Tinkering With Chaos: Retooling Gnomengarde’s Wild Magic Table

Jan 20, 2026

Let’s look at the Gnomengarde Wild Magic Effects table, as it appears in Dragon of Icespire Peak:

Now, let’s do the math.

When rolling a 1-6, there is a 30% chance nothing will happen. Nada. Zip. Zero.

In an area suffused with wild magic – where something wild, wacky, or disastrous could happen the moment a spellcaster utters “obla di obla da” – there is a 30% chance that. Nothing. Will. Happen. 😞

When rolling a 7-10, there is a 20% chance that the spellcaster suddenly looks like a member of the Blue Man Group for up to an hour.

When rolling an 11-14, there is a 20% chance that the spellcaster starts to glow, casting about as much light as a guttering torch for up to an hour.

When rolling a 15-17, there is a 15% chance that the spellcaster sprouts butterfly wings and gains a fly speed of 30 feet for up to an hour. Very useful in caves with a 7-foot high ceiling. 🫠

When rolling an 18-19, there is a 10% chance the spellcaster is teleported up to 60 feet to a random unoccupied space of the DM’s choosing. This one is mildly interesting. If in the western caves, depending on where the spellcaster is located at the time of the casting, I’m going with:

In front of a wine barrel adjacent to the mimic in area G8
The air above the water in area G1 for a 10-30 foot drop into the plunge pool of the waterfall.

When rolling a 20, there is a 5% chance that the spellcaster experiences some ~~diabolical~~ whimsical effect of the DM’s invention.

For the Dungeon Master who runs published WotC adventures, Gnomengarde is one of the only quests that contains a wild magic zone. What this means is, by using the Gnomengarde wild magic effect table in its current form, there is an 85% chance that either nothing or nothing substantial will happen the one time your spellcasting characters find themselves honing their craft in a wild magic zone.

That seems like a shame. What’s next – going to a Barovia without encountering Strahd?

So, with that in mind, let’s do as the Gnomengardians do.

Let’s tinker!

Below is how I tinkered with Gnomengarde’s wild magic effects:

If you’d like to support my work, please consider checking out my free/pwyw supplements for Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak over on Dungeon Master’s Guild!