Mottos, 9 (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 Heavy Purse Makes A Light Heart.

2

A Jack Of All Trades But A Master Of None Is Oftentimes Better Than A Master Of One.

3

A True Hero Isn’t Measured By The Size Of His Strength, But By The Strength Of His Heart.

4

Accuse The Other Side Of Which You Are Guilty.

5

Ain’t Nothing Fair.

6

All I Know Is There’s More Than I Know.

7

Always Pure.

8

An Enemy Destroyed Cannot Rise Against You.

9

Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls.

10

Birth Is A Promise, Death Its Fulfillment.

11

By Reason Or Force.

12

Come As You Are.

13

Cunning And Persistence.

14

Death Cures All Ills.

15

Do Or Do Not. There Is No Try.

16

Don’t Let Loyalty Become Slavery.

17

Even A Shallow Grave Is Deep Enough.

18

Everyone Is Guilty Of All The Good They Did Not Do.

19

Faith Can Be Learned At The End Of A Sword.

20

Fear Is The Path To Evil. Fear Leads To Anger, Anger Leads To Hate, Hate Leads To Suffering.

21

Flesh Is But A Garment, The Soul Is All.

22

Fortune And Glory.

23

God Forgives, I Don’t.

24

Gold Is Mined Easiest From Corpses.

25

Goodness Gains Power Through Understanding. Evil Gains Understanding Through Power.

26

Have Sword, Will Travel.

27

Hell Is Empty And All The Devils Are Here.

28

Hope For The But But Prepare For The Worst.

29

How Does It Benefit Me?

30

I Don’t Want To Survive. I Want To Live.

31

I Kill Therefore I Am.

32

I Only Promise To Try.

33

I Will Suffer No Threat To My Purpose.

34

I’m Here To Blur The Line Between Life And Death.

35

I’ve Forgotten More Nightmares Than You’ll Ever Inspire.

36

If One Good Deed In All My Life I Did, I Do Repent It From My Very Soul.

37

If You Want Something Done Right, You’ve Got To Do It Yourself.

38

If Your Enemy Is Equal, Prepare For Him. If Greater, Elude Him. If Weaker, Crush Him.

39

In God We Trust.

40

In The Land Of The Blind, The One-Eyed Man Is King.

41

It Is Better To Act And Repent Than Not To Act And Regret.

42

It Is Possible To Commit No Mistakes And Still Lose. That Is Not A Weakness. That Is Life.

43

It’s In Our Nature To Want To Forget Truths That Keep Us Awake At Night.

44

It’s Not What Remains, But What Is Taken Away.

45

Justice Has A Price. The Price Is Freedom.

46

Law Above All Else.

47

Let Them See Our Teeth.

48

Life Becomes Death Becomes New Life.

49

Lose A Battle To Win The War.

50

Love Is Putting Someone Else’s Needs Before Yours.

51

Make The Most Of Now.

52

Music Hath Charms To Soothe A Savage Breast, To Soften Rocks, Or Bend A Knotted Oak.

53

My Country, Right Or Wrong; If Right, To Be Kept Right; And If Wrong, To Be Set Right.

54

Never Attribute To Malice That Which Is Adequately Explained By Stupidity.

55

Never Point A Weapon At Someone You Don’t Intent To Kill.

56

No Light Lasts Forever.

57

No Pain, No Gain.

58

No Sorcery Lies Beyond My Grasp.

59

None Can Escape Their Fate.

60

Only In Death Does Duty End.

61

Peace Through Power.

62

Power Corrupts; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.

63

Rest Is For The Dead.

64

Small Thieves Hang, Great Ones Prosper.

65

Spreading Enlightenment At The Tip Of A Spear.

66

The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.

67

The Brightest Light Is Invisible. It Shines Through Your Deeds And Warms The Universe.

68

The Fact That The Price Must Be Paid Is Proof It Is Worth Paying.

69

The Grave Is No Bar To My Call.

70

The Light Shall Be Blackened, And Chaos Shall Reign.

71

The Love Of Money Is A Root Of All Evil.

72

The Moral High Ground Is An Excellent Place To Park Your Catapults.

73

The Only Good Is Knowledge, The Only Evil Is Ignorance.

74

The Power To Cause Pain Is The Only Power That Matters.

75

The Self-Righteous Shall Choke On Their Sanctimony.

76

The Simplest Answer Is Most Often Correct.

77

The Wise Only Fight Battles They Know They Can Win.

78

There Can Be No Victory Without Sacrifice.

79

They Say It Can’t Be Done. That’s Why I’m Here.

80

Those To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Asked.

81

Through Conflict, One’s Nature Is Revealed.

82

To A Bad Hunter, The Woods Are Always Empty.

83

To Compel Another Into Service Is To Deny The Very Breath Of Life.

84

To Like Is To Want But To Love Is To Give.

85

Train Yourself To Let Go Of Everything You Fear To Lose.

86

Truth Is Like A Sculpture, One Perspective Is Never Enough For True Understanding.

87

War Is An Equation, Death The Solution.

88

We Secure. We Contain. We Protect.

89

We Work In The Dark To Serve The Light.

90

Wear Your Weakness Like An Armor And It Can Never Be Used To Hurt You.

91

When You Gaze Into An Abyss, The Abyss Also Gazes Into You.

92

Where Go The Living, The Dead Soon Follow.

93

Where My Shadow Falls, There Falls My Foe.

94

Who Cannot Endure, Is Entombed.

95

Wisdom Consists Of Knowing How To Distinguish The Nature Of Trouble, And In Choosing The Lesser Evil.

96

You Are Free To Choose But You Are Not Free From The Consequence Of Your Choices.

97

You Have The Right To Take My Life. Just Know That I Will Also Take Yours.

98

You Only Miss The Water When The Well Runs Dry.

99

Where Piety Fails, My Hammer Falls.

100

Whether The Wolf Beats The Bear Or The Bear Beats The Wolf, The Rabbit Always Loses.