Encounter Idea No. 11 – The Fortune Teller
No role-playing game is complete until you’ve had a fortune teller. Of course the fortune teller doesn’t have to be the typcial gypsy like woman you peers into a crystal ball, it could also be:
– A child who “sees things” and is escorted by a protector or bodyguard (possibly related)
– A elderly man who has convulsions, announces what he’s seen and then forgets it every happened
– A fortune telling machine, the character drops in a coin and out spits a fortune
Using a fortune teller in your game can be a lot of fun and potentially very beneficial to your characters. I’ve used them to provide clues as to past and future events, get players to accomplish specific tasks and even throw out a red herring or two. That’s right, just because they can see the future doesn’t mean they are always right.
A word of caution, using a fortune teller to predict the future can be very hazardous to your caompaign so use them with caution. You’ll also want to be a bit vague with any predictions so that you can ajdust things to fit if you need to.
Be sure to check out these additional encounter ideas
I had a fortune teller gypsy woman who was actually a complete hack trying to scam people for coin. However, I had an insane, homeless beggar the PCs had met earlier lying passed out outside of her tent. When she read their fortunes, the beggar (who was actually a cursed wizard trying to lead the party to his home many leagues away) cast a scry spell on the crystal ball from his position outside, showing them an event occurring on another continent somewhere that would hopefully urge them to take the adventure hook presented.