Need a party of assassins to sneak up on your PCs while they camp? Or perhaps they have angered a powerful noble who has hired assassins to jump them just as they retire for the night in the inn. Or perhaps the PCs learn of a plot against the king and must prepare for the assassins’ attempt on his life.

Here’s a free assassin generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of a customizable party of assassins easy and fun!

Customize Your Assassins

It’s easy just to grab a stat block out of the Monster Manual. But if you want your assassins to come to life at the table, it helps to fill in the little details that make each group of assassins unique. What is their mission? How determined are they to carry it out? How do they treat innocents along the way? Can they be bought?

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your assassins that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Who is the assassins’ target? What special equipment did they bring along for the job? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what the assassins want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: each assassin has a name that might be revealed during negotiation, threats, or capture. And every assassin should be unique when you describe him to the player that encounters them. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. Man or woman? Distinguishing marks? What is she hiding from her allies? How loyal is he to the mission? What does this assassin want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: assassins will use light weapons, often poisoned, and they tend to be very deadly, launching their attacks from the shadows and then fading away. And some assassins are a lot tougher than others.
• A master assassin to lead them: most assassins are led by a veteran of the dark trade, a shadowy master of the art of death. What personal stake does she have in the mission’s outcome? What is his motivation for a life of dealing death? How does he treat those assassins that do his bidding? And what does she do if the mission fails?
• Specialists: veteran assassins often assist in difficult missions, more skilled and more deadly than their less experienced partners. Other groups of assassins turn to dark magic and bind fell spirits to aid them in their nefarious work. Still others serve a guild, and sometimes that guild sends along specially trained sorcerers to bring down particularly tough targets.
• Loot: should the PCs defeat the assassins, what gear, valuables, or secret information might they recover? What hints of further adventure might be lurking among the assassins’ possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Wizard Generator to get a jump-start on a party of assassins.

It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, poisons, weapons, and HP for each bandit, and loot from slain foes.

All that’s left for you to do is to bring the assassins’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Merchants traveling with their goods across dangerous territory is a common feature of many fantasy adventures. Maybe the PCs are hired to protect the caravan, or maybe the caravan is carrying goods belonging to an enemy lord, or perhaps the PCs simply cross paths with the merchants on their way to other adventures.

To help you fill out the details of the merchant caravan, here’s a free merchant generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of customizable merchant trains easy and fun!

Customize Your Band of Merchants

Merchant caravans carry all kinds of goods both short and long distances, often through dangerous lands. Sometimes they are well-guarded by sturdy folk, and sometimes they are in more danger than they know. Here are some ways you can bring encounters with a merchant train to life:

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your merchants that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. What are these merchants doing in these waters? What news do they bring of lands they have recently visited? Did they come by their goods honestly or are they stolen? Are they a part of an important guild? What do they want? And more importantly, how does what the merchants want align or conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: your merchants should each have their own names that can be discovered during parley, trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. Every merchant should be unique when you describe him or her to the player. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What sets this merchant apart from his fellows? Separate from the goals of the caravan, what does this merchant want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: most merchants are worthless in combat, but a few might surprise you, having come from other professions or weathered more than a few dangerous lands. What tricks might they have hidden in their sleeves?
• Caravan Master: who is in charge of the caravan? Is he a guildsman of some kind or is she a minor noble on an important errand? What does this master want? How does she treat those under her command?
• Guards and guild thugs: most merchant parties travel with muscle to keep them and their goods safe on the road. Is this caravan protected by professional, well-paid and fair-minded guardsmen? Or they a pack of guild thugs looking to add to the profit of their venture?
• Loot: should the PCs end up in possession of the caravan goods and the treasure possessed by the merchants, what all does that entail?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Merchant Generator to get a jump-start on a merchant caravan. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, valuables and items for trade, weapons, and HP for each merchant and guard. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the merchants into an encounter with the PCs and see what happens!

Whenever your players venture too close to the sea, we know you’ll be tempted to throw some pirates at them. Whole campaigns are sometimes built around the trope-filled world of pirate adventure: swashbuckling heroes, storm-tossed waves, mysterious maps, haunted ghost ships, mist-shrouded lagoons, and sunken treasure.

To help you fill out the details of your adventure, here’s a free pirate generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of customizable pirates easy and fun!

Customize Your Band of Pirates

Pirates generally don’t wear heavy armor and carry an array of lighter weapons that are often easily concealed. Many pirates tend toward rogue abilities, though they can often hold their own in a stand-up fight. Here are some ways you can bring pirate encounters to life:

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your pirates that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. What are these pirates doing in these waters? What battles have they fought recently? What treasures do they have hidden away or buried on a nearby island? What prey are they pursuing across the turbulent seas? What do they want? And more importantly, how does what the pirates want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: your pirates should each have their own names that can be discovered during parley, trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. Every knight should be unique when you describe him or her to the player. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What sets this pirate apart from his fellows? Separate from the goal of the whole band, what does this pirate want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: pirates wear little armor and possess light weapons, though they often have other trinkets about their person and tend to have more treasure than other foes. What strategy and tactics will this pirate use in battle? How tough is this pirate? What special tricks does he have up his sleeve?
• Pirate Captain: pirate bands typically serve under a ship captain of dubious trustworthiness. Does he live by a certain code or is this captain cutthroat and ruthless? What does this captain want? How does he treat those under his command?
• Veterans, slaves, and sea witches: pirates vary widely in their skills and experience, and among most crews are a few salty dogs with more than a few scars and a few more tricks up their sleeve. Other crews have large complements of sullen galley slaves that row the ship or serve in other menial capacities. And occasionally, sea witches travel with pirate crews, ready to curse and call up storms on behalf of those with whom they sail.
• Loot: should the PCs win the day, what treasure or maps to treasure might the pirates have hidden away?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Pirate Generator to get a jump-start on a band of pirates. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each pirate, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the pirates’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: Jim Holloway

Hobgoblins are a unique type of low-level foe that are similar to both goblins and orcs. They are usually portrayed as having more military organization than orcs and are larger, smarter, and tougher than their goblin cousins.

Here’s a free hobgoblin generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons to make the creation of customizable bands of hobgoblins easy and fun!

Customize Your Party of Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins are easy to bring to life when you have clear motivation and a set of details to set them apart from one another:

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your hobgoblins that you can modify as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Where did this band of hobgoblins come from? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what the hobgoblins want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: each hobgoblin should have their own names to be revealed during trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. And every hobgoblin should be unique when you describe it to the player that encounters it. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What sets this hobgoblin apart from his fellows? Separate from the band itself, what does this hobgoblin want? And what is it prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: hobgoblins are a military race and often have sturdy, useful weapons and armor. Not all hobgoblins have the same hit points either, so when you face them, you can never be sure what it will require to take them down.
• Commander: every hobgoblin band has a leader, and most have a veteran soldier that has earned his rank through skill and aggression. What does this commander want? How does he treat those that follow him?
• Hobgoblins and worgs: hobgoblins often work with giant wolves called worgs, either riding them or fighting alongside them in battle. And often among the ranks are veteran soldiers, much tougher and stronger than their fellows.
• Loot: should the PCs win the day, what gear and valuables might the hobgoblins be carrying? What small hints of further adventure might be lurking among the their possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Orc Generator to get a jump-start on a party of hobgoblins. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each hobgoblins and their worgs, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the hobgoblins’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: Sean Izaakse

Goblins are very often the first foes PCs encounter when they are learning their 1st-level ropes. Goblins are easy to fit into many types of settings, they serve well beneath any number of villanous masters, and they are easy to scale up and down to adjust the challenge for your PCs well into middle levels.

Here’s a free goblin generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of customizable bands of orcs easy and fun!

Customize Your Party of Goblins

Veteran players (and given the popularity of role-playing games these days, even newbies) are familiar with goblins, but that isn’t a problem as long as you bring them to life. Goblins are endlessly reusable.

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your goblins that you can adjust as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Where did this group of goblins come from? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what the goblins want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: each goblin should have a goblin-esque name that can be revealed during trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. And goblins come in such a wide variety of shapes and descriptions that every goblin should be described as such. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What sets this goblin apart from her fellows? Separate from the group itself, what does this goblin want? And what is it prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: goblins use whatever weapons they can get their hands on, sometimes just sticks and rocks. And not all goblins have the same hit points, so when when one jumps out of the shadows at you, you can never be sure what it will require to take it down.
• War boss: every group of goblins has a leader, and most have an older, fatter, wiser veteran that has clawed her way through ruthlessness and subterfuge. Some groups are even led by their larger cousins, the bugbears. What does this warboss want? How does she treat those that follow her?
• Hexers, bugbear heavies, and rats: goblin bands come in all varieties. Sometimes they include stealthy bugbear ambushers, curse-casting hexers, and often giant rats that love to feed on the leftovers of the goblins’ skirmishes.
• Loot: should the PCs win the day, what gear and valuables might the goblins be carrying? What small hints of further adventure might be lurking among their possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Goblin Generator to get a jump-start on a party of goblins. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each goblin, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the goblins’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: Tony Justamante Jacobs

Knights are the upper class soldiers that populate fantasy armies and protect the king’s interests across the land. Perhaps you need a party of knights for the PCs to encounter while visiting a neighboring kingdom. Maybe you need a group of knights to pursue the wrongly-accused PCs as they flee the wrath of the king.

Here’s a free knight generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of customizable knights easy and fun!

Customize Your Party of Orcs

Knights are often treated as generic fighters with good armor and horses. But with a little more detail, you can bring them to life as a very different kind of encounter for your PCs.

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your knights that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. What are these knights doing in this part of the world? What battles have they fought recently? What mission have they been assigned by their feudal masters? What do they want? And more importantly, how does what the knights want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: your knights should each have their own names (that begin with “Sir” of course!) that can be discovered during parley, trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. Every knight should be unique when you describe him to the player that encounters him. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What sets this knight apart from his fellows? Separate from the band of knights, what does this knight want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: knights typically possess excellent armor, weapons, and a mount. What does his horse look like? What strategy and tactics will he use in battle? How tough is this knight? Does he use a shield or prefer two-handed weapons?
• Knight Commander: bands of knights often report to a minor noble, a knight commander. Is he noble-hearted and honorable? Or a hollow shell, handed his land and titles without the courage to go with them? What does this knight commander want? How does he treat those under his charge?
• Veteran knights and common soldiers: Some knights have seen countless battles and know every trick in the book. Other bands of knights command a small army of common soldiers in service to their lord.
• Loot: should the PCs win the day, what gear and valuables might the knights be carrying? What possessions do they protect in service of their king or queen?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Knight Generator to get a jump-start on a band of knights. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, horses, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each knight, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the knights’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: MegruliGuy

Need a party of soldiers to threaten your PCs’ hometown? Need a group of retainers for that noble that your PCs have wronged? Or perhaps your PCs want to hire a mercenary army to help them oppose the invasion of their kingdom and you need an easy way to create the army that they are able to recruit.

Here’s a free soldier/army generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of a customizable party of soldiers easy and fun!

Customize Your Bandits

It’s easy just to grab a stat block out of the Monster Manual. But if you want your soldiers to come to life at the table, it helps to fill in the little details that make each individual soldier in the party unique. Why are they working together? What are their goals? How ruthless are they and how far are they willing to go to get what they want?

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your soldiers that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. What battles have they been in recently? Are they reeling from a fight or looking for one? Are they tired and frustrated after a brutal defeat? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what they want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: each soldier has a name that might be revealed during trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. And every soldier should be unique when you describe it to the PC that encounters them. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. Man or woman? Distinguishing marks? What is she hiding from her allies? How loyal is he to the commander? What does this soldier want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: soldiers will usually possess sturdy armor and use a variety of weapons and gear. And some soldiers are a lot tougher than others.
• A commander to lead them: most soldiers follow a chain of rigid command. These commanders may have their soldiers’ best interests at heart or may have their own ambitions and can be heedless of the lives under their command. What is the commander’s motivation for service? How does he treat those that serve him or fail to accomplish the mission objective?
• Veteran soldiers, stealthy scouts, archers, and conscripts: soldiers have specialist units among them, including archers to soften up the enemy before engaging with the infantry. Some units include veteran warriors that guide smaller units under command of the captain. Others include skilled scouts that travel ahead to locate the enemy or prevent ambushes. Other soldiers conscript commoners into their fight, most of whom can barely swing a sword.
• Loot: should the PCs defeat the soldiers, what gear, valuables, or previous bounty might they recover? What hints of further adventure might be lurking among the soldier’s possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Soldier Generator to get a jump-start on an army.

It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each soldier, and loot the soldiers are protecting.

All that’s left for you to do is to bring the soldiers’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: Steev / Ik

Need a party of bandits to threaten your PCs’ travels through that wild forest beyond the civilized lands? Or perhaps your PCs have been hired to protect a caravan traveling through the woods and you need an easy way to create the bandits that will set upon them during their journey.

Here’s a free bandit generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of a customizable party of bandits easy and fun!

Customize Your Bandits

It’s easy just to grab a stat block out of the Monster Manual. But if you want your bandits to come to life at the table, it helps to fill in the little details that make each bandit party unique. What brought them together? What are they after? How ruthless are they and how far are they willing to go to get what they want?

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your bandits that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. What are they up to in this remote location? Are they flush with loot from their last score? Are they tired and frustrated after numerous failures? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what they want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: each bandit has a name that might be revealed during trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. And every bandit should be unique when you describe it to the player that encounters them. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. Man or woman? Distinguishing marks? What is she hiding from her allies? How loyal is he to the chief? What does this bandit want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: bandits will use any weapon they can get their hands on and may or may not be skilled in its use. And some bandits are a lot tougher than others.
• A captain to lead them: most bandits have a particular ruthless or greedy leader that directs their score and keeps discipline in the ranks of thieves. What is her motivation for a life of banditry? How does he treat those that serve him or fail to bring him what he wants?
• Veteran warriors, sneaky scouts, and rogue wizards: bandit crews come in all varieties. Some include veteran warriors that provide muscle for difficult scores. Others include skilled sneak-thieves that prowl ahead to burgle unsuspecting prey. Some might even count a rogue sorcerer or even guard dogs among their ranks.
• Loot: should the PCs defeat the bandits, what gear, valuables, or previous scores might they recover? What hints of further adventure might be lurking among the bandit’s possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Wizard Generator to get a jump-start on a party of bandits.

It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each bandit, and loot from their previous scores.

All that’s left for you to do is to bring the bandits’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: David Harrington

Wizards are tough to generate quickly in fantasy games. Most basic settings and rule sets provide a generic wizard in their list of monsters or NPCs, but what if the PCs encounter a traveling band of wizards? What if they visit a school that trains wizards?

Here’s a free wizard generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of a customizable party of wizards easy and fun!

Customize Your Party of Wizards

The key to bringing a party of wizards to life is to make them unique, each wizard with his or her own motivation and whatever shared motivation that has brought them together. And, since the distinguishing feature of wizards is their magic, each wizard should have his or her own list of spells.

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your wizards that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. What great task has brought these wizards together? What are they up to in this remote location? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what they want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: each wizard has a name that might be revealed during trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. And every wizard should be unique when you describe it to the player that encounters them. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What odd vestments is this wizard wearing? What strange devices does she hold in her hand? What does this wizard want? And what is he prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: wizards are not usually known for their weaponry, but that doesn’t mean they travel unarmed. And when push comes to shove, not all have the same hit points.
• Spell lists: each wizard has his or her own spell list that they have spent their lives mastering and perfecting. This should be reflected in how they approach matters that concern them and how they defend themselves in combat.
• High mage or archmage to lead them: most parties of wizards have some kind of master steeped in arcane lore. What does this master of the dark arts want? How does she treat those that have gathered with her?
• Journeyman wizards, familiars, and more: wizards come in all varieties of skill and mastery. Perhaps the party is traveling with a group of new novices who have barely scratched the surface of arcane lore. Or perhaps they have been dabbling with sinister occult lore and have consorted with fiendish imps to gain knowledge or power.
• Loot: should the PCs defeat the party of wizards, what gear, valuables, or arcane implements might the party be carrying? What hints of further adventure might be lurking among the wizard party’s possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Wizard Generator to get a jump-start on a party of wizards.

It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each wizard, and a customized spell list with ready to use combat stats formatted for easy reference.

All that’s left for you to do is to bring the wizards’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Image credit: Ilgoblin

Orcs have always been a staple of low-level encounters. They are easy to fit into many types of settings, they serve well beneath any number of wicked masters, and they are easy to scale up and down to adjust the challenge for your PCs.

Here’s a free orc generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons and for the Low Fantasy Gaming system to make the creation of customizable bands of orcs easy and fun!

Customize Your Party of Orcs

Veteran players (and given the media saturation these days, even newbies) are familiar with orcs, but that isn’t a problem as long as you bring them to life.

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your orcs that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Where did this band of orcs come from? What do they want? And most importantly: how does what they want conflict with what the PCs want?
• A name and vivid description: your orcs should each have names that are revealed during trade, negotiation, threats, or capture. And every orc should be unique when you describe it to the player that encounters it, even if the player has heard orcs described a hundred times before. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. What sets this orc apart from his fellows? Separate from the band itself, what does this orc want? And what is it prepared to do to get it?
• Weapons and hit points: orcs use whatever weapons they can get their hands on. And not all orcs have the same hit points, so when you cross blades with one, you can never be sure what it will require to take them down. Even in raw combat, let each orc be unique.
• War captain: every orc band has a leader, and most have a veteran warrior that has seized his position through ruthlessness and aggression. What does this war captain want? How does he treat those that follow him?
• Lieutenants and support: many orc bands will consist of more than just a group of warriors and their captain. Perhaps shamen or war priests accompany them on their latest foray. Or cunning thugs trained in the art of stealth and subterfuge? What about savage berserker orcs that fly into chaotic rages in the midst of battle? Adding flavorful support can spice up an otherwise vanilla encounter.
• Loot: should the PCs win the day, what gear and valuables might the orc band be carrying? What small hints of further adventure might be lurking among the orc band’s possessions?

Foe Generator for 5e D&D and Low Fantasy Gaming

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Orc Generator to get a jump-start on a party of orcs. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, names, short descriptions, weapons, and HP for each orc, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the orcs’ goals into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!