The Fountain Of Fortune's Folly is a powerful relic originally crafted to bestow some boon on those who drank from its blessed waters. Over many years its magic faltered and many greedy spellcasters have tried to influence or tamper with it, causing it to become something else, something unreliable and in some cases, even dangerous.
It is obviously not in its original place now, having somehow been moved. Framed by stained and cracked marble, the round pool of cool, clean water is btoken only by a twisting marble columnin its center. Although it must have once been noble and pure, the fountain is now strangely ominous. Small symbols of occluded intent are scratched into its surface and some of the stains look mysteriously like blood. Sitting at the base of the fountain is a pair of cups. One is elegantly carved ivory while the other is crudely forged iron with spots of rust.
Those who drink from the fountain, it is said, have a
choice of which cup to use. Drinking from the fountain without the use
of one of these cups has no unusual effect. It has been suggested that
one, or perhaps both cups are copies, or even completely unconnected
with the original cups or fountain, but once a new cup has been
associated and used to drink from the fountain, it becomes part of its
magic; becomes essential for the effects to occur. The source of water
flowing through the fountain seems to have no baring on its gifts.
Anyone who drinks from the fountain using one of the cups gains a fortune and a folly. The choice of cups determines which is random and which the drinker chooses.
If the drinker uses the ivory cup, they choose their fortune and gains a random folly. If the drinker uses the iron cup, they choose their folly and gain a random fortune.
Both the fortune and follies are permanent effects, although some, it is said, can be remedied. A character can not ever gain more than a single fortune, so drinking from the fountain more than once results in multiple follies, but not multiple fortunes.
It has also been spoken of that on certain, specific dates, conjunctions, or during certain events, the manner of gaining a fortune or folly changes. It has been suggested that in the past on one of these occasions the following differences occurred:-
FORTUNE - IVORY CUP USED
|
 |
FOLLY - IRON CUP USED
|
||
| 1D100 RESULT |
FORTUNE |
1D100 RESULT |
FOLLY |
|
| 1-5 |
Enhanced Vigour - gain 3 hp permanently. |
1-5 |
Ailment - lose 3 hp permanently. |
|
| 6-10 |
Sharpened Senses - gain +1 competance bonus on Listen and Spot checks. |
6-10 |
Dulled Sight - take a -2 penalty on Spot checks. |
|
| 11-15 |
Deep Understanding - gain a +2 competance bonus on a Knowledge skill of choice. |
11-15 |
Poor Hearing - take a -2 penalty on Listen checks. |
|
| 16-20 |
Athletic Skill - gain a +2 competance bonus on a STR-based skill of choice. |
16-20 |
Weakling - take a -1 penalty on all STR-based skill checks. |
|
| 21-25 |
Nimble Moves - gain a +2 competance bonus on a DEX-base skill of choice. |
21-25 |
Clumsy - take a -1 penalty on all DEX-based skill checks. |
|
| 26-30 |
Smooth Talker - gain a +2 competance bonus on a CHA-based skill of choice. |
26-30 |
Rude - take a -1 penalty on all CHA-based skill checks. |
|
| 31-35 |
Discovered Skill - gain 2
ranks in a class skill that you have the fewest ranks in (if there are
ties, you may choose which one gains the bonus ranks). |
31-35 |
Lost Focus
- take a -2 penalty on the skill you possess with the most ranks. Roll
randomly if there is a tie. Once set, this penalty does not change. |
|
| 36-40 |
Lesser Gift - gain 1D4 random minor potions and 1 random minor scroll. |
36-40 |
Potion Resistance - gain SR 10 against potions you consume. |
|
| 41-45 |
Improved Fortitude - gain a +1 luck bonus on Fortitude Saves. |
41-45 |
Poor Fortitude - take a -1 penalty on Fortitude Saves. |
|
| 46-50 |
Improved Reflexes - gain a +1 luck bonus on Reflex Saves. |
46-50 |
Sliggish Reflexes - take a -1 penalty on Reflex Saves. |
|
| 51-55 |
Improved Will - gain a +1 luck bonus on Will Saves. |
51-55 |
Weak Will - take a -1 penallty on Will Saves. |
|
| 56-59 |
Quick Feet - gain a +2 insight bonus on Initiative checks. |
56-59 |
Slow to React - take a -2 penalty on Initiative checks. |
|
| 60-63 |
Ability Boost - gain a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score of your choice. |
60-63 |
Ability Weakening - one of your ability scores,determined randomly, is permanently reduced by 1. |
|
| 64-67 |
Moderate Gift - gain a random minor magic item. Reroll any potion or scroll results. |
64-67 |
Lesser Curse
- your most expensive magic item gains a permanent Drawback. This
Drawback is randomly determined. Removing all of your magic items
before drinking from the fountain does not avoid this effect. |
|
| 68-71 |
Small Riches - gain a random gemstone and 1D6x10gp. |
68-71 |
Lost Wealth
- lose 2D6x1,000gp. This loss comes first from coins and gems, followed
by magic items of your choice. Removing such items before drinking from
the fountain does not avoid this effect. |
|
| 72-75 |
Weapon Talent - gain a proficiency with a martial or exotic weapon of your choice. |
72-75 |
Withering
- your offhand becomes withered and useless. A Regenerate repairs this
damage for 2D6 hours after which time the withering returns. |
|
| 76-78 |
Undeveloped Ability - gain a +2 inherent bonus to a random ability score. |
76-78 |
Ability Drain - one ability score of your choice is permanently reduced by 2. |
|
| 79-81 |
Divine Boone
- you can cast a 1st-Level divine spell once per day. Once chosen, the
spell can not be changed. Your caster Level equals your character Level
(Save DC = 11+CHA bonus). |
79-81 |
Divine Curse - you do not heal naturally and any attempt to magically heal you must first succeed at a DC 15 caster Level check. |
|
| 82-84 |
Arcane Boon
- you can cast a 1st-Level arcane spell once per day. Once chosen, the
spell can not be changed. Your caster Level equals your character Level
(Save DC = 11+CHA bonus). |
82-84 |
Arcane Curse
- whenever you take damage from a spell or spell-like ability you are
also dazed for 1 round if you fail your Save. Spells and spell-like
abilities that do not give a Save do not cause you to be dazed. |
|
| 85-87 |
Life Anchor
- the next time you are reduced to -10 hit points or less, you are
instead reduced to -9 hit points and are automatically stabilized. This
fortune functions only once. |
85-87 |
Grave Touch - when below 0 hp, you lose 2 hp per round and can not stabilize without assistance. |
|
| 88-90 |
Greater Gift - gain a random medium magic item. |
88-90 |
Moral Shift
your alignment changes to its opposite. Chaotic becomes Lawful, Good
become evil, and vice versa. Only neutral remains unchanged. You can
not choose this folly if you are neutral in either alignment component. |
|
| 91-93 |
Major Riches - gain1D6 random gemstones and 1D10x10pp. |
91-93 |
Magical Drain
- choose two magical items you possess. All other magic items you own
are permanently rendered nonmagical. Removing such items before
drinking from the fountain does not avoid this effect. This does not
affect artifacts. |
|
| 94-96 |
Reflection - gain 200XP per character Level. |
94-96 |
Forgotten Lessons - lose 200xp per character Level. |
|
| 97-99 |
Boon of Luck
- you may avoid any situation or negative occurance, even one that has
just occured. This fortune functions only once and does not help those
around you. |
97-99 |
Unlucky
- once per day you must roll twice for any D20 roll, taking the worse
result. The DM decides when this occurs and must decide before you roll. |
|
| 100 |
Patron
- a powerful outsider takes notice of you and might help you in a time
of need. The nature of this outsider is up to the DM. This fortune
functions only once and can not be chosen by the drinker, ever (it must
be randomly rolled). |
100 |
Enmity
- you have offended a powerful outsider who might try to destroy you in
the future. The nature of this outsider is up to the DM. This folly
functions only once and can not be chosen by the drinker (it must be
randomly rolled). |
|
| [The Luck domain ability and other effects that modify rolls can not be used to adjust any random roll on the tables.] | ||||
Based on an article in Dragon Magazine #339 January 2006 by Jason Bulmahn