabilities bent on killing their former colleagues, forcing all allies to make a WIS check or take a level of Stress as they must somehow destroy or incapacitate their ally |
| 5 | All the caster's allies in the party are Drained until their next safe rest |
| 6 | The caster becomes irresistible to the undead in the future, attracting all undead beings to prefer attacking them as opposed to any allies in any case where the choice is immaterial |
| 7 | The spellcaster is cursed in that their reflection is always that of an undead revenant |
| 8-9 | All non-magical vegetation within a one-mile radius withers and dies |
| 10-11 | The spellcaster takes 1D6 necrotic but also heals all wounded allies within 10' for the same amount |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is Poisoned until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Stress |
| 20 | A different, random necromantic spell is cast |
Spiritualism Magical Mishap Table
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level psychic damage |
| 2 | The spellcaster is cursed to have mischievous spirits begin to follow them around, animating their mundane equipment and possessions |
| 3 | The caster's shadow disappears only to return in a few days with help to murder the spellcaster and his allies as they prepare to rest |
| 4 | The caster is cursed never to lie, instead choking out a putrescent flem-like paste from their mouth whenever they try to tell a falsehood |
| 5 | All the caster's allies within 30' are Slowed for one minute |
| 6 | The caster attracts the attention of a powerful malevolent spirit who schemes to take possession of the caster's body at their next rest |
| 7 | The caster's visage is permanently made strange and horrible to those in the spirit world by a curse; It can also be glimpsed in mirrors or other reflective surfaces which could trigger a WIS check or gain a level of Stress |
| 8-9 | A thunderous light and sound echoes through the spirit world, filling an 30' radius area around the spellcaster with roiling spiritual energy cutting any movement in half and making all in the area Haunted until the area clears after about 10 minutes |
| 10-11 | For the next minute, the spellcaster can see any invisible or incorporeal creatures |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target, perhaps harming allies rather than enemies |
| 14-15 | The caster is Drained until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Stress as they catch themselves peering too deep into the infinite of the spirit realm |
| 20 | A different, random spiritualism spell is cast |
Divine Spellcasting Mishaps
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1D6/spell level radiant damage |
| 2 | The spellcaster may not cast any more spells until they have done appropriate penance (e.g. taking communion or giving confession) |
| 3 | The caster is regularly visited by an angel or saint who continually checks up on them, second guessing their choices and quoting scripture until they complete a boon for the celestial being |
| 4 | The fire of the Lord falls inappropriately, consuming an ally who is a nonbeliever for 1D6/spell level radiant damage |
| 5 | The caster's allies are Drained until they receive communion |
| 6 | The spellcasting attracts the interest of a denizen of the realm of light who wants a favor; reroll the spell check but the spellcaster must agree to complete a boon for the angel |
| 7 | The spellcaster succumbs to the temptation of a demon, believing that they are accepting the help of heaven; They immediately gain a point of corruption (perhaps without knowing it) and they may reroll their spell check if they agree to complete a boon for the fake angel which seems godly, but is actually aimed at an evil outcome |
| 8-9 | The earth in a 30' radius from the point the spell was cast cracks and buckles, crumbling into rough terrain |
| 10-11 | A random hurt ally, or the spellcaster themselves heals two hit points per spell level |
| 12-13 | The spell affects the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is Poisoned by bad magic until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Exhaustion |
| 20 | A different, random similar spell is cast |
Mishap Outline
A mishap table follows the following outline:
| D20 Roll | Mishap Effect |
| 1 | Magical backlash! Caster takes 1DX/spell level XXXXXX damage |
| 2 | The caster is cursed badly |
| 3 | The caster is cursed in an annoying way |
| 4 | The caster's allies are cursed |
| 5 | The caster's allies are drained/ staggered/ poisoned/ slowed/ shaken/ fascinated/ disoriented |
| 6 | The caster & allies will have a new enemy in the future |
| 7 | THE WEIRD ONE |
| 8-9 | The environment is changed somehow |
| 10-11 | Something different but generally slightly helpful happens |
| 12-13 | The spell hits the wrong target |
| 14-15 | The caster is drained/ staggered/ poisoned/ slowed/ shaken/ fascinated/ disoriented, until their next safe rest |
| 16-17 | The caster is Stunned for one round |
| 18-19 | The caster gains a level of Stress or Exhaustion |
| 20 | A different, random spell (perhaps of the same type) is cast |
