About the Random Monster Generator
Three parts combine on every roll: a physical trait, a creature type and a home region. Sixty traits across seventy four creatures across ten regions give more than forty thousand combinations, which is far more than any campaign will exhaust. More importantly, the trait and the region do the work a bare creature name cannot, because ash blackened tells the players what they see and of the salt cliffs tells the game master where the thing came from.
The creature bank draws on folklore from several traditions, kelpie and draugr from northern Europe, oni and jorogumo from Japan, rakshasa from South Asia, chupacabra and wendigo from the Americas, alongside classical beasts such as the manticore and the hydra. Nothing is lifted from a copyrighted bestiary, so the results are safe to publish in your own module.
Read the three parts as a design brief rather than a finished stat block. A root bound gargoyle of the black pines suggests a creature that cannot leave its grove, which is a mechanic before it is a description. Set the terrain first with the Random Environment Generator, then name the realm it threatens with the Random Kingdom Name Generator.
How to use
- Choose how many creatures you want, three gives a varied encounter table.
- Press Generate to combine a trait, a creature and a home region.
- Set the separator to a blank line if you plan to write stats under each one.
- Copy the roll into your session notes or download the encounter table.
Common questions
- How many combinations can it produce?
- Sixty traits, seventy four creatures and ten regions multiply out to more than forty thousand distinct monsters.
- Do the results include stats?
- No, you get a descriptive concept. Attach hit points and abilities from whichever system you play.
- Are any creatures from published games?
- No. Everything is drawn from public folklore or from generic fantasy terms, so the output is safe for your own publications.
- Can I use it as a random encounter table?
- Yes, generate ten with repeats off and number the lines, then roll a die against the list at the table.