Website Review
What is donjon; RPG Tools?
donjon; RPG Tools is a long-running collection of free browser-based random generators and calculators for tabletop role-playing games. It is not a virtual tabletop or a rules reference; it is a set of small utilities you open when you need a name, a map, a dungeon, an encounter, treasure, or a quick calculation during prep or mid-session.
The tools are grouped by game and genre, so you can go straight to the system you run rather than adapting a generic generator.
H3 What you can generate
- Names: fantasy, Markov-style custom lists, sci-fi, weird fiction, and system-specific options such as Call of Cthulhu NPCs or Avatar Legends names.
- Places and maps: fractal world maps, fantasy worlds, towns, inns, treasure maps, and sci-fi star systems or worlds.
- Adventures and dungeons: random dungeons, five-room dungeons, random adventure outlines, encounters, and The Endless Oubliette.
- Loot and shops: random treasure and magic shops across several editions.
- Support tools: weather, calendars, demographics calculators, initiative trackers, XP and power-attack calculators, and quick-reference sheets for D&D 5e and 5.5.
H3 Who it suits It fits game masters who prep on the fly, sandbox referees who need a settlement or encounter now, and players or GMs who want names and weather without leaving the browser. It is less suited to groups who want an all-in-one platform with character sheets, maps, and voice chat, or to anyone who needs official rules text.
H3 How it compares
| Need | donjon | A virtual tabletop |
|---|---|---|
| Random names, dungeons, loot | Core strength | Usually absent or limited |
| Maps and tokens | Generates maps, not play surfaces | Built for play |
| Rules reference | Quick sheets only | Often included |
| Account required | No | Usually yes |
H3 A practical next step If you are running a session tonight, open the generator for your system, roll a dungeon or encounter, and keep the result as a fallback for when players go off your prepared path. For a campaign, start with the fantasy world or fractal world generator, then use the town and inn generators to fill in the places your players actually visit.
Related official sites you may already use alongside it include D&D Beyond for rules and character sheets and Roll20 for online play.
How do I generate a random dungeon for my D&D session?
Open donjon; RPG Tools and use its Random Dungeon Generator. Under the d20/Fantasy, D&D 5e, AD&D, Pathfinder, or D&D 5.5 sections, choose the dungeon tool, set the options you care about (edition, size, layout, party level), and generate. The output is a map with rooms, corridors, and notes you can read aloud or adapt. If you want a shorter session-ready layout, the Five Room Dungeon Generator in the same sections produces a compact five-scene structure.
Practical workflow
- Pick the edition closest to your table so encounter and treasure suggestions fit your rules.
- Generate two or three dungeons and keep the one whose layout matches your story beat.
- Rename rooms and swap monsters to tie the map to your campaign.
- Note one entrance, one secret, and one faction inside so exploration has a goal.
Trade-offs
- Random dungeons are fast and surprising, but they rarely include a strong narrative reason for the rooms to exist. Add that yourself.
- Generated treasure and encounters can be unbalanced for your specific party; review them before play.
- Maps are best used as inspiration or a base map, not a finished battle map with exact grid measurements.
If you want more than a dungeon The same site also has Random Encounter Generator, Random Treasure Generator, Random Magic Shop Generator, Random Inn Generator, Random Town Generator, and NPC Generator, so you can build a whole session from one page. For world-building, the Fantasy World Generator and Medieval Demographics Calculator help place the dungeon in a consistent setting.
Next step Generate one dungeon now, then immediately generate a matching random encounter and treasure set. Run the first room as a test scene; if the pacing works, keep the rest and reskin the details to your campaign.
Which random generators are available for D&D 5e?
For D&D 5e specifically, donjon lists both quick-reference sheets and random generators. The reference material covers a spell sheet, monster list and magic items; the generators cover encounters, dungeons, treasure, magic shops and general random rolls. It also has an encounter size calculator and an initiative tracker, which are utilities rather than generators.
5e tools on the page
- Quick Reference: Spell Sheet, Monster List, Magic Items
- Calculators: Encounter Size Calculator, Initiative Tracker
- Random Generator
- Random Dungeon Generator
- Five Room Dungeon Generator
- Random Encounter Generator
- Random Magic Shop Generator
- Random Treasure Generator
If you are prepping a session tonight, the practical split is: use the Encounter Size Calculator to check whether a planned fight fits your party's level, then the Random Encounter Generator when you need something to drop in. For exploration sessions, the Random Dungeon Generator and Five Room Dungeon Generator produce the map and room sequence, while the Random Treasure Generator and Random Magic Shop Generator handle rewards and shopping stops.
One caveat: several generators appear under multiple rulesets (AD&D, d20/Fantasy, Pathfinder, 4e, 5e and 5.5), so the 5e versions are tuned to that edition's assumptions rather than being interchangeable with the others. If your table plays 5.5, note that the page lists a separate 5.5 set with the same generator types.
Can I create a random fantasy world map with this site?
Yes. The site includes a Fractal World Generator under its General tools, which produces a random world map. It sits alongside other generators like the Fantasy World Generator, Random Dungeon Generator and Random Town Generator, so you can build a map and then fill it with locations.
What to expect in practice
- The map is procedurally generated from a seed, so the same settings should reproduce the same world — useful if you want to share or revisit a map.
- Typical fractal map tools let you adjust sea level, land/water balance, map size and projection; check the options on the page itself rather than assuming exact controls.
- Output is generally a static image, so it works well as a handout or a starting sketch rather than an editable vector map.
A concrete workflow
- Generate a world map and reroll until the continent shapes suit your campaign.
- Note the seed or save the image so you can return to it.
- Use the Fantasy World Generator and Medieval Demographics Calculator to work out where settlements and populations would sit.
- Drop in towns and dungeons with the Random Town, Random Inn and Random Dungeon generators.
When it is the right tool
| Your need | Good fit? |
|---|---|
| Quick regional or continental map for a session | Yes |
| Many variations to choose from | Yes |
| Hand-drawn, artistic or labelled cartography | Better served by a dedicated map editor |
| Precise control over coastlines and borders | Limited — random generation leads |
For a campaign where the map just needs to exist and look plausible, this is a fast route. If the geography itself is central to your story, treat the generated map as a draft and redraw it in a mapping tool.
Other options worth knowing: Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator for interactive editing of generated worlds, and Watabou for city and region maps.
How do I generate random names for characters or places?
Use donjon's name generators: pick the genre that matches your setting, then generate, reroll and copy the results you like. The site groups them under General, Fantasy, Science Fiction and other system headings on donjon; RPG Tools.
Which generator to start with
| What you need | Generator | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Names from your own word lists | Markov Name Generator | Consistent naming conventions in a homebrew setting |
| Quick fantasy character or place names | Fantasy Name Generator | NPCs, towns, taverns at the table |
| Sci-fi characters and places | SciFi Name Generator | Space opera, cyberpunk, near-future games |
| Horror-flavoured NPCs | CoC NPC Generator | Call of Cthulhu investigators and bystanders |
| Genre-specific names | Avatar Legends, Alien RPG, Blade Runner, RWBY and other listed generators | Matching an established property's tone |
A practical workflow
- Decide the naming culture first — a fishing village, an elven court and a corporate space station should not sound alike.
- Generate a batch of 10–20 names rather than one at a time, so you can compare them.
- Say each name aloud. If you stumble over it, players will too.
- Keep a short reserve list for NPCs you invent mid-session.
- For recurring places, note the name and one detail immediately, or you will not remember which result you used.
When the Markov generator is worth the extra effort
The Markov Name Generator builds names from source lists you supply, so it is the better choice when you want a whole region to share a sound. Paste in real-world names, names from a language you are borrowing from, or a list you have already invented, and the output will follow those patterns. This takes more setup than the ready-made generators, but it produces names that feel related rather than randomly assembled.
One caution
Random generators are useful for volume, not judgement. Treat output as raw material: trim awkward syllables, and reject anything that sounds like an existing brand, a real person you know, or an unintended joke. If a name is hard to pronounce, players will give the character a nickname anyway — so choose something you are happy to hear repeated for a whole campaign.
How can I track initiative or calculate XP for my tabletop game?
For D&D-style games, donjon.bin.sh covers both jobs with small, single-purpose web tools: an Initiative Tracker for turn order and an XP Calculator for awarding experience. You do not need an account for either, and they run in the browser, so they suit a GM who wants a quick utility during prep or at the table.
donjon; RPG Tools
Initiative tracking
The Initiative Tracker appears under the d20/Fantasy and D&D 5e sections, so it is aimed at d20-based games where each combatant rolls a Dexterity check or similar at the start of combat. A typical use: the GM enters player characters and monsters, rolls or types each result, and sorts the list. The tracker keeps the order visible while you run the fight and lets you step through turns.
Practical points to weigh:
- It is a browser page, so it is easiest on a laptop or tablet behind the screen rather than on a phone you are passing around.
- It tracks order and probably round count; it does not replace stat blocks or condition reminders, so keep those elsewhere.
- If your group already uses a virtual tabletop, that tool's built-in tracker will usually be less work than a second browser tab.
XP calculation
The XP Calculator sits in the d20/Fantasy group. It is designed for the common d20 pattern of summing monster XP values, dividing by party size, and optionally adjusting for encounter difficulty or level. That makes it useful when you build an encounter and want to know whether the award fits the party, or after a session when you are dividing a mixed group of creatures among four to six players.
A concrete scenario: you have five characters, an encounter with several creatures of different challenge ratings, and you want one number per player. Enter the creatures and party size, read the total and the per-character share, then record it. This is faster and less error-prone than adding values in your head, especially with large groups or mixed monster lists.
Choosing between them
| Need | Use | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Track turn order during combat | Initiative Tracker | Manual entry; no automation with your character sheets |
| Award XP after an encounter | XP Calculator | Built for d20-style XP values; less useful if your game uses milestone leveling |
| Run a full campaign | Neither alone | These are point tools, not a campaign manager |
If your game uses milestone advancement rather than numeric XP, skip the calculator and use the tracker only. If you play a system outside the d20 family, check whether the tool's assumptions match your rules before relying on its output.
Next step
Open the site, pick your game's section, and test the Initiative Tracker with a throwaway encounter of three characters and two monsters. If the output matches how your table already runs combat, add the XP Calculator to your post-session routine; if not, keep your existing method and use the site's generators for prep instead.
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