Mottos, 6 (d100)

Whether they’re called adages, maxims, slogans or creeds, a motto by any other name will still sound as sweet. These simple statements are essentially promises made to oneself, family, clan, guild, order or institution. It is a phrase that can be proudly carved into a castle’s archway as a sign or wealth and power or muttered to oneself as a mantra against madness when all other hope is lost. A personal motto is a vow to oneself and a promise of intent (For good or ill) to others, while an institutional motto is a binding pact of like-minded peers. A character’s motto can be a goal in itself or a moral anchor that centers his life and guides his action. This table is a mixed collection of real life and fictional mottos that can aid a DM to quickly expand the history of the campaign or to aid a PC in a richer character creation. —Note: The phrasing for the mottos are copied from their original sources the way they were written (I, Me, We, Him, Man, etc), and a DM should change the tenses to best suit the situation.

d100 Result

1

A Brute Kills For Pleasure. A Fool Kills From Hate.

2

A Crime Not Witnessed Is A Crime Not Committed.

3

Battle Doesn’t Need A Purpose; The Battle Is Its Own Purpose. You Don’t Ask Why A Plague Spreads Or A Field Burns. Don’t Ask Why I Fight.

4

Blessed Are The Wicked Who Are Healed By My Hand.

5

Buyer Beware.

6

Certainly The Game Is Rigged. Don’t Let That Stop You; If You Don’t Bet, You Can’t Win.

7

You Cannot Wash Off Blood With Blood.

8

Demons Run When A Good Man Goes To War.

9

Even The Wicked Have Nightmares.

10

Fools Rush In Where Angels Dare To Tread.

11

God Is Dead.

12

God’s Will, My Hands.

13

Guilty Until Proven Innocent.

14

He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best.

15

I Am A Leaf On The Wind, Watch How I Soar.

16

I Am To Misbehave.

17

I Did What I Had To.

18

I’ll Do Anything For The Right Price.

19

If You Write The History Books, You’ll Never Be Wrong.

20

If You’re Good At Something Never Do It For Free.

21

Ignorance Is Bliss.

22

In The Face Of Pain There Are No Heroes.

23

In The Mouth Of The Wolf May The Wolf Die.

24

Innocent Until Proven Guilty.

25

It Is Better To Ask For Forgiveness Than Permission.

26

It is better to copulate than never.

27

Kill. Ask For Forgiveness. If It’s Not Granted, Kill Again.

28

Live And Let Live.

29

Magic Is Might.

30

Make It Dark, Make It Grim, Make It Tough, But Then, For The Love Of God, Tell A Joke.

31

May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way.

32

Might Makes Right.

33

Never Stand When You Can Sit, Never Sit When You Can Lie Down, Never Stay Awake When You Can Sleep.

34

No Second Chances.

35

No Worries.

36

Nothing Is Sacred.

37

One Must Forgive Thy Enemies, But Not Before They Are Hanged.

38

Peace Or Consequences.

39

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold.

40

Rise Above, So That You May Lift Those Below.

41

Satisfaction Guaranteed.

42

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later.

43

Sin Lies Only In Hurting Other People Unnecessarily.

44

Slow And Steady Wins The Race.

45

Some Stones Are Best Left Unturned.

46

Start At The Beginning.

47

Take The Long Way Home.

48

That What Is Imagined Need Never Be Lost.

49

The Bigger The Smile, The Sharper The Knife.

50

The Blood Stays On The Blade.

51

The Climb May Be Long, But The View Is Worth It.

52

The Darkness Must Be Shed Before The Light.

53

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend.

54

The Few For The Many.

55

The Heavens Guide Me.

56

The Lesser Of Two Evils Is Still Evil.

57

The One Who Passes The Sentence Should Swing The Sword.

58

The Only True Death Is To Never Live

59

The Right Word Cuts Deeper Than A Knife.

60

The Story Changes, The Ending Stays The Same.

61

The Strength Of The Wolf Is The Pack. The Strength Of The Pack Is The Wolf.

62

The Sun Shines For All.

63

The Unworthy Have No Place In History.

64

The Wall Against Which Darkness Breaks.

65

The Weak Fear The Shadows.

66

The Wheel Weaves As The Wheel Wills, And We Are Only The Thread Of The Pattern.

67

The Written Word Endures, The Spoken Word Disappears.

68

There Are No Coincidences.

69

There Are Only Two Forces In The World, The Sword And The Spirit. In The Long Run The Sword Will Always Be Conquered By The Spirit.

70

There Is No Safety To Be Found In A Sword.

71

There Is The Hunter And The Hunted.

72

There’s Nowhere Left To Go But Up.

73

This World Is Changing. We Decide Into What.

74

Those Who Follow Me Follow Destiny.

75

To Conquer One’s Self Is To Conquer All.

76

Tomorrow Is Not Promised.

77

Trust Is The Biggest Liability Of All.

78

Truth Is Worth Fighting For, But Beauty Is Worth Dying For.

79

Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right.

80

Vengeance Is The Night.

81

Victory Is Soaked In Blood.

82

Violence To End Violence.

83

We Are Born Of The Blood, Made Men By The Blood, Undone By The Blood; Fear The Old Blood.

84

We Never Sleep.

85

We Walk Through The Ages.

86

What Could Go Wrong?

87

What Is Broken Can Be Reforged.

88

When All Else Fails, Play Dead.

89

When In Doubt, Lie Wildly.

90

When You Dance With Death, Lead.

91

When You Have To Kill A Man It Costs Nothing To Be Polite.

92

When You Play The Game Of Thrones, You Win Or You Die.

93

While We Live, Let Us Live!

94

Why Ask, When You Can Take?

95

Wit Beyond Measure Is Man’s Greatest Treasure.

96

Without Light There Can Be No Shadow.

97

You Can’t Buy Fate.

98

You Can’t Make A Deal If You’re Dead.

99

You Cannot Know Strength Until You Are Broken.

100

You Keep What You Kill.