Hexplorations: “Commoner” House

This Hexploration (part of our series) answers the question, “What might be weird about the commoner’s house?” First roll a d6. There will only be something unusual on a 6 (1/6th of the time).  If so, roll in the list below, for a trivial unusual feature.  If you get a 6 again, something really weird is going on!

1. There is a hidden compartment in the floor or ceiling where the residents hide a stash of money.
2. The chimney is blocked up–if not attended to the next fire set may burn the house down or cause smoke to fill up the house!
3. Poor materials when making a prior repair have caused that wall or ceiling to be ready to fall apart.
4. Certain floorboards of stairs will creak very loudly. The occupants don’t plan to repair this–they consider it an alarm.
5. A swarm of vermin (rats, bugs, snakes) have recently moved in.
6. Roll on the Really Weird Stuff chart below.

The really weird stuff, roll 2d6…

If the first d6 is 1, then for the second d6:

1. Some of the stone making up the house was from a fallen stone golem. It is slowly trying to piece itself together.
2. Some of the wood making up the house was from a fallen wood golem. It is slowly trying to piece itself together.
3. A prior resident haunts the house.  The current occupants live with it amicably.
4. The house has a hidden basement or a hidden section of a basement used as a cult’s meeting location.
5. The house has an equivalent of a modern or futuristic technology such as lighting, indoor plumbing, a freezer, transporter, etc.
6. A fey creature is impressed with the garden out back and performs little tricks to improve it.

If the first d6 is 2, then for the second d6:

1. The house is located at a ley intersection and unexplained things occur occasionally.
2. The resident is actually a native of another plane, and the interior (or one room) matches that plane.
3. There is evidence in the house that a resident is a lycanthrope. A few days a month, they wake wearing shredded clothes.  The lycanthrope hides them under the bed and throws them out when unnoticed.
4. The structure was magically created. This is just interesting… it has no effect now, the house is a normal home of typical materials.
5. The garden has a small statue that is like a tiny gargoyle, but benevolent.
6. The house is a giant mimic with a couple drone “residents” who invite visitors in for a drink and then…

If the first d6 is 3, then for the second d6:

1. The home’s owner has a miniature diorama of another realm that is real.
2. The house was abandoned abruptly–possessions are still in the house untouched, dinner is on the table half-eaten, etc.  Why?
3. From the inside, the roof is transparent, allowing the residents to study the stars in comfort.
4. The trees around the house are treant children, adopted by the home’s owner when the parents died.
5. The interior is an extra-dimensional space and like a mansion inside.
6. In a secret nook beneath the house is a powerful magical item. The resident who hid it here died and no one knows of the item’s location… but it is trying to reach out.

If the first d6 is 4, then for the second d6:

1. A neighboring witch has cursed the house. One bedroom doesn’t allow for a good night’s rest.
2. Every day the flowers bloom in different colors.  No one knows why.
3. Walking past the house, you think you saw one just like it just behind you.  Looking back, nope it was different.  Is your mind tricking you?
4. The material making up the house is very unusual–the stone doesn’t match any other houses or quarries here.
5. The house has been unoccupied for years.  Rumors are it is haunted.  The last person to try to stay there on a dare won’t talk.
6. It never rains on the house itself, and there is often a rainbow ending on the house.

If the first d6 is 5, then for the second d6:

1. The plants here are not natural for the area or even this plane. The home’s owner is favored by a powerful, friendly fey.
2. The home is covered in huge, thick spider-webs. (Interior or exterior, GM’s choice.)
3. The look of the home changes each week. The overall dimensions are the same, but the stonework may become brick or wood, the windows may move, the roof material may change, etc.
4. The house knows where you want to go.  Doors open directly to the room you wish.
5. The interior changes its decorations based on the preferences of the people inside it.
6. A family heirloom hangs above the fireplace.  It is actually a minor magical item.

If the first d6 is 6, then for the second d6:

1. The chimney is actually a portal to the realm of fire.
2. A wash basin is a portal to the realm of water.
3. Some of the stone making up the house has a rare and valuable ore embedded.
4. Once per day, standing in one spot of the garden causes it to rain pickles there.
5. A plaque beside the door states that “Nothing happened here” on a specific date in the past.
6. This house has two really weird things about it… roll on these charts for two results.