Gnolls are a terrifying force of ravenous chaos to throw at your party of adventurers. Gnolls are a savage threat and a perfect variation on other humanoid tactical encounters. But it’s also challenging to make the warband feel new and fresh.

To help you with this, here’s a free gnoll generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons to make the creation of customizable gnoll warbands easy and fun!

Customize Your Warband of Gnolls

Gnolls are driven by an insatiable, demonic hunger and are brutal in their assault. Unlike other humanoid foes, they possess a cunning pack instinct and are driven by raging hunger; their ability to overwhelm isolated targets using Pack Tactics and their frantic Rampage makes them dangerous adversaries. Here are some ways you can bring gnoll encounters to life:

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your gnolls that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Which settlement are they raiding? Do they serve a dark master? Are they a starving scouting party, or the vanguard of a massive invasion? And more importantly, what acts of destruction are they planning next?
• Distinctive features and origins: While they may mostly speak in yips and barks, your gnolls should have unique features discoverable during combat or investigation. Every gnoll should be unique when you describe it to the player. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. Is this one covered in ritual scars? Does that one wear armor fashioned from the bones of previous victims? What sets this cackling ravager apart from the brute next to it?
• Hit points and attack approaches: Gnolls vary widely in their roles and this should be reflected in their hit points. Not all gnolls use a spear or longbow. What strategy will this gnoll use? Is it a flesh-seeking berserker or does it prefer to harry foes from a distance? How tough is this hunter compared to the packmates around it?
• Pack Lord: Gnolls often serve under a dominant alpha retaining superior combat intelligence. Does this leader possess a blessing from dark gods? What allows it to control the others through fear and strength? Does it wield a corrupted weapon or unholy magic?
• Demonic Influence: Gnolls often serve dark gods. What is the warband’s goal? Do they seek to offer sacrifices? Are they capturing prisoners for dark rituals? Or are they simply driven by a supernatural hunger that strips the land bare?
• Loot: Should the PCs win the day, what stolen trade goods, scavenged weaponry, or grim trophies might the gnolls be carrying?

Foe Generator for 5e

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Gnoll Generator to get a jump-start on a warband of savage raiders. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, origins, short descriptions, attacks, and HP for each gnoll, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the gnolls’ savage hunger into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Zombies are everywhere in popular media and it’s fun to throw them at your party of adventurers, especially at low levels. Zombies are a great threat and a good introduction to undead foes, but it’s also challenging to make the encounter feel new and fresh.

To help you with this, here’s a free zombie generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons to make the creation of customizable zombie hordes easy and fun!

Customize Your Horde of Zombies

Zombies are composed of rotting flesh and are relentless in their assault. While they may lack the tactical intelligence of living foes, their immunity to fear and exhaustion as well as their undead fortitude makes them terrifying adversaries. Here are some ways you can bring zombie encounters to life:

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your zombies that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Who raised them from the dead? What ancient oath compels them to guard this location? Are they the remains of a defeated army, or the cursed previous adventurers who failed to escape? And more importantly, what commands are driving them to destroy the PCs?
• Distinctive features and origins: While they may not speak, your zombies should have unique features discoverable during combat or investigation. Every zombie should be unique when you describe it to the player. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. Is this one missing an arm? Does that one wear the rich adornments of a fallen house? What sets this undead shambler apart from the rotting corpse next to it?
• Hit points and attack approaches: Zombies vary widely in their composition and this should be reflected in their hit points. Not all zombies employ a slam. What strategy will this zombie use? Is it a mindless drone or does it retain martial prowess? How tough is this zombie compared to the minions around it?
• Zombie Lord: Zombies sometimes serve under a special master retaining its combat intelligence. Does this leader possess a cursed intelligence? What allows it to control the others? Does it wield dark magic or superior martial skill?
• Necromancers: Zombies often serve a dark master. What is his plan? Does he need fodder for his undead army? Laborers for some accursed building project too difficult for living workers? Experiments in some unholy search for forbidden knowledge?
• Loot: Should the PCs win the day, what grave goods, ancient coins, or burial jewelry might the zombies be guarding?

Foe Generator for 5e

So what are you waiting for? Go use the Maker’s Forge Zombie Generator to get a jump-start on a horde of the undead. It does all the grunt work for you: stats, origins, short descriptions, attacks, and HP for each zombie, even the loot they’re carrying should your PCs defeat them. All that’s left for you to do is to bring the zombies’ compelled service into sharp conflict with the PCs and let the sparks fly!

Whenever your players dare to raid ancient crypts or stumble upon an ancient battlefield, it’s popular to throw some skeletons at them, especially at low levels. Skeletons are a great threat and introduction to undead foes, but it’s also challenging to make the encounter feel new and fresh.

To help you with this, here’s a free skeleton generator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons to make the creation of customizable skeleton hordes easy and fun!

Customize Your Horde of Skeletons

Skeletons generally wear tattered scraps of ancient armor and wield rusted weapons from a bygone era. While they may lack the tactical intelligence of living foes, their immunity to fear and exhaustion makes them relentless adversaries. Here are some ways you can bring skeleton encounters to life:

• Backstory: The Maker’s Forge Foe Generator will create a backstory for your skeletons that you can tweak as needed to fit into the PC’s current situation. Who raised them from the dead? What ancient oath compels them to guard this location? Are they the remains of a defeated army, or the cursed previous adventurers who failed to escape? And more importantly, what commands are driving them to destroy the PCs?
• Distinctive features and origins: While they may not speak, your skeletons should have unique features discoverable during combat or investigation. Every skeleton should be unique when you describe it to the player. Vivid description is the lifeblood of the roleplaying game. Is this one missing an arm? Does that one wear the signet ring of a fallen house? What sets this undead warrior apart from the pile of bones next to it?
• Weapons and hit points: Skeletons often possess brittle bones and rusted gear, though they sometimes wield magical items buried with them long ago. What strategy will this skeleton use? Is it a mindless drone or does it retain martial prowess? How tough is this skeleton compared to the minions around it?
• Skeleton Champion: Undead hordes typically serve under a dark master or a skeletal champion retaining its combat intelligence. Does this leader possess a cursed intelligence? What allows it to control the others? Does it wield dark magic or superior martial skill?
• Necromancers: Skeletons often serve a dark master. What is his plan? Does he need fodder for his undead army? Laborers for some accursed building project too difficult for living workers? Experiments in some unholy search for forbidden knowledge?
• Loot: Should the PCs win the day, what grave goods, ancient coins, or burial jewelry might the skeletons be guarding?

Foe Generator for 5e

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

Lots of name generators out there. Why a new one?

We’re very picky about our names. Rayburghus and “Drodjesdadj Trotvinzolmo” aren’t good enough (and were names generated by two of the generators we’ve frequently used in the past). And no thank you, when we run games, you can leave your “Biff Weewhacker” character at the door.

When we’re creating our own game worlds, we like the names to be just right. Great names do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to bringing the world to life. But great names are also hard to come by. Some few people have a natural talent for creating names but the rest of us struggle with the task. But one thing is for sure: we know a great name when we see it.

So our name generator does a few things that merge the best features of randomization and customization to tackle this problem.

Try it out and let us know what you think:

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!