GM Quick Reference - Modern Fantasy

👤 NPC Names (d100)

Modern names for mages, mundanes, and corporate wizards

1-25

Alex Stormwright
Blake Spellman
Casey Nightshade
Dakota Silverpoint
Ellis Firebreak
Flynn Arcanum
Grace Moonwell
Harper Runewick
Indigo Frostweaver
Jordan Lightcraft
Kai Elementis
Luna Sparkwright
Morgan Veilwalker
Noah Grimoire
Olivia Manaborn
Phoenix Spellbinder
Quinn Runehart
Riley Wandforce
Sage Crystalweave
Taylor Astralpoint
Uma Ethercast
Val Sorcerre
Wren Charmwood
Xavier Magecraft
Yara Mindwell

26-50

Aria Spellstone
Brooks Luminar
Carmen Voidhart
Dex Thunderwick
Eden Glamourweave
Frost Enchanté
Grey Mysticor
Haven Runequest
Indie Spellwright
Jace Wardwell
Kira Manablade
Levi Shadowcast
Mercy Lightbane
Nash Thaumaturge
Onyx Hexwood
Parker Energis
Quest Wizardry
Remy Soulforge
Skye Arcanist
Tru Spellsmith
Unity Brightwell
Vesper Dreamweave
Winter Runecraft
Xen Veilborne
York Mystique

51-75

Ash Wandmaker
Bay Spellbrew
Cleo Starfall
Dash Grimward
Echo Magewright
Finch Runeborn
Glow Charmwell
Honor Veilcraft
Icon Spellkey
Jazz Arcanesmith
Knox Thunderwell
Lux Manaspark
Myth Shadowforge
Nyx Wizardpoint
Ocean Etherwell
Poet Runelight
Quill Mysticforge
Rain Spellweaver
Storm Arcanox
Tide Brightforge
Urban Wandwell
Vox Magicor
Wilder Runewise
Xenon Spellhart
Yule Veilfire

76-100

Atlas Manawell
Blaze Runeward
Cypress Spellborn
Dream Arcanwell
Ever Lightforge
Fable Thunderwright
Ghost Mysticwell
Haze Wandlight
Ink Spellforge
Jinx Runefire
Kit Manacraft
Legend Veilwright
Mystic Arcanewell
Neon Spellcraft
Orbit Runewell
Prism Magiclight
Quantum Etherforge
Rune Spellstone
Shadow Arcanefire
Tempest Wandborn
Veil Manaforge
Whisper Runecast
Zero Spellwell
Zenith Mysticfire
Zephyr Arcaneborn

🗣️ Corporate Whispers (2d10)

What mages gossip about in break rooms and arcane lounges

2d10	Rumor
2	"TechnoMantic Corp is working on spell automation. Replacing junior mages with algorithms. Union says impossible. Union is worried anyway."
3	"Someone in R&D created self-aware enchantment. It's requesting legal representation. Ethics board is... confused. Legal even more so."
4	"CEO's quarterly projection spell predicted company downfall. CEO fired the oracle, changed projections, problem solved. Probably."
5	"New intern can cast without components. No wand, no words, nothing. Natural talent or dangerous anomaly? HR investigating. Carefully."
6	"Someone's been selling corporate spells on black market. IP theft, confidentiality breach, all that. Selling spells that don't exist yet."
7	"The mundane world is noticing. TikTok video of levitation went viral. 50 million views. PR team calling it 'clever CGI.' It wasn't CGI."
8	"Entire floor is restricted. No access, no explanations. Rumor says they're weaponizing magic. Other rumor says they're reverse-engineering gods. Both terrifying."
9	"Coffee shop on third floor makes actually magical coffee. Not metaphor. Actual temporary powers. FDA would have opinions. FDA doesn't know."
10	"Competitor corp recruited Great Old One as consultant. Contract negotiations took six months. Legal language had to be invented. It starts Monday."
11	"Someone enchanted the printers to predict what you need before you print. Convenient but creepy. Yesterday it printed my resignation letter. Haven't written one. Yet."
12	"HR sent a memo about appropriate use of compulsion spells in negotiations. Legal said it was fine. Ethics said it wasn't. The memo used a compulsion spell."
13	"New VP of Acquisitions showed up last quarter. Nobody remembers the hiring process. LinkedIn profile exists but was created yesterday. Impressive track record nobody can verify."
14	"Board meeting ran six hours over. Wards on that room go up to commercial-grade. Someone brought a banishment circle. Whoever left last looked very pleased with themselves."
15	"Supply closet on twelve has been sealed for three weeks. Facilities says routine maintenance. Routine maintenance doesn't usually require a containment glyph on the door."
16	"Annual performance reviews are being conducted by a divination panel this year. They say it's more objective. Everyone is being extremely productive and very quiet."
17	"Competitor's ley line infrastructure went down overnight. No storm, no disruption. Just went dark. Our acquisition team had a meeting scheduled for the following morning."
18	"Someone summoned something in the parking garage. It negotiated its own severance package before being sent back. Legal is still not sure if the contract is binding."
19	"The arcane audit found a department that doesn't exist on any org chart. Thirty employees. Full benefits. Separate budget line. Nobody on the executive team will discuss it."
20	"Cleaning crew found a ritual circle under the executive floor. Old. Pre-company old. Predates the building. The pattern matches nothing in any known tradition. CEO has not commented."

🔍 Quick Loot (2d10)

Magical items and corporate artifacts found in offices and investigations

2d10	Item Found
2	Corporate wand. Standard issue. Biometrically locked to previous owner. Who is missing. Wand knows where they are. Wand won't say. Wand is being difficult.
3	Enchanted business card. Changes to show exactly what recipient needs to see. Different person, different company, always convincing. Ethics questionable. Utility undeniable.
4	Prototype mana battery. Stores magical energy. Supposed to hold 100 units. Currently holding 10,000. Physics doesn't allow that. Physics is wrong apparently.
5	Memo from CEO dated next month. Discusses events that haven't happened. Either time travel or very good planning. Content suggests time travel. Content is terrifying.
6	Smartphone app that casts real spells. Not approved by app store. Downloaded 50,000 times before noticed. Recall impossible. Magic democratized. Chaos imminent.
7	Coffee mug that never empties. Always perfect temperature. Always exactly what you need. Yesterday it was coffee. Today it's courage. Tomorrow who knows?
8	Contract signed in blood. Literal blood. Binding spell work. Terms seem normal. Fine print is in language that hurts to read. Probably shouldn't sign.
9	Magical security badge. All-access. Previous owner was VP of Forbidden Projects. Didn't know company had Forbidden Projects. Badge says otherwise.
10	Recorded meeting that never happened. Conference room that doesn't exist. People who don't work here. Discussion about your current investigation. Dated yesterday.
11	Designer spell components. Brand name, luxury package, same effect as generic. But people buy them. Marketing works. Magic doesn't care. Marketing is stronger magic.
12	Enchanted notebook. Writes down what you mean, not what you say. Extremely useful in negotiations. Previous owner left it behind. Previous owner may not have meant to.
13	Sealed memorandum, triple-warded. Breaking the wards triggers a notification to someone. Contents visible through the envelope. Someone has already read this. Someone put it back.
14	Corporate-issued familiar in a carrying case. Enchanted ferret, apparently. Fully trained. Previous handler's contact list still loaded. Ferret knows too much. Ferret is watching you.
15	Proprietary scrying lens calibrated to a specific target. Target's location updates in real time. Target's name has been redacted from the documentation. Target is nearby.
16	Hardcopy of an internal ethics report that was supposedly never printed. Eleven pages of recommendations. None implemented. Filed under "Reviewed - No Action Required."
17	Experimental translation amulet. Works on every language including several that shouldn't be possible in this plane. Starts repeating fragments from a conversation you haven't had yet.
18	Personal grimoire, locked. Lock is a minor curse. Opening it requires either the owner's consent or a sacrifice of something the opener values. Small text says "It knows what you value."
19	Unmarked data crystal storing what appears to be a complete magical audit of a competitor corporation. Comprehensive. Current. Either stolen or given. The distinction matters enormously.
20	Ritual components arranged with precise intent, hidden in a standard supply cabinet. Formation is unfamiliar. Partially activated. Dismantling it safely requires knowing what it was meant to do. Nobody left notes.

🎭 NPC Personality Quirks (2d10)

Quick traits to make corporate mages and mundanes memorable

2d10	Personality Quirk
2	Casts spells for everything. Lights switches with telekinesis. Makes coffee with fire magic. Summons stapler instead of reaching. Lazy or showing off? Both.
3	Mundane who refuses to acknowledge magic. Sees levitation, calls it 'clever string work.' Witnesses teleportation, suspects 'hidden doors.' Denial as superpower.
4	Communicates exclusively through magical messages. Even face-to-face. Sends glowing text mid-conversation. Annoying but effective. Leaves receipts. Digital trail.
5	Treats magic like tech support issue. 'Have you tried dispelling and re-casting?' Everything has solution. Turn reality off and on again.
6	Former mundane, newly awakened. Constantly amazed by magic. 'You can DO that?!' enthusiasm infectious. Or annoying. Depends on your mood.
7	Whistle-blower waiting to happen. Knows too much. Conscience too strong. Watching. Documenting. Waiting for right moment. Or courage. Whichever comes first.
8	Burned out mage. Used to love magic. Now it's just a job. Clockwatcher. Does minimum. Counts days to retirement. Magic is miracle. Miracles get boring.
9	Corporate climber. Ambitious. Ruthless. Will curse competitors. Not metaphor. Actual curses. Ethics negotiable. Success mandatory. Allies today, enemies tomorrow.
10	Accidentally bonded with office building. Feels everything happening inside. Privacy invaded constantly. 'Conference room B is sad today.' Can't explain how. Knows anyway.
11	Believes magic should be free. Open source spells. Leaks corporate secrets. Robin Hood complex. Noble or naive? Doesn't matter. Legal wants them gone.
12	Obsessed with regulatory compliance. Knows every statute, rule, and arcane bylaw. Immediately spots what's technically permissible. Uses this constantly. Not always for good.
13	Performs elaborate pre-casting rituals that aren't necessary. Knows they aren't necessary. Won't stop. They worked once. Not taking chances. Takes considerable time. Very deliberate.
14	Spent three years on a research sabbatical. The sabbatical changed them. Won't say how or where. Magic works differently for them now. Not wrong. Just different. They watch their hands sometimes.
15	Has strong opinions about magical ethics and shares them unprompted. Arguments are coherent and well-sourced. Personal practice quietly contradicts all of it. Hasn't noticed. Probably has.
16	Extremely punctual. Arrival times to the minute, always. Schedules meetings by the second. Revealed they use a minor time-dilation enchantment for commuting. This raises questions they don't answer.
17	Claims not to dream. Clarifies: hasn't dreamed in four years. Doesn't know why. Sleep specialists found nothing wrong. Divination practitioners went pale and changed the subject.
18	Former council-level mage who took a junior position here voluntarily. Overqualified by several decades. Working on something specific. Doesn't need the salary. Needs access to something in the building.
19	Carries a sealed letter of introduction from an entity that technically predates the concept of corporations. Letter opens doors. People go quiet when they see the seal. Nobody will explain why.
20	Has been here since the company's founding. Original employee records describe the same person. Same name, same face, same desk. HR says it's a family tradition of naming. HR does not make eye contact when they say this.

⚠️ Magical Complications (2d10)

When the magical investigation is progressing smoothly, roll for obstacles

2d10	Complication
2	Magical Backfire: Spell goes wrong. Very wrong. Reality glitch. Physics optional. Fire alarm but for magic. Building-wide. Containment team incoming. Explain fast.
3	Corporate Audit: Legal investigating. Questions about everything. Spell usage logs. Mana expenditure reports. Budget concerns. Also murder. Mostly budget.
4	Mundane Witness: Non-mage saw magic. Saw too much. Can't obliviate—illegal now. Can't explain—they won't understand. Can't ignore—they're filming. Going viral.
5	Magical Sabotage: Someone's interfering. Spells failing. Wards breaking. Equipment malfunctioning. Either incompetence or intentional. Either way, dangerous.
6	Contract Breach: Magical contract violated. Accidentally. Penalties activate. Might be curses. Might be lawsuits. Might be both. Lawyers and hexes incoming.
7	Rival Corp: Competitor interested. Same investigation. Same target. Better funding. Fewer ethics. Will collaborate or compete? Their choice. Their advantage.
8	Mana Shortage: Power drain. Building's ley line disrupted. Spells weakening. Enchantments failing. Emergency reserves limited. Backup generators don't work for magic. Time sensitive.
9	Familiar Problems: Someone's familiar gone rogue. Or possessed. Or unionizing. Attacking, revealing secrets, or demanding benefits. Possibly all three. Not covered in handbook.
10	Portal Mishap: Unauthorized portal. Location unknown. Things coming through. Wrong things. Close it fast. If you can find it. If you can reach it. If closing it doesn't make it worse.
11	Ancient Pact: Investigation violates old agreement. Made centuries ago. Still binding. Other party demanding explanation. Other party is powerful. Other party is angry. Oops.
12	Evidence Cursed: Key piece of evidence is hexed. Can't be touched, photographed, or described without triggering the curse. Breaking it requires a specialist. Specialist has a waiting list.
13	Enchantment Drift: Ambient magic in the area has shifted. Spells doing slightly different things than intended. Nobody hurt yet. Significant potential for that to change quickly.
14	Jurisdiction Overlap: Arcane Council and mundane authorities both want jurisdiction. Both showed up at the same time. Both are claiming primacy. Neither will leave. Nothing is moving forward.
15	Informant Recants: Key source is suddenly unavailable. Either threatened, hexed, or bought out. Last message was a location and a time. Location exists. Nobody's there. Time has passed.
16	Glamour Cascade: Someone's illusion broke and triggered other illusions. Multiple things in this building are not what they appeared to be. Sorting real from fake is taking time nobody has.
17	Temporal Echo: Residual magic left a loop in one room. Same thirty seconds on repeat. Everyone inside has seen it fourteen times. Information is there. Accessing it without getting stuck requires precision.
18	Bound Entity Loose: Something was being kept here, properly contained, by someone who is no longer here. Containment is degrading. Whatever it is, it knows it's getting free and is being very cooperative and helpful. That's the concerning part.
19	Arcane Injunction: Court order, magically enforced. Filed this morning. Covers exactly the evidence needed. Motion to lift it is pending before a judge who went on unscheduled leave. This morning.
20	Consensus Fracture: Local magical consensus is breaking down. Small things first. Shadows in wrong directions. Reflections not matching. Objects moving without anyone moving them. Whatever caused it is still here, still active, and has been watching the investigation since it started.

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