TEXT: F
  rom animating a Flesh golem with 
  lightning to awakening Cthulhu from his 
  ancient slumber, evil villains need evil 
  rituals. A villain might pursue a ritual for selfish 
  reasons, such as acquiring wealth, power, or 
  immortality. Morally gray villains might conduct 
  blasphemous rites for altruistic reasons, such as 
  EN World EN5IDER | It’s Alive!
  Its 
  Alive!
   
  writing Mark A. Hart
   
  art Jacob Blackmon
   
  editing James Haeck
   
  layout Eric Life-Putnam
  EN World EN5IDER | It’s Alive!
  
  It’s Alive! | EN World EN5IDER
  d100
  Result
  65–68 Strip all nobles in the kingdom of their 
  wealth.
  69–72 Send one or more travelers back through 
  history.
  73–76 Become the avatar of a god, demon, or other 
  entity.
  77–80 Liberate the Chained God from his prison.
  81–84 Retrieve an artifact.
  85–88 Destroy an artifact or banish it from the 
  world.
  89–92 Create an artifact or alter an existing one.
  93–96 Learn the lost spells of the ancients.
  97–00 Change or eradicate magic in a region.
  When the Stars Are Right
  Most rituals must occur on a specific date or at a 
  precise time. This moment could represent a time 
  when the veil between our world and the next 
  wears thin, or it could involve an alignment of 
  stars and planets. The timing might come once a 
  year, once a century, or once in a millennia. Roll 
  on this table to determine the ritual’s ideal timing.
  d20 Result
  1
  During the conjunction of the two brightest 
  stars.
  2
  The night of the century’s last full moon.
  3
  When the Blood Comet turns the sky red.
  4
  The start of a total solar eclipse.
  5
  Beneath the light of the perigee moon during 
  the spring equinox.
  6
  Upon the birth of the Last King.
  7
  The beginning of the winter solstice.
  8
  In the dying light of a falling star.
  9
  The sixth day of the sixth year of the sixth 
  century.
  10
  Midnight on the Day of the Dead.
  11
  As snowflakes descend on the Vast Desert.
  12
  When the Great River reverses its course.
  13
  A heartbeat before the start of a great battle.
  14
  When the Seven Serpent Kings awake from 
  their slumber.
  15
  Following nine days of unending rain.
  destroying a monster or resurrecting a loved one, 
  believing that the ends justify the means. Whether 
  or not the villain’s dark ritual succeeds or fails, 
  the race to stop him can be the focus of a single 
  adventure or an entire campaign.
   
  When GMing, you may need to create a ritual 
  on short notice, or you may want a few ideas to 
  develop your villain’s motivation. To help, here are 
  seven random tables for building a ritual, each of 
  which describes an aspect of a ritual. Roll once on 
  each table to construct the ceremony, using com-
  mon sense to alter contradictory results.
  Purpose
  A ritual bends reality and cheats the will of the 
  gods. To accomplish such miracles, the caster must 
  sacrifice many things, including time, blood, and 
  treasure, or even their own life. For anyone to 
  undertake such epic magic in the first place, the 
  payoff must be worth the effort required. Roll on 
  this table to reveal what benefit the ritual prom-
  ises to give.
  d100
  Result
  01–04 Animate a flesh golem and grant it sentience.
  04–08 Resurrect a loved one.
  09–12 Summon an elder god.
  13–16 Imprison the god of death.
  17–20 Elevate the ritual leader to godhood.
  21–24 Inflict a series of plagues on the land.
  25–28 Eradicate an entire species from the world.
  29–32 Erase from existence one individual and their 
  accomplishments.
  33–36 Break open or shutter the gates of hell.
  36–40 Give immortality to the ritual leader.
  41–44 Alleviate or transfer a powerful curse or 
  similar affliction.
  44–48 Banish the sun from the sky or obscure its 
  light.
  49–52 Gain audience with a celestial or fiendish 
  being.
  53–56 Restore a living creature’s soul.
  57–60 Raise an army of the undead.
  61–64 Receive a vision, omen, or portent.
  It’s Alive! | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | It’s Alive!
  d20 Result
  16
  When the tallest tower of the Fallen City 
  becomes visible.
  17
  When the vaults of the Sunken Tomb are 
  opened.
  18
  On the anniversary of the dark overlord’s 
  beheading.
  19
  When the reaper’s visage darkens the surface 
  of the moon.
  20
  On the thirtieth day without sunlight.
  Location, Location, 
  Location
  Most rituals must take place in a precise loca-
  tion. The proper site may have been an ancient 
  battlefield, it could be holy ground, or it might be 
  the nexus of elemental ley lines. Roll to uncover 
  where the ritual must occur.
  d20
  Result
  1
  Within a ruined cathedral.
  2
  Inside a druid’s grove.
  3
  At the site of history’s bloodiest battle.
  4
  Within a sea leviathan’s belly.
  5
  Inside a monastery on the tallest mountain 
  peak.
  6
  On the grounds of an accursed cemetery.
  7
  The dungeons beneath a necromancer’s tower.
  8
  On the deck of the most infamous ghost ship.
  9
  At the edge of an active volcano.
  10
  In the shadow of the Slumbering City.
  11
  At the base of the Undying Queen’s pyramid.
  12
  In the heart of a sentient swamp.
  13
  Upon the steps of the world’s first ziggurat.
  14
  At the feet of the Bleeding God.
  15
  Within the eye of a hurricane.
  16
  Amid the dying embers of a burned library.
  17
  The threshold of an abyssal gateway.
  18
  Atop the world’s largest glacier.
  19
  Between the eyes of the Eldest Spider.
  20
  Within the throne room of a storm giant’s 
  castle.
  Crucial Components
  Most rituals demand a precise set of reagents, 
  ingredients, and components. These may include 
  rare herbs, exotic metals, one-of-a-kind relics, or 
  even specific individuals, such as the villain’s 
  firstborn son. These materials often take years, 
  if not a lifetime, to gather. Roll on the table to 
  identify the ritual’s key component.
  d20 Result
  1
  Tears of a thrice-slain martyr.
  2
  Hair plucked from the head of an unjustly 
  hanged princess.
  3
  An angel’s wing feather willingly given.
  4
  The bones of a fallen knight.
  5
  The egg of a phoenix.
  6
  A pinch of sacred dirt from the First Graveyard.
  7
  Blood of an innocent demon.
  8
  The knife used to slay the fey queen.
  9
  A root cut from Yggdrasill.
  10
  The eyes of a penitent dragon.
  11
  A page torn from the Book of Shadows.
  12
  The person the ritual caster loves most.
  13
  Sea salt from the elemental plane of water.
  14
  An intact fulgurite.
  15
  Splinters from the coffin of a forgotten soldier.
  16
  A statue, carving, or similar effigy retrieved 
  from the ocean’s floor.
  17
  A knife carved from the wood of an awakened 
  oak tree.
  18
  Shattered pieces of a wizard’s magical staff.
  19
  Flame stolen from the hearth of the gods.
  20
  A lightning rod forged from the spine of an iron 
  golem.
  Unexpected Results
  By nature, rituals involve unpredictable magic and 
  reality-shattering events. In many cases, a ritual 
  produces side effects that strike without warning, 
  often affecting people and creatures who have 
  nothing to do with the ceremony. Roll on this 
  table to describe what fallout the ritual creates.
  EN World EN5IDER | It’s Alive!
  
  It’s Alive! | EN World EN5IDER
  catastrophic results. Roll on this table to discover 
  what happens if the ritual falters.
  d20 Result
  1
  Each participant ages 2d20 years.
  2
  An earthquake erupts at the ritual site.
  3
  Every person related to the ritual leader 
  vanishes, no matter their location.
  4
  A meteor strikes the ritual site, wounding or 
  killing most of the participants and damaging 
  the area.
  5
  The nearest building or structure collapses.
  6
  A vengeful spirit possesses a random 
  participant, perhaps secretly.
  7
  The ritual leader becomes obsessed with 
  finding a way to perform the ritual again.
  8
  A permanent lightning storm hovers over the 
  ritual site.
  9
  The ritual leader earns the enmity of a god, 
  demon, or other powerful being.
  10
  Each participant suffers bad luck (for example, 
  disadvantage on one roll) once every day for 
  the next 3d6 days.
  11
  The ritual leader loses all ability to cast magic. 
  Only a different ritual can restore it.
  12
  The ritual achieves the opposite of the intended 
  result.
  13
  An infernal power takes possession of the ritual 
  leader’s soul.
  14
  A curse strikes a random participant deaf and 
  blind, at least until someone removes the curse.
  15
  The ritual leader suffers amnesia and cannot 
  remember his name or history.
  16
  A powerful church, order of paladins, or other 
  religious organization receives a vision drawing 
  them to the ritual and its leader.
  17
  The ritual succeeds, but make another roll on 
  the Unexpected Results table.
  18
  A horde of ravenous monsters appears at the 
  site.
  19
  Wild magic teleports the ritual leader 2d100 
  miles in a random direction, leaving scorch 
  marks where he stood.
  20
  The ritual achieves an unexpected result. Reroll 
  on the Purpose table.
  d20 Result
  1
  The nearest body of water turns to blood.
  2
  The population of an entire city falls into 
  slumber.
  3
  Dogs and wolves in a 100-mile radius howl for 
  one minute.
  4
  An ancient rune brands every child born that 
  night.
  5
  The earth opens and devours a major temple.
  6
  Black storm clouds encircle the ritual site and 
  the surrounding region for a week.
  7
  Thirty-three lightning bolts strike the same spot 
  in the course of an hour.
  8
  Every person within a day’s journey suffers the 
  same nightmare at the same time.
  9
  The eyes of the ritual participants turn silver in 
  color permanently.
  10
  Swarms of insects congregate at the ritual site 
  for one day.
  11
  Blood weeps from the eyes of statues across 
  the world.
  12
  Drought afflicts a nearby kingdom for a season.
  13
  Food and drink in the nearest community 
  become fouled.
  14
  All plants burn to ash in a one-mile radius of 
  the ritual site.
  15
  Every other ritual participant dies horribly 
  within three days.
  16
  Magic ceases to work at the site for a month.
  17
  For the next year, animals balk at the sight of 
  the ritual leader.
  18
  The ritual site becomes suffused with wild 
  magic for one year.
  19
  The ritual tears open a permanent interplanar 
  rift.
  20
  Unexpected warfare breaks out in a 
  neighboring kingdom.
  The Price of Failure
  Once the villain begins the ritual, he must 
  complete it or risk dire consequences. A ritual 
  unleashes legendary magic into the world; when 
  it fails, this power must go somewhere, often with 
  It’s Alive! | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | It’s Alive!
  Foiling the Ritual
  Adventurers and other pests love to interrupt a 
  villain’s ritual, thereby ruining his labors. Once 
  the ceremony begins, however, it isn’t always the 
  easiest thing to stop; even killing the villain may 
  not fully stop events. If the characters interfere 
  in the wrong way, the results can be disastrous. 
  Learning the proper methods might require an 
  adventure or two. Roll on the table below to un-
  earth how to prevent a ritual’s completion.
  d20 Result
  1
  Extinguish the flames in all five braziers at the 
  same time.
  2
  Force the ritual leader to confront his greatest 
  fear.
  3
  Baptize the ritual leader with oil sanctified by a 
  saint.
  4
  Immolate the ritual leader in divine fire stolen 
  from a temple.
  5
  Sing the lost song of the greatest bard of the 
  last age.
  6
  Combine a portal stone from each of the four 
  elemental planes.
  7
  Strike down the ritual leader with a weapon 
  forged by his best friend.
  d20 Result
  8
  Summon the six animal spirits of the land to 
  the ritual site.
  9
  Trick the ritual leader into consuming the Elixir 
  of Peace.
  10
  Destroy the nine mystical runes etched at the 
  site.
  11
  Bring the ritual leader to tears of joy or sorrow.
  12
  Sacrifice an innocent man through the magical 
  portal or gateway.
  13
  Consecrate the ritual site’s ground.
  14
  Make a deal with the god of chaos and trickery.
  15
  Steal the ritual leader’s voice and lock it in a 
  magical box.
  16
  Recite, in the ancient tongue, all twelve verses 
  of the Ballad of Creation.
  17
  Break the enchanted circle or pentagram with a 
  silvered holy weapon.
  18
  Slay the ritual’s participants without shedding 
  their blood.
  19
  Shackle the ritual leader in manacles of cold 
  iron.
  20
  Trick the leader into destroying the idol, statue, 
  or other effigy involved in the ritual.
  EN World EN5IDER | It’s Alive!
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 026 - It's Alive.pdf