Creating surprises

His Majesty the Worm · p.187

If things are beginning to get stagnant, introduce something that changes the Challenge dramatically. Let the potential energy transfer into kinetic energy.

Here’s a table to inspire ideas for different ways to shake things up. Glance at the top of the minor arcana discard pile for a random event:

Card	Twist
I	The current conflict smashes down a nearby wall, connecting the current room to an adjacent one. What dwells in that room, and how will it interact with the current scene?
II	A wandering monster wanders into the scene.
III	An infantile wandering monster wanders into the scene. It imprints onto a random adventurer.
IV	A rival adventuring party, currently struggling with problems of their own, crash onto the scene.
V	Something in the current scene is revealed to only be an illusion.
VI	Something in the scene is revealed, with further investigation, to be something completely different. The orc is just three goblins in a trench coat. The gargoyle is just a statue.
VII	A secret passage is revealed, leading to hidden treasure or danger.
VIII	A chance blow rips open a backpack, causing two alchemical potions to crash onto the ground. As the two reagents mix, a terrible ooze begins to form, farting out magical clouds as it does.
IX	Disembodied spirits climb inside the bodies of nearby slain foes and reanimate them as flesh puppets. The spirits have their own agendas. What do they want?
X	A dropped torch or knocked over brazier starts a fire which quickly becomes a hazard as the area is filled with smoke and flames.
Page	The area becomes suddenly flooded with water/wine/sludge/something else. What is the source of this deluge?
Knight	The next time an adventurer is dealt a Wound, they are dazed. When they come to their senses, they distinctly remember a preternatural voice speaking to them. What is this divine revelation? Is it real? Or is there something going wrong in the unknowable space behind their eyes that’s undiagnosed?
Queen	Death shows up and stands quietly in the corner. He’s a few minutes early, but is willing to wait.
King	A stampede of doppelgangers barrels down the passage and accidentally bumps into the guild. They get all tangled up, tripping over each other. After the confusion, the party is substantially larger. Each player has at least two, but maybe as many as four new adventurers. Not even the players are sure who is who. Give them new adventurer sheets for their clones until things are sorted out.