Free tables Pockets & trinkets
What's in a Commoner's Pockets? d20 Table for 5e
A free d20 table of what a farmer, labourer or townsperson has on them in 5e: a few coins, everyday odds and ends, and the odd hook.
When the party searches a farmhand, a porter or the miller's boy, "a few coppers" ends the scene. One specific thing keeps it going: a rent reminder, a ring that's far too good for its owner, a map scratched on a bit of slate. Ordinary people's pockets are where small-town trouble hides.
Roll d20 once per person searched. About half the results are coin or everyday kit, and the rest are a clue, a hook, or something odd. If a result doesn't fit the person, roll again or take the next one down.
The table
20 results. Roll d20.
| d20 | Result | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Day's Coppers | 7 cp tied in a rag, with one knot for each day worked this week. |
| 2 | Lunch | Half a heel of bread and a rind of cheese, wrapped in a cabbage leaf. |
| 3 | Pipe and Twist | A clay pipe and a pinch of cheap tobacco in a twist of paper. |
| 4 | Mixed Purse | 3 sp and 11 cp in a leather purse with a broken drawstring. |
| 5 | Mending Kit | A needle stuck through a square of felt, and a card wound with brown thread. |
| 6 | Rent Chit | A landlord's note: rent overdue, 4 sp, "or out by the new moon". The new moon is in two days. |
| 7 | Lucky Pig | A small carved wooden pig on a string, worn smooth by a thumb. |
| 8 | Tally Stick | Half a split tally stick for 2 sp the miller owes them. They'd like it back. |
| 9 | Apple Knife | A small folding knife, blunt, mostly used for apples. |
| 10 | Unsent Letter | An unsigned love letter addressed to someone who works up at the big house. |
| 11 | Sewn-In Silver | A single silver piece sewn into the hem of their coat. The stitches are newer than the coat. |
| 12 | Seed and Peas | A twist of turnip seed and a handful of dried peas. |
| 13 | Child's Drawing | A drawing of this person, very round, beside a dog much bigger than they are. |
| 14 | Muster Notice | A summons to report to the steward for road work three days ago. They didn't go. |
| 15 | Sheep Key | A small iron key on a cord. It fits nothing they own: they found it inside a slaughtered sheep. |
| 16 | Willow Bark | A pouch of willow bark for a bad back, and the herbalist's note on how much is too much. |
| 17 | Slate Map | A flake of slate scratched with the mill, the river and an X by the old bridge. They'll say they found it. |
| 18 | Wooden Teeth | A set of carved wooden false teeth. They're not theirs. |
| 19 | Borrowed Ring | A gold ring far too good for them, wrapped in a handkerchief. They're "holding it for a friend". |
| 20 | Dormouse | A sleepy dormouse in an inside pocket, in a little nest of wool. It bites strangers. |
Questions
How much money does a commoner carry in 5e?
Not much: a handful of copper and maybe a silver piece. An unskilled labourer earns a couple of silver pieces on a good day and spends most of it, so a commoner carrying gold is a hook in itself. Ask where it came from.
Why roll instead of just saying "a few coppers"?
Because "a few coppers" closes the scene, and one specific item opens it. A rent chit or a borrowed ring gives the players something to ask about, and gives a commoner a life that existed before the party walked in.