d100 Magical Statues

Temple halls and forbidden tombs. Deep dungeons and abandoned castles. Gardens. Forests. City squares. They all should have statues in them.

Forgotten by Fenro45

 

Admittedly, I like statues and I like to imagine them in many locations. What I don't like is coming up with their descriptions on the fly, because those can often fall flat. So what I need is a big table of pre-made statues.

Many of the statues below have been inspired by those found in ADOM. Each statue also has a special effect described, but feel free to ignore those. Magical statues are cool, but sometimes all you need is the flavour.

d100	Statue	Effect
1	An ugly little goblin hewn from gabbro and holding a shovel.	The shovel points towards where a chest had been walled in.
2	This statue is unfinished, as though the sculptor ran out of time. It seems to depict a child, maybe?	Anyone who touches the statue immediately grows d20 years younger and the statue gets a tiny bit more finished. Works once per person only.
3	A fey queen sculpted from white marble. Her eyes are brilliant-cut sapphires.	Touching the sapphires forces a Save vs permanent paralysis.
4	A hooded ranger in a readied combat stance wielding a pair of short swords.	The swords are actual masterwork weapons, but have to be pried free from the statue's stony grip.
5	A larger than life knight made from some strangely glistening black stone, wielding an axe in one hand and a severed head in the other. A plaque on the pedestal reads: "Vae Victis"	Saying "Vae Victis" out loud animates the severed head. It contains the spirit of a sorcerer once slain by the depicted knight.
6	A large cube of grey stone precariously standing on a corner, one large and intricate rune carved into each face.	Touching a rune teleports you to another runed cube. There are seven such statues, each connected the the others via its runes.
7	A nun raising her hand in a blessing, but covered in cracks and grime. The pedestal bears these words: "A moment of respite, a chance of relief."	Sleeping at the feet of the statue will grant a bonus Save vs one affliction affecting you, and the statue will get a bit more cracked and grimy once you wake up.
8	A bearded blacksmith stands hunched over an empty anvil, his brow furrowed in concentration. His right hand grips a hammer, raised as if ready to strike.	If anything is placed on the anvil, the statue will smash it with the hammer and shatter it (including magic items normally resistant to such).
9	A naked woman with an oversized, misshapen and mutilated head. She is wearing a necklace, but the head is too big to simply remove it.	The necklace is quite valuable, but if the statue is damaged, it will animate and attack.
10	An elf wearing a noble armour of ancient design. He is hunched over as if in agony, his eyes screwed shut.	Getting very close the statue, you will hear a faint whisper: "I suffer, great hero. Wilst thou help me?" If you consent, the statue's eyes will open, burning with purple radiance, and you gain d6 mutations. The statue will look momentarily relieved, before closing its eyes again. Works once per person.
11	A warlock in flowing robes, wielding a staff in one hand and a sword in the other.	The statue reflects any spell cast at it.
12	More of a twisted, abstract blob of glassy stone than an actual statue.	As long as a creature keeps making skin contact with this statue, their flesh may be re-shaped like clay. It's excruciatingly painful.
13	A thin, tall, black monolith.	Breaking the monolith will open a portal to Beyond.
14	A vaguely humanoid form completely overgrown with plant life and crawling with insects.	Some useful herbs that have no business growing in a dungeon can be harvested from the statue.
15	This statue is a pile of books, each crafted from a different type of rock.	Touching a book will make a voice in your head read it to you.
16	A warrior-nun in a fighting position, decorated with ivory.	If you kick the statue, it will catch your leg and break it. Once the fractured bone heals, you will be able to double jump.
17	A fat smiling man, made of solid gold. The pedestal bears a crude engraving, likely added later: "Beware Greed"	Touching the statue will make half your carried gold disappear. A disembodied laugh will ring in your ears and the statue will grow a bit more fat. The statue is unnaturally resistant to damage.
18	An young wizard with an open grimoire in one hand, the other bent in a spellcasting gesture.	The grimoire actually has a spell engraved in it, which can be copied into your spellbook.
19	An aged wizard brandishing an ornate wand. An inscription on the pedestal says: "In honour of the grand-" and the rest was destroyed by a spell impact.	Trying to hit the statue with a spell from a wand will instead recharge/empower the wand. If attempted again with the same wand, the wand will explode.
20	A serpentine dragon, a different rune emblazoned on each scale. A plaque reads: "He Shall Reap the Wind"	Speaking in the presence of the statue brings about wind, the stronger the louder one spoke. Even whispers cause pretty strong gusts.
21	Two enormous dogs standing guard over a fallen soldier. A plaque reads: "Never resting. Ever watching."	Any dog who sees this statue will gain d6 max hp and increase its Morale to 12. Works once per dog.
22	A maiden kneeling in prayer.	If you haven't done anything too questionable or sinful recently, praying for a while will heal d6 hp.
23	A sneering jester juggling human skulls.	Telling any joke near this statue will cause a deafening laughter to echo throughout the room. Roll for a random encounter due to the noise. Out of character jokes at the table count too.
24	Only the feet remain from this statue. The pedestal is engraved with the following words: "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam."	Any piece chipped off from the statue (not the pedestal) can be used to cast knock once.
25	A woman just rousing from sleep, her face absolutely terrified.	Anyone sleeping in the room will enter a shared nightmare of a dark forest. It contains magic loot, but also a lot of dream-monsters. If you get killed in the dreamscape, your real body dies of fright.
26	A boulder-sized perfect metallic sphere floating above its pedestal.	Anything touching the statue becomes weightless. Do not move it off the pedestal!
27	A huge heap of old, rusty armour and weapons, seemingly fused together.	For a moment, you thought you heard faint whispers coming from inside of the heap...
28	A sandstone dog growling at an unseen threat.	Any sand scraped off the statue can be used as a barrier against spectral enemies.
29	A mad wizard ripping pages out of a spellbook. An inscription reads: "Knowledge is a finite resource; the more you learn, the more you forget."	Any PC who touches the statue falls unconscious and wakes up only after d6 hours. They may opt to change the class of their last level (eg. fighter 6 might become fighter 5, thief 1). Only works once per person.
30	A man crowned with twigs and leaves, surrounded by a swarm of squirrels.	Leave an offering of nuts on the pedestal and the next time you need help, several squirrels will come to your aid.
31	A cloaked figure, its left arm hidden under the cloak but its right arm extended outwards, holding a set of scales. A plaque reads: "To the ancient judges in whose dominion Balance reigned supreme."	Place an object of contention on the scales and present your case. The object will be equitably split in half; treasure by its real value, a magic item might be duplicated with half its potency, a baby might be cloned. If the case is in bad faith, however, the figure will reveal its left hand wielding a sword; Save vs decapitation.
32	A naked male figure missing its head.	Placing a severed head on the statue's neck stump will fuse them together and animate the head with its new golem-body.
33	A featureless humanoid standing square and emotionless. It is missing one hand, an eye and a few chunks from its chest.	If you touch the statue and have a body part missing, you will be granted a prosthetic of animated stone and the statue will lose a corresponding piece.
34	A crude wooden figurine of a giant rat. A barely-readable scrawling on its pedestal says: "FOOD"	Leaving any food at the pedestal will quickly lure in a menagerie of rats, giant rats, wererats, zombie rats and any other rodents that live in the vicinity. They might be quite friendly if they can get their bellies full.
35	A great hero strikes a breathtaking pose. How gorgeous! How graceful! How inspiring! Oh, wait... Suddenly, it seems to resemble you.	The statue takes on the appearance of the first PC who investigates it, only more beautiful and godly. Any damage taken by the statue is also taken by the character.
36	A head of a gargantuan dragon, hewn from obsidian. Covered in frost and nearly too cold to touch.	The whole room is quite chilly. Anyone falling asleep here will slumber forever, requiring no food and never ageing. They can be safely awoken if slowly thawed next to a fire.
37	A weary soldier, heavily leaning on his spear. An inscription reads: "The wars will not remember you or your comrades."	Leaving some fresh flowers on the pedestal will lift your fatigue as if you had a good night's sleep.
38	A delicate young woman lies prostrate on an ornate settee, clothed in a thin, revealing attire, with one hand resting wearily against her forehead and the other reaching languidly outwards. Her posture suggests great despair.	Kissing the outstretched hand forces you to babble out your darkest secret.
39	Ten monkeys climbing over each other.	Climbing on top of the statue reveals a secret escape hatch in the ceiling.
40	A stone tree smeared with dried blood.	Sprinkling the statue with fresh blood makes a single blood-red apple grow on the tree. Very tasty.
41	A man with a twisted expression, holding a sword with which he just severed his other hand. The severed hand is lying on the pedestal and someone has written in dried blood by it: "No sacrifice too big."	Every piece of flesh that you cut off from your own body and place on the pedestal will transform into gold.
42	A gorgeous woman with piercing eyes.	The eyes are engraved with symbols of fascination. Looking directly into them will plunge you into a beautiful dream where you live a good, happy life with this woman. You cannot wake up on your own.
43	A golden fish leaping from a pond.	Any cracks on the statue will spill fresh water. The bigger the crack, the more water.
44	A dwarf raising a tankard in a toast.	Pouring any alcoholic beverage into the tankard will make it froth and overflow; drinking from this overflow acts as a very alcoholic healing potion.
45	The statue is cast in bronze and depicts a barbarian accompanied by a snarling dog.	The statue is hollow and filled with human bones. Any canine offered one of these bones will leave you be and happily chew on it.
46	A goblin crafted from green glass, dancing madly.	Breaking the statue will make you greenish and translucent, forever. Not invisible, just translucent.
47	A big ugly toad, its tongue outstretched.	If you leave dead insects on the tongue, the frog will gobble them up and spit out copper pieces.
48	A dwarf with a determined grin and a full backpack. Graffiti scratched into the pedestal reads: "Better a small fire that warms than a great fire that burns."	Start a campfire in front of the statue to talk to it. It knows a lot about this dungeon, though its knowledge may be outdated.
49	A statue of a giant stands sneering from above, blocking a doorway with its oversized sword.	Politely asking the statue to let you through will make it raise the sword. You have to say "please".
50	A wide bowl filled with scarab statuettes, accented with gold filigree and precious stones.	Attempting to remove a statuette will make them all animate and attack. They can be pacified by singing.
51	An elf is playing a lute, half of her face dissolving into a mass of tentacles.	When you start singing or playing an instrument, you will soon be accompanied by a disembodied lute. Keep it up and your flesh will shift, slowly developing more and more mutations.
52	A demon statue wrapped in rusty chains, standing in a partially walled up alcove.	Removing the chains will prompt the statue to ask for sacrifices. It can grant knowledge and magic. Should it receive enough offerings, it will break free of the petrification.
53	A gargoyle is kneeling with its cupped hands raised high above and filled with beautiful pearls.	Taking a pearl instantly fills your lungs with sea water.
54	A massive man is struggling under the weight of chains binding him to the ground.	Breaking any of the chains causes an earthquake to shake the dungeon.
55	A tall, robed woman holding a thick book in her hands. The flesh of her forearms is engraved with the symbols of the elements.	The symbols can be copied and used to ward off the elements.
56	A great hulk of black obsidian, depicting an ancient warrior. His armour is dented and battered, his sword broken and his shield split, yet he seems ready to jump back into the fray.	Any damaged item touched to the statue is mended.
57	A large amphora filled with murky water. It smells of decay.	There are several undead fish and a few pieces of jewellery hidden in the water.
58	A ceramic statue of a man with a goatee and a stern expression. Wherever you move his eyes seem to follow.	Once this statue has been sighted, every newly explored room has a 1-in-6 chance of containing this statue.
59	A proud and haughty woman in flowing robes. Once richly decorated, the statue is now defaced, with most of the silver and gold adornments stolen, and the gemstones it had for eyes gouged out and gone.	Anyone who touches the statue is permanently blinded, yet they can see precious gems and metals even through walls. This curse is lifted if they bring a new adornment to the statue.
60	A solitary siren sits atop a pile of bones.	Singing near the statue will cause it to animate and compliment your singing voice. It will ask you to trade it your voice. If you agree, you are stricken mute but get a sea-themed magic item in return.
61	A small, tubby, bald man carved from a dark stone. He is smiling widely and carries a small cask under his right arm. A placard on the pedestal reads: "I share freely."	The tap on the cask can be opened, spilling an endless supply of a murky liquid. The liquid works as a random potion - roll once per character, the liquid will always have the same effect for each character.
62	A human-sized jackal with sparkling rubies for eyes.	Undead creatures will never come close to this statue.
63	A knight, curiously holding a shield in each hand.	All attacks made in range of the statue will target the statue instead of the intended victim.
64	A mottled black and red eudialyte stone has been polished and sculpted into the shape of a giant, anatomically correct heart.	All healing magic is maximized around the statue. However, the patient will start hearing the thrum of a giant heart, the more loudly the more times they are healed near the statue, and it never goes away.
65	A winged figure clad in plate and gripping a soot-stained greatsword.	Flames cannot be put out in this room.
66	A thinly built man huddled as if to squeeze through a narrow gap. He leads with a crossbow, held at arm's length.	The stone crossbow is missing a quarrel, but if one is loaded in it, it will shoot the next creature that crosses the statue's sights.
67	A too tall and slender magician, clothed in a foreign garb. On the palm of his extended hand dances a ghostly flame.	The ghostly flame produces light but no heat.
68	A humanoid figure, but so old and eroded it has lost all distinguishable features.	Any person who dies in this room will have their soul trapped in the statue, replacing a previous soul if there was one. You can talk with a trapped soul when touching the statue. There's a 2-in-6 chance that there already is a soul inside when you find the statue.
69	A barefoot amazon clad in wolf pelts, drawing her longbow and about to shoot.	The arrowhead is made of metal, unlike the rest of the statue, and is exceedingly sharp. Anyone pricked by it will be affected as if by a sleeping poison.
70	A plague doctor taking off his mask, his face frozen in a rictus grin.	Every exploration turn spent in the room, save against a random disease.
71	A young elvish girl, perhaps seven or eight, carved from basalt. An engraving on the pedestal reads: "Never forget, never forgive."	Humans take double damage when in sight of the statue.
72	A naked, peeing boy.	The pee is actually molten gold, disappearing into a hole in the floor.
73	A very old and ugly man, nearly buckling under the weight of a big sack full of weapons on his back - swords, axes, hammers and flails, spears, bows, ...	Any weapon touched to the statue turns to stone.
74	A huge egg assembled from a thousand interlocking pieces carved from different types of stone. A placard at the pedestal reads: "Only a fool would break me."	If one can solve the puzzle and open the egg, there might be a reward hidden inside. Only a fool would break the egg!
75	A cloaked figure, tall and regal and carved from white marble, yet the shadows beneath its hood are deep and swirling.	If anything disturbs the swirling shadows, a torrent of black smoke starts spilling from under the hood.
76	An ice sculpture of a leopard in mid-leap. The ice glows from within, as if there was something trapped inside.	If shattered, reveals a magic ring that allows the casting of wall of ice, but is also haunted by the spirit of a snow leopard.
77	A warrior beaten down onto one knee, cowering under a shield and cradling his other arm. There is a mixture of horror, desperation and anger on the statue's face.	A wizard might realize that this is no statue. The warrior is stuck in stasis.
78	Half of a warrior remains mounted on a war horse, all carved from crumbling sandstone. Sand is slowly but constantly falling off the statue.	Nothing in this room ages.
79	A vampire prostrated and pleading, its fanged maw open wide. There are stains of old, dried blood inside its throat.	Anyone who cuts themselves and bleeds into the vampire's mouth will be purified of all physical and metaphysical maladies, but also drop to 0 hp. Pouring some blood from a dead creature into the statue's mouth will raise the corpse as a ravenous zombie.
80	A badly defaced statue of an orcish hero, poised with a great-axe in his hands. Unlike the statue, the axe is made of steel and decorated with orcish pictograms and pieces of jade.	The axe is enchanted with human slaying. It also bears a curse - if a non-orc steals it, they will transform into an orc the next time they sleep.
81	A statue made of aged and splintering wood, the details far too faded to make out. It appears to be holding a wand.	Magic becomes very unpredictable and prone to amusing side effects in the vicinity of this statue.
82	A barbarian warrior clad in thick furs, hiding behind a large, asymmetrical mirror.	One can walk through the mirror into a mirrored copy of this room, except it contains someone's hideout. A bed, a burnt-out campfire and some assorted pieces of equipment left strewn about.
83	A nobleman smiling a slightly mad smile, an arm held upward with a severed ear in his palm.	Touching the statue will strike you permanently deaf, but you will now be able to hear nearby magic as strange whispers.
84	A chest-high pillar carved with words in many, many languages and scripts.	You can read any piece of writing that you rest on top of the pillar.
85	A towering tyrant-king of yore resting upon his throne, many small figures cowering before him.	Anyone who comes close to the statue will be forced to kneel. Everyone affected will also have all pain they feel amplified hundredfold.
86	A very smooth and perfectly black prism, dark smoke rising from its surface. If you touch it, you might find an imprint of a hand.	Always surrounded by a expansive cloud of swirling darkness. As long as you have a hand lain in the imprint, you can precisely sense everything inside of this darkness.
87	A man with the legs of a beast, though covered in moss and some of the original definition lost to the ages. He holds something in his hands, a musical instrument or a tablet perhaps?	Any song or magical spell performed in the room will be absorbed by the statue, disappearing from the mind of the user. Should the statue be broken, however, all the spells and songs it has absorbed will flood the mind of whoever destroyed the statue. Over the next few days, their legs will turn into those of a beast...
88	A strange creature with fourteen outstretched arms, all hands cupped as if ready to receive alms.	If a small, precious item is put into the statue's hand, it will close and crush the item in its fist. Once all fourteen hands are filled, the statue will open its mouth and start vomiting an endless stream of crude oil.
89	A gaunt elf engorging herself from a plate full of food.	No one feels hungry around the statue. You still need food, you just cannot force yourself to chew and swallow until you leave the statue's presence. This works even on creatures that would normally hunt and bite and devour.
90	A fledgling bird, carved from obsidian with individual feathers formed from gold and silver. It is standing up from a cracked egg, made from a softly glowing geode.	The statue's pedestal is unnaturally warm. Any eggs left there will soon hatch into the respective creature, but unusually intelligent and with feathers or scales made of precious metal.
91	A hippopotamus-headed goddess, lounging in the middle of a small basin.	Drinking the water from the basin sends you into a dream of a great feast arranged by the goddess. This dream is shared among all who drink this water, and it works even if the water is removed from the basin.
92	A kobold holding a human baby.	No youngling can be harmed near this statue. Coincidences will conspire to keep them safe and sound. They also cannot be forcibly removed from there, they can leave only of their own free will.
93	A fleeing woman, her expression a strange mix of panic and elation.	The statue weeps in the presence of secrets.
94	A dark-haired woman wearing a toga and holding out a golden apple.	The apple can be freely taken. It is not actually made of gold, only gold-coloured. It can be eaten, tasting like a fresh, sweet apple. Eating it cures the one biggest problem a person has - it can be anything, from an injury or malady to a curse or longing. They are however also polymorphed into likeness of the dark-haired woman. The apple reappears in the statue's hand overnight, but doesn't work (again) for any dark-haired women.
95	A decrepit beggar dressed in tattered rags is prostrating themselves, a mendicant bowl filled with gold coins gripped in their hands.	The coins can be freely taken, but carry a curse. You will gain no benefit from any of your gold and treasures - no merchant will take your money, you get no XP for GP, etc. The only way to break the curse is to return all the coins back to the statue.
96	A farmer with a dog by his side appears to be looking up to something with hopeful determination. A plaque reads: "Hard work and a strong back can overcome any obstacle."	Morale and Fear checks cannot be failed in this room.
97	An ogre in a pose of belly-shaking mirth, carved of a foreign red stone.	Reaction rolls are at +4 in this room.
98	An infinitely complex crystalline helix which glows with a strange light.	Time passes more slowly near this statue. Every minute you spend there, a whole day will pass in the rest of the world.
99	A dragon lies slain, with a goblin standing triumphantly on the corpse.	This area is sacred to goblinkind, used for peace talks and moots. Anyone can ask for a parley here, and oaths sworn between two parties are said to be enforced by the will of the ancestral heroes.
100	A man and a woman standing back to back, both holding a dagger and grinning with murderous glee.	No form of immortality, invulnerability or damage resistance applies around this statue.

And here are bonus d20 statues with no special effects:
 

d20	Statue
1	Three horsemen. The first is holding up a falcon, the second a severed head and the third a cornucopia.
2	A dancer as if in the middle of a jump, back bent and arms spread wide.
3	An elven woman is cradling a tiny wyrmling in her arms.
4	A humongous foot. A plaque reads: "Artist unknown but wanted."
5	A caryatid column is holding the ceiling above.
6	The statue is crude and huge, barely resembling some animalistic figure. It's like it wasn't even carved with a chisel, but rather torn from raw stone by sharp claws.
7	A jumble of stone and metal loops intertwine into a wondrous miracle of art. While seemingly chaotic, the eye is quickly drawn to follow the curves, building a never-ending, fractal pattern of layers upon layers of meanings. A tear of raw emotion leaks from the corner of your eye as you finally understand that- that... Er... What?
8	A female form in alabaster, kneeling but with hands thrust skywards. There are jagged holes ripped through her open palms.
9	A weasel with two heads, each of its four eyes made from a different kind of gemstone.
10	Intricately crafted from granite is some variety of a terrifying qintupedal beast of hooked claws, razor-sharp teeth and needle-like quills.
11	A minotaur cradling in his arms a female orc wearing a full plate.
12	Two entangled snakes swallowing each other's tail, shaped like a lemniscate; one made of copper and the other of brass. Runes tracing along their back read: "Life devours life."
13	A raven sitting atop a pile of books.
14	A goat.
15	A simple column of jale stone, rising hundreds of feet high to a ceiling that cannot even be seen.
16	A silver wireframe of a cat, it's back arched and its eyes made of polished gabbro.
17	A spear-wielding nomad of the southern desert, carved from some white rock. Its hair have been recently painted blue.
18	A headless female figure sprouting uncountable, interwoven arms, each holding a different weapon.
19	A column of human skulls, mortared together.
20	This marble statue of a naiad has been vertically split in half. Inspecting the cut, you notice that the stone had been partially melted.

And if you've read all the way down here, you can also download the table as a 

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