Random Table PDFs and Books for Fantasy
PDF Guides System Neutral Fantasy

Random Table PDFs and Books for Fantasy

Duncan Thomson

Here we are looking at pdf and book titles for Fantasy RPGs on Drive Thru RPG.

PDF Guides - all | any fantasy | adventurers | city | dungeon | hinterlands | otherworldly | sea | wilds

[Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash]

Disclaimer: Rand Roll is an affiliate for DriveThru RPG and DM's Guild.

Starting Points

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

This fantasy guide covers parts applicable to all kinds of fantasy terrains and settings. We're specifically not looking at D&D, which has it's own guide. But most of these titles could be used in a Fantasy Setting.

There are separate Fantasy gen titles guides for...

Fantasy covers existing worlds such as Glorantha, Middle Earth and Westeros. Your own homebrews plus dungeon delves, hex crawls and fantasy soap opera. Using tools such as Pathfinder, D&D, Savage Worlds, OSR, Ironsworn, Warhammer or whatever takes your fantasy.

There is a Fantasy Tools guide for random tables and generators.

July 2024: New titles, added map section. Nov 2023: New titles and encounters section

Major Titles

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Some PDFs are much larger and comprehensive.

  • From Dicegeeks there is the Great Book of Random Tables, combining 5 previous books of random tables. More focused is the Book of Random Tables: Quests.
  • The Tome of Adventure Design (revised) from Mythmere Games has over 500 pages of tables and guidance for various fantasy adventures. If you have the older version you don't need the updated one as it's mostly a formatting update.
  • Ken Wickham has something different with Grammar Fuel: Fantasy, giving 73 d100 lists of nouns, adjectives and adverbs for fantasy.
  • GM's Miscellany: the Thingonomicon is from Raging Swan Press has pdf and book versions. It contains many lists grouped around 26 themes such as "Bustling Marketplace", "Looting the Body", "Smugglers' Lair" and "Wilderness Camping".
  • GM Gems from Goodman Games is System Neutral and contains 80 pages of d100 random tables split into three broad sections. These are The Urban Experience, Getting There is Half the Fun and The Dungeon
  • Spectacular Settlements from Nord Games has hundreds of pages for detailing and expanding settlements. Or using some pregenerated ones.

Great Book of Random Tables Tome of Adventure Design (revised) Grammar Fuel: Fantasy Genre Thingonomicon GM Gems Spectacular Settlements

Solo Titles

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

For Fantasy Solo Play in Fantasy there are many options, including

  • The GamesMaster's Apprentice: Fantasy Deck from Larcenous Designs is an oracle and random generator in a deck of cards. With dice rolls, npc traits, event information, sights and sounds and other information.
  • Worlds Without Number from Sine Nomine Publishing is a full rpg, but also has a free edition and many random tables to detail your world.
  • Also from Sine Nomine Publishing is Scarlet Heroes, an old-school rpg for solo, either as a standalone rpg or as an overlay for another game.
  • Ironsworn from Shawn Tomkin is one of the best known solo games (and free! in pdf form), where the narrative is pushed forward by powerful vows made by the protagonist(s).
  • Five Leagues from the Borderlands from Mophidius is a solo miniatures game where your warband explores a fantasy world.

1001 Encounter Generator - Fantasy Wilderness 1001 Encounter Generator - Fantasy Wilderness Scarlet Heroes Ironsworn Five Leagues from the Borderlands

World Building

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Some GM's love worldbuilding in advance, and others let it develop through gameplay, or it fits and bursts. Related to the Maps section.

Realm Fables: World Generator Castle Oldskull - Game World Generator Deluxe 47 Gods and Heroes for Your Campaign World Pendulum: A World-building Assistant 100 Fantasy Kingdom Events

NPCs

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

NPCs are the allies, friends, rivals and foes of the characters, to be hated and loved.

Swift NPC Builder 100 NPCs You Might Meet At The Tavern Masks - 1000 Memorable NPCs Concept Cards - Plot Hooks

Taverns and Inns

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Taverns and inns are a big part of fantasy, as places to relax or find new companions.

100 Random Taverns The Book of Random Tables: Inns and Taverns Fantasy Inn and Cuisine Generator 100 Fantasy Beverages for all Fantasy RPGs Tavern Tables - The Game Master's Tavern Builder Handbook 60 Tavern Situations

Treasure and Items

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Treasures are why some adventurers are out there, representing thing of value, curious trinkets and enchanted items.

Infinite Trinkets The Gemerator 100 Less Than Useful Books to Find on a Fantasy Bookshelf Two Bit Tables: Potions with a Unique Flavour 100 Oddities for a Treasure Hoard 47 System-neutral Artifacts and Magial Items for Your Campaigns

Encounters and Quests

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Things that don't fit in the other categories.

Untold Encounters of the Random Kind Sidequest Decks: Monster Hunts 100 Adventure Hooks Concept Cards - Plot Hooks

Maps

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Related to World Building, these are titles with maps or creating maps

Sandbox Generator Pocket Lands: Kingdom The Terrain Randomizer

Other Titles

titles - major | solo | worldbuilding | npcs | taverns | treasure | encounters | maps | other

Things that don't fit in the other categories.

Fantasy Tome of Lists 100 Riddles for Fantasy Random Esoteric Creature Generator for Classic Fantasy Role-Playing Games and their Modern Simulacra 100 High Fantasy Odd Situations The Monster Overhaul Knave Second Edition

Finishing Up

This will get updated in the future, but leave a comment with other titles if you have one to share.

If you liked these there are Generators at Chaos Gen and a monthly random tools Newsletter. Or find us on the Rand Roll Discord or an instagram of Random Tables.