Free Tabletop Resources
Free, ready-to-use tools I actually reach for when prepping and running games. Everything here has a genuine free tier or a free-to-use license. Got something I should add, or a topic you want me to write about? There is a box for that at the bottom.
Rules & reference
The official free rules let anyone learn and play without buying a book. The SRD goes further: it is released under a Creative Commons license, so it is the safe foundation to build and publish your own material on.
- D&D 2024 Free Rules free D&D Beyond ↗ The full free ruleset for the 2024 edition, readable online without owning the core books. Great for handing to a new player.
- System Reference Document 5.2 CC-BY-4.0 Roll20 ↗ The 5.2 SRD under a Creative Commons license, the legally safe core you can remix and publish from. Coexists with the older 5.1 SRD.
Virtual tabletops & maps
For running online, or for building the battlefield before everyone sits down. All four have free tiers that cover a lot of ground.
- Owlbear Rodeo free owlbear.rodeo ↗ The lightest way to run a map and tokens online. No accounts for players, just share a link and start. Perfect for one-shots.
- Roll20 free tier roll20.net ↗ The full-featured VTT, with a free tier that includes dynamic lighting and plenty of storage for a home game.
- Dungeon Scrawl free dungeonscrawl.com ↗ Fast, clean dungeon and battle maps right in the browser, no sign-up. Best for crisp tactical layouts you can export to a grid.
- Inkarnate free tier inkarnate.com ↗ Painterly world, region, and city maps. The free version is plenty for player handouts and campaign overviews.
Homebrew & creation tools
For turning your ideas into something that looks like it belongs in a book, plus a quick way to format monsters.
- The Homebrewery free naturalcrit.com ↗ Write in Markdown, get a document that looks like the official books. The go-to for sharing a polished brew.
- GM Binder free gmbinder.com ↗ A similar book-style document maker with a built-in community to share to, and cleaner rendering across browsers.
- Tetra Cube Statblock Maker free tetra-cube.com ↗ Build a clean, properly formatted monster statblock in minutes and export it as an image for your notes.
Request a topic
Got a question about running games, building worlds, or homebrewing that you would like me to take on? Send it over. The good ones become posts.
Submissions land in my inbox. This form goes live once the site is deployed to Netlify.