Guide to Generator Tools for Fantasy Cities

Location. On Seminster Street, in a temple quarter of sprawling monasteries and learned clerics. It stands next to the Cloister of the Empyrean Lords.

A guide to random tools for fantasy cities and towns with sections for entire cities, details, pdfs and maps.

Fantasy Env Guides - city | rural | wilds | dungeon  | sea | planes

[Image from Here Be Taverns. Text from donjon]

Disclaimer. I'm an affiliate for DM's Guild and DriveThru RPG and I also create a lot of products with random tables on DM's Guild.

Starting Points

start | pdfs | city tools | city details | maps

Fantasy Cities can look quite different, from typical Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate on the Sword Coast, to the sprawl of Ravnica on an entire world. From the spires of the island of Tar Valon to the ever-shifting fashions of Ankh-Morpork.

For some adventurers the city is a place to relax, resupply and network. To others it is the heart of their adventures.

Temple politics, gang wars, dangers in the sewers, disappearances in the slums, fires in the noble quarter and whispers in the backstreets...

Related Guides includes Taverns and Inns.

Random PDFs

start | pdfs | city tools | city details | maps

The Fantasy City - Random Generator Collection from Black Falcon Games LLC includes 100 Fantasy City Rumors & Mysteries, plus 4 other d100 titles.

At the other end of the scale is 400+ pages of Spectacular Settlements from Nord Games with many chapters full of tables for building and detailing settlements. Sections include Trading Posts, Villages, Towns, Cities, Capitals and Fortresses.

From Never Engine is the Encounter Generator - Urban, Rough with tables for more dangerous parts of town. There is also a Safe version.

On DM's Guild there is 100 Non-Combat Random Encounters and Character Focused Random Events for the City which are both Pay What You Want.

City Tools

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Draelesh - A town situated right on the barrier to the ethereal plane. The townsfolk live alongside spirits like neighbors and see them much in the same way common folk see stray cats. Many of them also have an understanding of divination and history not seen outside of universities due to their extensive experience with spirits.

From the 100 Unique Towns/Village at DnD Speak.

For all of your Town needs you can go to Eigengrau's Essential Establishment Generator which creates buildings, npcs, plothooks and far more around a single City. Everything is linked and editable.

On github Praxxian has a Fantasy City Generator with detailed lists of peoples, businesses and inventories.

For several cities at once Donjon has a Town and Cities generator with filters for culture, size and race.

City Details

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Athena's Olden Restoratives is run by an impatient battle-scarred woman who speaks too quickly. You can identify it because the shop is taller than any other building on the street, and has a greenhouse in the back. Among the customers there's a warrior in highly decorated armor. Overseeing you all is a silent human guard with an axe, ensuring there won't be any trouble.

from Potion Shop at Magical Gurll

For sections of the city Fantasy Name Generators has a City District Name generator such as "Craimp Cross" and "Venict Hill". It also has City Descriptions, House Descriptions and Monument Descriptions.

For groups of people Chaotic Shiny has a Crowd Generator with entries such as "The tanned, flirty man who is carrying a strange staff." and "The overweight, exuberant woman who is wearing an odd symbol". While you're there check out Medieval City for more details, the Bazaar Generator for market stalls and the Holiday Generator for spontaneous festivals.

I've got City Rumours and Plot Hooks over at Chaos Gen. As well as City Street Events and Urban Encounters for D&D 5E.

For streets Kassoon has a City Street Generator with a text description and encounter.

Or for pickpockets, hobbit riddles and mundane loot try items in an NPC's pockets

You can also populate cities with a 5E Magic Shop which details magic items for D&D 5E.

City Maps

start | pdfs | city tools | city details | maps

The most well known map tool is Watabou's Medieval Fantasy City Generator which makes beautiful maps (like the one from the cover).

Another map generator is Donjon's Fantasy Town Generator which creates settlement maps of any size with a few details and npcs.

One of the most complete tools is Fantasy Town Generator which creates a map with neighbourhoods but also all of the citizens, and where each one is at any time of day!

For smaller scale maps Kassoon has House Maps with plans.

City Tool Recommendations

I'll come back and update the Guide so send me any recommendations for tools, tables and pdfs.