The Essentials: Free DM Tools

 

Online DMing doesn’t have to be hard. To that end, I’ve assembled a list of my top six free resources for online Dungeon Masters. With a few friends and a collection of game books, you should have all you need to kick off your own epic adventure!

Disclaimer: I neither own nor benefit in any way from you visiting these sites. Everything you find on them is the property of their respective creators, of whom I am not one.

 

Roll20

Sure, there’s a paid option, but the free plan is robust enough for most. If you’re okay with a little data entry, you can use the most popular VTT without handing over a single copper piece.

 
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Fantasy Name Generators

Do yourself a favor and bookmark this site. Hell, make a folder in your Bookmarks bar and populate it with every name generator you could ever need.

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(For 5e) Kobold+ Fight Club

This tool is invaluable for rolling up leveled encounters on the fly. Just enter your party’s level and headcount, set the filters, and you’re good to go!

(For Pathfinder) PF2 Encounter Builder

At risk of sounding like a broken record…
This tool is invaluable for rolling up leveled encounters on the fly. Just enter your party’s level and headcount, set the filters, and you’re good to go!

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donjon

So many good resources here, but I’d spotlight the Magic Shop Generator, Treasure Generator, and Dungeon Generator as the cream of the crop.

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r/battlemaps

Storytellers aren’t the only artists who make the TTRPG world go round. The ever-growing number of gifted visual artists on this subreddit surprise me every day with their creativity and skill.

Token Stamp by RollAdvantage

If you’re gaming on a VTT, this handy little tool will save you from dragging chunky, poorly-scaled character art around the board and set you up with a real token. It’s so quick and easy that there’s no reason not to take advantage.

Mastered all the above?

Level up your game with private lessons or DM prep assistance!