Dungeons & Dragons: 19 Best Online Tools For DMs (2024)

Being a DM for takes a lot of work. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools to help you, especially if you are playing online rather than at a physical table. If you need something to help you generate ideas, there's a website for that. Design a map? There's another online tool for that too.

With D&D becoming more and more popular, there is so much advice and assistance available to you online. You never have to feel overwhelmed by prep work or running the system. Whether you are running a fun one-shot for your friends or are about to embark on a multiple-session-long epic, here are some helpful tools that will streamline the process for you.

Updated on August 26, 2024, by Luke Ackroyd: Dungeons & Dragons can require a lot of work on the dungeon master’s behalf to ensure a campaign runs smoothly and that your players are all having fun. Fortunately, a wide variety of incredible D&D tools are available to help with the pressure of running a campaign. If you need DM organization tools, there are databases that let you structure your notes. If you need D&D DM tools to randomize NPCs and locations, there are multiple sites for that, too. This list of the best DM tools has been updated with additional dungeon master tools you can try next. Most of them are free tools for DMs, although a few will also have subscription options to consider.

19 Natural Crit

Make Your Homebrew Content Presentable And Ready For Publication

Natural Crit is an excellent D&D DM tools resource if you are looking to publish your homebrew content. If you are creating a one-shot adventure, or perhaps some homebrewed monster, and want to make it look more official, then the Homebrewery tool is a great resource. The template allows you to write up your content in a format that matches how official modules look.

There can be a bit of a learning curve, as you will need to use a code editor on the website to add each element, such as tables and images. But the template provided gives you all the information you need to dive into it. It’s worth writing your homebrew content elsewhere and transcribing it into the Homebrewery tool once you are ready to finalize your content.

18 Shieldmaiden

Create Your Very Own Monsters And Battle Them Out Against Your Players

Shieldmaiden has a selection of dungeon master tools that allow you to make your own content for D&D. You can design NPCs and monsters and even create your own spells to add to the magic of your campaign. The tools to bring your homebrew creations to life are straightforward to use, and you can even select existing monsters or spells to use as a starting point if you don’t want to begin from scratch.

The homebrew content you create can then be used in the site’s encounter tracker, allowing you to check the challenge rating of a battle, determine the initiative, and then even digitally roll for attacks and other actions. The site really streamlines combat for your campaign session. There are subscription plans to allow you to save more of your creations, but you can still experiment and design your spells and monsters without needing to pay.

17 Homebrew Creation

A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Format Your Session Prep

The homebrew creation website is a handy resource for when you are taking your first steps into homebrew campaigns. If you have mainly run pre-written campaigns until now, this website has a variety of articles and tools for DMs offering advice and examples of homebrew rules, monsters, player classes, and more.

One of the most valuable resources on the site is the step-by-step guide to creating a complete adventure for your players to experience. It begins with an adventure or one-shot creation form that gives helpful questions to help you develop your concept idea. There is a fantastic template to help you break down everything you need to know to prepare for running your adventure.

The template includes a bulleted outline of each event in your adventure, what locations are involved, and NPCs they may meet. A structured plan for your campaign session is always beneficial, even if your players might still wholly derail your plans sometimes…

16 Auto Roll Tables

A Lifesaver For When You Need To Improvise Random Details

The Auto Roll Tables website is an incredible random generator for almost anything you need within your next campaign session. You simply need to select a prompt, and the site will generate quick details about anything from a cat to a faction of a city. It will list physical information, personality traits, and more, so you can instantly get inspiration to portray something to your players.

Auto Roll Tables is useful when you have inquisitive players who are likely to ask for details on any random object or person they encounter. The site can act as a random encounter table for your games to keep the sessions unpredictable for your players. There is even a section on the website for hex map and region map generators to help you plan a long journey your players must go on.

15 Dungeon Master's Guild

Never Run Out Of Homebrew Content

Dungeon Master's Guild is one of the best DND websites for DMs wanting to step into homebrew. If you have not been able to prepare any content for your next session fully or need a fresh idea for your next one-off adventure for the party, the site has so many modules and bonus content to download.

Many creative people have worked hard to produce short adventures, artwork, class types, and other wonderful ideas. Some resources have a price, while others allow you to download them for free, with the option to pay what you can to support the creator. Overall, the site is worth checking out to help you plan the next step in the adventure.

14 2 Minute Tabletop

Incredibly Designed Maps To Wow Your Players With

2 Minute Tabletop is another fantastic resource hub for downloadable content. With a mixture of paid and free assets available, you are bound to find something you can use in your own campaign.

There are some fantastic artwork and maps available. You could have the party battle it out on a series of shattered islands or perhaps stop by an old saloon tavern. There are tokens that you can edit yourself, and even written work, such as random encounter ideas and custom monsters you can drop in to surprise the players. Look through the site's content and see what you might be able to insert into your own setting.

13 Kassoon

A Fantastic Source Of No-Prep One-Shots

Kassoon has multiple D&D online tools for you to take advantage of. There is a dice roller, a DM screen, and even a wide selection of downloadable battle maps to pick from. Alongside this, the site has many creative random generators, from backstory ideas to entire map generators for dungeons and villages.

One of the big highlights of Kassoon has to be its selection of no-prep one-shot adventures. These are great if you need a break from your main campaign or don't have time to prepare for a session. You'll need to subscribe to the website's Patreon to gain access to all the features available and support the team behind the project, but even the free tools available on the site are worth checking out.

12 Tabletop Audio

Set The Atmosphere For Your Next Adventure

Playing music is a great way to improve your online sessions. Having a soundtrack playing in the background of a scene is one of the most important aspects of crafting an atmosphere for your session. The right tune or ambient sound can help everyone feel fully immersed in a fantasy world. There are plenty of places to source music, but Tabletop Audio is an excellent tool for finding both ambiance and music.

On the website, there is quite a varied selection of tracks to choose from. It is even divided into genres if you want to take a break from fantasy and delve into a sci-fi setting or a horror campaign. You can select the tracks you like and set up a playlist for your next session.

11 The Goblin's Notebook

Organize Every Detail Of Your Campaign With Ease

If you are looking for DM organization tools, The Goblin's Notebook is a wonderful site for organizing your session notes all in one place. The site is available for free for access to one campaign. But, to support the creator and get all the features available, there are two subscription levels to select from via their Patreon. Whether you pay for the service or not, it is a helpful tool that can help you plot out the entire campaign, right down to specific acts.

It is also a valuable tool to have available during a session. You could jot down a quick summary of the town the players will visit soon. Within this note, you can have links to details about specific NPCs they might interact with while they are there. Everything is just a click away and is easy to navigate.

10 Discord Servers

Play Online Without Hassle For Free

Discord is not only a fantastic way to play D&D online with your friends, but it can also help log everything that happens in the campaign. Everyone can then read these notes between sessions. Creating a Discord server for your campaign will help keep everything organized. You can even use Discord bots to create schedules and ensure everyone knows when the next session will be.

You can create channels for lots of different topics. There could be channels for session recaps, in-character discussions, images, quest logs, and more. You can even set up areas that are only visible to certain members. This is an excellent way to interact with your players one-on-one. Your players can detail their backstories without sharing all of their secrets with the rest of the group. You can also use these private channels to send them details that only their character would know during a session.

9 Roll Advantage

A Useful Tool For Creating Both NPC And PC Tokens

Have you found the perfect image somewhere for your new Elven NPC? You can quickly craft a token for it with Roll Advantage. This website is straightforward to use. You can upload an image of your choice, and it will create a helpful token for you to use in your next online session.

You can customize the type of ring surrounding the character and set colors. The image always has transparency around the token. The website also has a dice roller if you need one as well. It's a quick, reliable way to handle your ability checks mid-session.

8 Inkarnate

Design The Entire Realm Of Your Homebrew World

Map-makers are some of the best D&D DM tools out there for online sessions. If you are crafting your own homebrewed world, such as preparing a custom domain of dread, you'll want some epic maps to show the party. Inkarnate is a beautiful tool to make use of online.

You can create large maps of your entire world, including placing roads and points of interest. The final maps always look incredible and are easily altered.

7 D&D Beyond

The Go-To Place For Official Modules And Sourcebooks

D&D Beyond is your go-to place for all official content from the hobby. The latest books are readily available on the website for quick reference. It can be much easier to search for a specific rule or monster stat block online rather than through the physical books.

D&D Beyond has fantastic D&D online tools, such as the character sheet creator. This allows your players to craft their characters easily and even roll directly from the sheet. As a DM, you can connect these players to a specific campaign party, so it is easy to track everyone's stats and HP in the middle of a session.

6 Kanka

A Detailed Database That Both Players And DMs Can View

Kanka is an online tool that allows you to create a vast database of information for your players to check out. You can put in entries for locations, NPCs, maps, and so much more. It is like making a lore book for your players to refer to whenever needed. Did they forget a key detail about a questline? They can look it up on Kanka to double-check things.

Did the party meet a particularly memorable NPC and have a lovely chat with them? You can craft an entry just for them. You can give your players as much or as little access to each entry as you like. This is great for getting your players more engaged in the world-building side of D&D. They can add their backstories and link to specific events in the extensive timeline of your epic campaign.

5 Donjon

Create Randomized Dungeons For Your Players To Explore

Donjon is a website full of helpful GM tools for prepping for your next session. The site has multiple generator tools to help you develop new scenarios for your players to encounter. One of its most exciting features is the dungeon generator. You can create dungeons for various player levels and complexity and get a new dungeon each time. There are also generators for shops and random encounter ideas.

It can be helpful right in the middle of a session as well. If you need to devise a name for the dwarf the party just met randomly in the tavern, you can quickly use the many name generators on the website. It even has name generators for towns and villages. This website is excellent for improvising on the spot when your players go in an unexpected direction.

4 Kobold Fight Club

Avoid A TPK In Your Next Battle

Kobold Fight Club is handy when attempting to balance combat within your campaign. You can put in the size of your party and what levels they are, and it will give you a rough idea of how dangerous your suggested combat might be. This could be an easy challenge or a potentially deadly one. You can then adapt your battle based on these results to fine-tune an encounter to be balanced but still provide a challenge for your group.

The website has a wide range of creatures for you to select and compare against your party. You can narrow the search down to specific environments, and even if a monster is in its lair or not, allowing it access to the formidable lair actions that can sometimes tip the odds of a battle in its favor.

A Fast, Efficient Way To Look Up Rules

5e.tools is a beneficial database that allows you to look up rule clarifications easily. Perhaps you need to quickly check how the consequences of a failed puzzle should play out. This website lets you grab the information you need to decide quickly.

An additional feature that is invaluable is the customizable DM screen. This page on the website will have several slots you can set up before your game. You could decide to put the rules for conditions that might come up in a game or a specific monster's stat sheet. Having all of this displayed clearly during your game takes the stress away from running the adventure.

2 Roll20

Run An Entire Campaign Or One-Shot All In One Place

Whether you're setting up a quick one-shot or starting an epic campaign, Roll20 has multiple dungeon master tools to help you run your campaign. You can set up battle maps and have character sheets that you can roll directly from. There is also a combat tracker and a way to measure distance. You can have multiple maps and even hide certain sections from your players. Roll20 is a wonderful and straightforward way to play D&D online.

The website is free for both DMs and players, although a subscription service is available to access additional tools and storage solutions. But honestly, the free version works very well and gives you everything you need to run your adventure.

1 Foundry VTT And The Forge

Run Your Campaign Your Way

No matter where you set your next campaign, you can't go wrong with Foundry VTT. This software is an excellent choice for running everything you need all in one place. You can self-host and allow your friends to join the server online or use websites such as The Forge to host the game online for you.

Unlike Roll20, Foundry isn't free. It requires a one-off payment and has a far steeper learning curve. But, once you have the basics down, you will see that this online tool is an incredibly valuable investment. You can keep track of so many details you might otherwise forget in an ordinary game. A lot of care has been put into Foundry to craft a truly immersive experience for your players. Everything you need to run D&D is contained within this wonderful software.