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You look upon a sunken monolith built by the dark elves, it appears to have been a place of sacrifice…

Monument is such a broad and useful term when thinking about what to stock a map with. A tomb, an obelisk, a circle of standing stones, a big decorated tree at a crossroads, they are all monuments, but serve different purposes.

This monument generator is based around four individual tables, each one adding an important detail to the final output that should spark your imagination, and help you flesh out the rest. The basic idea of these tables is inspired by Sly Flourish’s generator, but I’ve added a fourth table: “Purpose”, which I think adds a nice depth of detail to the final result.

This generator works with any fantasy TTRPG, it doesn’t focus on any specific deity or culture unique from a specific setting, it’s simply setting agnostic. Roll on each table using one or two D6s as described in the first column of each table, and combine the results for a fairly detailed monument that you can add to your campaign.

Origin

Who built the monument? This information gives you an idea of the architecture, the area surrounding it and who might be visiting it.

D66Origin
11-13Draconic
14-16Dwarven
21-23Elven
24-26Demonic
31-33Divine
34-36Human
41-43Abyssal
44-46Dark Elven
51-53Orcish
54-56Necromantic
61-63Goblinoid
64-66Halfling

Condition

What condition is the monument in? Is it long forgotten and overgrown? Is it sunken? If so, there must be water nearby. These kinds of details help you not only flesh out the monument itself, but also the surrounding area.

D66Condition
11-13Rune-scribed
14-16Sunken
21-23Pristine
24-26Excavated
31-33Overgrown
34-36Ruined
41-43Ancient
44-46Shattered
51-53Buried
54-56Desecrated
61-63Bloody
64-66Glyph-marked

Monument

What type of monument is it? Many things can be considered a monument, the type helps us describe it to our players, and it helps them get a better understanding of how the area could be explored. A fountain that is in pristine condition tells us that there is water flowing, which can be collected, drunk, poisoned and so on.

D66Monument
11Obelisk
12Pillar
13Tomb
14Monolith
15Ruin
16Mosaic
21Ship
22Altar
23Shrine
24Tree
25Statue
26Stone Circle
31Throne
32Podium
33Rock
34Fossil
35Fountain
36Mausoleum
41Gravestone
42Cairn
43Standing Stone
44Skull
45Barrow
46Well
51Meteorite
52Archway
53Sundial
54Ziggurat
55Bridge
56Crystal
61Tower
62Mirror
63Pool
64Orb
65Sarcophagus
66Banner

Purpose

Why was the monument built? This finishing touch of information combined with the other details help flesh it out. If the purpose was to seal something, and it’s overgrown, that could mean that whatever needed sealing is still there.

D6Purpose
1Memorial
2Worship
3Seal
4Sacrifice
5Tomb
6Beacon

Closing thoughts on this fantasy monument generator

As with all random tables, the purpose of this monument generator is to produce a creative prompt that sparks your imagination and helps you envision the monument in your game world. The purpose is not to generate every single detail of the monument, and that’s not needed either. You are a GM; you have a boundless imagination — you just need some help unlocking it, and that’s what these tables do!

If you found this monument generator useful, you will most certainly also like our random encounter generator and our advice on how to improvise as a GM.

And if you are like me and prefer spending less time prepping your games and more time playing and enjoying them, then check out our game, Adventurous. It’s designed for GMs and players who want to focus on having fun, rather than spending hours reading rules, looking up complex mechanics and managing tedious book-keeping.

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We believe in designing games and resources in a simple and elegant manner, to make it as easy as possible to both prep and run the game, letting you focus on having fun!