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.
| D66 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 11-13 | Draconic |
| 14-16 | Dwarven |
| 21-23 | Elven |
| 24-26 | Demonic |
| 31-33 | Divine |
| 34-36 | Human |
| 41-43 | Abyssal |
| 44-46 | Dark Elven |
| 51-53 | Orcish |
| 54-56 | Necromantic |
| 61-63 | Goblinoid |
| 64-66 | Halfling |
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.
| D66 | Condition |
|---|---|
| 11-13 | Rune-scribed |
| 14-16 | Sunken |
| 21-23 | Pristine |
| 24-26 | Excavated |
| 31-33 | Overgrown |
| 34-36 | Ruined |
| 41-43 | Ancient |
| 44-46 | Shattered |
| 51-53 | Buried |
| 54-56 | Desecrated |
| 61-63 | Bloody |
| 64-66 | Glyph-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.
| D66 | Monument |
|---|---|
| 11 | Obelisk |
| 12 | Pillar |
| 13 | Tomb |
| 14 | Monolith |
| 15 | Ruin |
| 16 | Mosaic |
| 21 | Ship |
| 22 | Altar |
| 23 | Shrine |
| 24 | Tree |
| 25 | Statue |
| 26 | Stone Circle |
| 31 | Throne |
| 32 | Podium |
| 33 | Rock |
| 34 | Fossil |
| 35 | Fountain |
| 36 | Mausoleum |
| 41 | Gravestone |
| 42 | Cairn |
| 43 | Standing Stone |
| 44 | Skull |
| 45 | Barrow |
| 46 | Well |
| 51 | Meteorite |
| 52 | Archway |
| 53 | Sundial |
| 54 | Ziggurat |
| 55 | Bridge |
| 56 | Crystal |
| 61 | Tower |
| 62 | Mirror |
| 63 | Pool |
| 64 | Orb |
| 65 | Sarcophagus |
| 66 | Banner |
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.
| D6 | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1 | Memorial |
| 2 | Worship |
| 3 | Seal |
| 4 | Sacrifice |
| 5 | Tomb |
| 6 | Beacon |
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.
