11/07/2025
Happy Friday, and welcome back to Tabletop Thoughts!
Every GM has been there: you’ve got your dice, your notes, your snacks… but no idea what’s behind the next dungeon door. That’s where random tables come in — the unsung heroes of improv storytelling!
Today’s post is all about the best random generators and adventure tables you can use to build one-shots, improv encounters, or fill the gaps when your players wander off the map (again). We’ll also wrap things up with a custom d666 Encounter Builder you can download and use right at your table.
🎲 What Are Random Tables Good For?
Random tables are like GM superpowers in chart form. Whether you’re running Shadowdark, 5E, Mörk Borg, or some indie rules-light game, these tables give you:
- Instant ideas when you’re blanking on what’s next.
- Surprises for you and your players.
- Worldbuilding flavor that makes even basic encounters memorable.
- Speed, when your party decides to “go left instead.”
They don’t just fill space — they make your world feel alive with unpredictability.
⚔️ Great Free Sources for Random Tables
Here’s a round-up of free, high-quality generators and tables I actually use or recommend checking out:
🧮 Built-In or System Tables
- Shadowdark RPG Core Book – Rumor, loot, and dungeon dressing tables right in the back. Simple and fast.
- The Lazy DM’s Companion (Sly Flourish) – While the book is paid, there’s a free Lazy GM Resource Document here with great roll tables for NPCs, goals, and twists.
- Old School Essentials SRD – Has classic random dungeon and encounter tables available free online.
🌍 Online Generators
- Donjon.bin.sh – The gold standard. Random dungeons, names, treasure, weather, and even star systems.
- Chartopia – A massive library of user-made TTRPG tables you can search and combine.
- Chaos Gen – Focused on flavor: random inns, quest hooks, NPC quirks, monster traits, and more.
- Kobold Fight Club – Perfect for building quick, balanced encounters for D&D 5E.
💀 Monster Description & Mutation Tables
- The Monsters Know What They’re Doing Blog – Tactical behaviors, not random per se, but a must-read for flavorful combat.
- Giffyglyph’s Monster Maker – Offers random traits and combat behaviors to make each monster feel unique.
- Chaos Gen’s Undead/Mutation Tables – Add personality to your zombies and horrors in seconds.
🧠 How to Use Random Tables Like a Pro
The trick isn’t to let tables control your story — it’s to let them inspire you.
Here are some quick approaches:
- Prep with tables open. When designing a dungeon, roll on a few random rumor or treasure tables and weave results together.
- Use them mid-session. When your players wander off your prep, grab a relevant table (like “Who’s in this tavern?”) and roll live.
- Layer them. Combine multiple tables (monster + goal + twist) to create rich encounters on the fly.
- Player rolls! Let players roll on encounter or rumor tables for more buy-in. They feel like co-authors of the chaos.
🧩 Build Encounters with the d666 Table
Now, for one of my favorite GM tools — the d666 Encounter Builder.
It’s simple and a blast to use: roll three d6s, with each die revealing a different part of the story:
- Hundreds (1st die) = Who you meet
- Tens (2nd die) = What they’re doing
- Ones (3rd die) = The twist
Put it together for an instant, layered encounter idea.
Here’s the quick table preview:
| Hundreds (Who) | Tens (What they’re doing) | Ones (The Twist) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Skeleton crew of undead miners | 1 – Guarding something buried | 1 – A cursed mist shrouds the area |
| 2 – Bandits from a nearby ruin | 2 – Hunting for food or loot | 2 – They mistake the PCs for allies |
| 3 – Cultists of the Obsidian Eye | 3 – Performing a ritual | 3 – Their ritual has gone horribly wrong |
| 4 – Lost travelers or mercs | 4 – Scavenging or looting | 4 – An injured NPC begs for help |
| 5 – Forest fae or sprites | 5 – Playing tricks on mortals | 5 – Reality flickers; illusions bleed into real life |
| 6 – Aberrant horrors from below | 6 – Feeding or nesting | 6 – A powerful artifact is nearby, drawing them here |
Example:
You roll a 4, 2, and 5.
That’s “Lost mercenaries (4) hunting for loot (2) while reality flickers with illusions (5).”
Boom. Instant story hook, zero prep.
Want more chaos? Upgrade to d888 and go truly wild — 512 possible combos.
🔮 Wrap-Up
Tables and generators don’t replace creativity — they kickstart it.
The next time your group zigs when you planned to zag, grab your dice and a table or two. Before you know it, you’ll have a tavern rumor, a cursed relic, and a half-mad bandit priest — all rolled up on the fly.
Keep on gaming!
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