You don’t have to understand anything about science to make an epic science fiction movie; you’re a big-time Hollywood director! Roll 2d12. The first d12 generates the protagonist’s stereotypical movie profession, the second d12 generates a ninth-level D&D spell that the protagonist possesses the technology or ability to use:
| First d12 Result | Profession | Second d12 Result | 9th Level Spell |
| 1 | Architect | 1 | Astral Projection: Mind travel to another dimension |
| 2 | Chef | 2 | Etherealness: Temporarily invisible and ghost-like |
| 3 | Detective | 3 | Foresight: Sense danger, precognition |
| 4 | Doctor / Psychiatrist | 4 | Imprisonment: Trap someone, permanently |
| 5 | Fiction Writer (Novelist) | 5 | Mass Heal: All wounds/diseases, multiple people |
| 6 | Journalist | 6 | Power Word Kill: A person you can see dies |
| 7 | Lawyer | 7 | Prismatic Sphere: Glowing protection bubble |
| 8 | Music Producer / Executive | 8 | Shapechange: Into any other person or animal |
| 9 | Photographer | 9 | Teleportation Circle: Send someone to any location |
| 10 | Spy / Assassin / Fixer | 10 | Time Stop: You can act, everyone else is frozen |
| 11 | Teacher / Professor | 11 | True Resurrection: Bring back any dead person |
| 12 | Tech Company CEO | 12 | Weird: Create illusions with the power to kill |
For example, if you roll a 10 and a 1, your protagonist is a Spy that can Astral Project – travel with his mind to another dimension or plane of existence – so you write Inception. If you rolled a 1 and a 10, your protagonist is an Architect that has a Time Stop ability. Congrats, Mr. Coppola, you have the basic idea for Megalopolis.
Don’t try to explain how or why the ability/technology works, that’s for suckers that write books. Just blow our minds with your cool imagery and say it’s an allegory for filmmaking or politics or something!
Arthur P. Dutton 