Dark Fantasy Generators Guide

This is a generators guide for Dark Fantasy, which classically has elements of horror,

PDF Guides - all | dark fantasy | horror | fantasy mega-guide

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Starting Points

characters | items | creatures | atmosphere | pdfs

Dark fantasy has elements of horror, a darker tone and themes of dread and gloom.. This complements the Horror Gens Guide, which covers more modern games.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay has typically been seen dark fantasy, and has a Section in the British Fantasy Guide. Other specific RPGs might include Shadow of a Demon Lord.

For D&D, Ravenloft is the iconic fantasy horror setting, and there's a Ravenloft Section in the D&D guide.

May 2024: Updated sections and generators

Characters

characters | items | creatures | atmosphere | pdfs

Glumdark has a number of wretched tables, from A Life in Three Acts, to an NPC Generator (with portrait) and Normal People.

Your characters in dark fantasy are likely to have Superstitions from Chaotic Shiny.

Maybe some PCs or NPCs have been granted Dark Gifts from DnD Speak by sinister powers.

From Fantasy Name Generators, try names for Necromancers, Ghosts

For dark fantasy characters, SCVMBIRTHER has a Mork Borg Character Generator.

Items

characters | items | creatures | atmosphere | pdfs

Greed and gear go hand in hand, so see what you find at the Fantasy Black Market from Dnd Speak. Probably some sort of Fantastical Drug

Or a protective Charm from Chaotic Shiny.

Then Glumdark has many options, from Books of the Damned to Things found in a Rickity Shack and Abhorrent Artifacts.

Creatures of Darkness

characters | items | creatures | atmosphere | pdfs

You might encounter something Scary in the Forest from DnD Speak, or maybe you simply want a monster. Or something not seen before from Chaotic Shiny's Monster Generator.

Perhaps you will come to the notice of a Hag or Witch (DnD Speak), maybe part of a Coven (Fantasy Name Generators), performing Dark Rituals (7th Sanctum).

Demons and other horrors are covered by Fantasy Name Generators with a unique Demon Description. Or it could be Eldritch Horrors from Dnd Speak.

For simple monsters, The Monster Approaches is a Mork Borg monster creator.

Last up is the delights of Glumdark, with Animal Oddities, Extremely Unexpected Creatures and Lost & Broken Demigods.

Atmosphere and Danger

characters | items | creatures | atmosphere | pdfs

You might want to set a certain atmosphere, so try some Bodies (Chartopia) or Battlefield Descriptions (Fantay Name Generators)

And then curses befall people for all sorts of reason, so here are some Curse Names (Fantay Name Generators) and Curse Descriptions (DnD Speak)

Or there are Things That Might go Missing (DnD Speak), Diseases (Chaotic Shiny) to be infected with and Poisons to suffer (Chaotic Shiny)

Last up is a Gothic Fantasy Adventure Generator random table.

For a dark fantasy delve, try a Mork Borg Dungeon from DNGNGEN.

An always classic is a Cabin in the Woods from Glumdark.