Mottos, 11 (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 Hero Is What They Call A Man Who Has Killed So Many People That The Word Murderer Falls Short.

2

A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing.

3

A Loss Of Curiosity Is A Loss Of Humanity.

4

Adversity And Existence Are One And The Same.

5

All Hail The Crimson King

6

All Magic Comes With A Price.

7

Almost Dead Yesterday, Maybe Dead Tomorrow, But Alive, Gloriously Alive, Today.

8

Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.

9

Blessed Are The Cheesemakers.

10

Blood For Gold.

11

Break The Wheel. End The Cycle.

12

Burn The Land And Boil The Sea, You Can’t Take The Sky From Me.

13

By Fighting Against The Inevitable We Carve Meaning From Meaninglessness.

14

By The Power Of Truth, I, While Living, Have Conquered The Universe

15

Do Good Recklessly.

16

Do What You Love And You’ll Never Work A Day In Your Life.

17

Duty Is The Death Of Love.

18

Eat Hearty For Tomorrow We Die.

19

Eat The Rich.

20

Either Death Or Honorable Life.

21

Every Lie We Tell Incurs A Debt To The Truth. Sooner Or Later That Debt Is Paid.

22

Everybody Wants To Be A Hero, Until It’s Time To Do What Real Heroes Do.

23

Everyday We Stray Further From God’s Light.

24

Everyone Is Out To Get Me. I Know It’s True. Why Would We Lie To Us?

25

Fast Is The Shield Against Night.

26

Find Comfort In The Pain.

27

Forged For Victory In A Time Of Despair.

28

Honor And Obligation

29

I Reject Your Reality And Substitute My Own.

30

I Shall Either Find A Way Or Make One

31

I Was Born Without Claws, Without Fangs, Without Scales. So I Forged Them In Fire And Crafted Them Of Steel.

32

I Will Not Set Myself On Fire To Keep Others Warm.

33

If Ignorance Is Bliss, Knowledge Will Be The Death Of Me

34

If It Can Be Destroyed By The Truth, It Deserves To Be Destroyed By The Truth.

35

If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Eat Horse Meat.

36

If You Can’t Beat Em, Join Em.

37

If You Can’t Win, A Stalemate Is Just As Good.

38

If You Must Mount The Gallows, Give A Jest To The Crowd, A Coin To The Hangman, And Make The Drop With A Smile On Your Lips

39

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Treachery.

40

In Battle, It Doesn’t Matter Who’s Right, It Matters Who’s Left.

41

It Is Never Too Late To Atone.

42

It’s Better To Burn Out Than Fade Away.

43

It’s Either All A Joke Or None Of It Is.

44

It’s Only Illegal If You Get Caught.

45

Kill Or Be Killed.

46

Learn To Hate Life To The Point Where You Want To Get Revenge On Existence Itself.

47

Let The Dragon Ride Again On The Winds Of Time.

48

Let Them Hate, So Long As They Fear.

49

Live Free, Die Free.

50

Live Well. Laugh Often. Love Much.

51

Living Well Is The Best Revenge

52

Make Love Not War.

53

May Peace Favor My Sword

54

Move Fast And Break Things.

55

Never Turn A Villain Into A Martyr.

56

No One Can Walk So Long In The Shadow That They Cannot Come Again To The Light.

57

No Rest. No Mercy. No Matter What.

58

Old Blood, New Age.

59

Pain Is A Crude Way To Enforce Obedience, But It Is Cheap And Plentiful.

60

Peace Is A Lie. There Is Only Passion.

61

Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

62

Power Comes From Pain.

63

Rank Hath Its Privileges.

64

Ravage, Bandage And Pillage: The Dancing Steps Of War.

65

Release That Which Was Never Caged.

66

Respect Doesn’t Make History.

67

Rock Bottom Teaches Lessons That Mountaintops Never Will.

68

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

69

Silk Hiding Steel.

70

Spilled Blood Always Begets More Of The Same.

71

Stab First And Ask Questions While They’re Bleeding Out.

72

Take What You Want And Pay For It.

73

Talk Is Cheap.

74

That Perfection Is Unattainable Is No Excuse Not To Strive For It.

75

The Best Defense Is A Good Offense.

76

The Difference Between Madness And Genius Is Winning.

77

The Greatest Harm Can Result From The Best Intentions.

78

The Greatest Heroes Are The First To Stand, The First To Take Up Arms, And The First To Meet The Enemy.

79

The House Always Wins.

80

The Only Blow That Matters Is The Killing Blow.

81

The Rain Falls On The Righteous And Wicked Alike.

82

The Victory Of The Light Is All.

83

The Weak Should Fear The Strong.

84

There Are No Coincidences, Only The Illusion Of Coincidence.

85

There Are Things Worse Than Death.

86

There Is A Place Deep Within My Soul Where No Foe Can Intrude And No Tyrant Can Conquer

87

There Is No Certainty, Only Opportunity.

88

There’s No Better Feeling Than Killing The Enemy.

89

Things To Be Forgotten; Places To Be Forgotten.

90

Thou Shalt Not Disfigure The Soul.

91

To My Sword I Owe My Glory, But To My Shield I Owe My Life.

92

To Put Out The Myriad Suns. To Darken The Light.

93

To The Righteous We Bring Hope. To The Tainted We Bring Fire.

94

To The Victor Belong The Spoils.

95

Trust But Verify.

96

We Are Made Stronger By Those We Fight For.

97

We Do What We Can Until We Do What We Must.

98

Weapons Are Part Of My Religion.

99

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger.

100

Your Deeds Are Your Monuments.