O
Ottriman
Guest
Original poster
Random Setting Roller
Introduction
You ever wanted to build a setting, but just can't seem to get started? Fear no more, for this random generator can help you quickly establish and create a setting that might well surprise you! This system will involve a lot of random rolling, sometimes with strange dice so online dice rollers will be of great use to you.
I recommend this dice roller in particular. Online Die Roller
Under full roll you can roll any kind of strange dice needed by this generator.
What this generator does
I must note this before you get going, what this generation process provides is primarily facts about the setting. While this answers a lot about what exists in the setting, it does not answer why things are like that. Answering why things are the way they are is something the setting maker must then do himself.
Note that you can always choose to skip a particular roll and just pick a value yourself if you have a good idea!
Part 1. Thematics
Main genres/themes of this setting, Roll D12 Thrice, re-roll duplicates
1. Action
2. Adventure
3. Horror
4. Feelgood
5. Good vs Evil
6. Identity
7. Order vs Chaos
8. Mystery
9. Prejudice
10. Responsibility
11. Tragedy
12. War
Result:
Part 2. Powers and Metaphysics
Roll 1d4-1 for amount of power sources
Result:
For Each power source, roll 1d14 for which. These power sources are fairly generic.
Note that you can get a particular power source more than once, in that case powers coming from that source are unusually strong.
1: Biological
Powers stemming from strange biology. Within reason this power source is entirely realistic but you shouldn't feel shackled to realism just because it involves biology.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: Active abilities typically take a lot out of the user, tiring him and driving up the food he must consume. Drugs that can mess with his abilities are presumed to exist.
2: Chi
Powers stemming from an intense focus and training enabling one to tap into and manipulate the life-force underpinning all life.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: Requires intense training and meditation, the user must have several hours of peace every day to meditate and exercise. Failure to do this results in the powers working improperly, going all out in such a state tends to injure the user and make the power unavailable until the users chi is re-balanced.
3: Cosmic
The power of god so to speak, this power source is the "ultimate" one, made of the raw stuff of creation.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: None
Special: This power source is "above" lesser sources, cosmic abilities may be taken with "rule breaker" effects that are not just above anti-powers but also common mundane limitations. Examples of that might include always accurate attacks or fire that can ignite stone and spread over it as easily as it does wood.
4: Divine
The ability to receive powers from a higher entity, in particular typical fantasy gods. Your patron is assumed to have the Cosmic power source, but this is a diluted version mortals get through prayers and faith.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: As a priest you must live as per the gods scriptures and devote your life to your patron deity. Failure to comply results in your power deserting you, some gods forgive transgression more easily than others.
5: Eldritch
A different sort of divine power, in this case your cosmic patron is not so much a typical fantasy god as he is a thing man was not meant to know.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: This power involves maddening contact with horrors from beyond the veil. In order to use this power you must expose yourself to such terrors and manage to somehow attempt to harness the power.
Needless to say the power is fickle, being not entirely under your control and occasionally failing in terrible ways.
Special: The benefits of cosmic.
6: Electronic
The kind of superhuman abilities one might possess due to being a robot or a super-genius making technology way ahead of his time! Usage of typical high-tech electronic equipment of your tech level or below does not count. An office worker does not have this power set, Iron Man does.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: Anything that disrupts electronics applies here. Electrical attacks and EMP that get past your armor tends to shut down your electrical powers, a lack of local wireless internet would prevent you from using a built in net connection to act as ESP.
Those were just examples.
7: Elemental
The power to be in tune with and manipulate a given "element", it can be bending similar to Avatar or it could stem from you being an actual elemental or spirit.
Anti-Powers: Opposite elements are each others anti-power.
Limitations: In some works you cannot use elemental abilities unless the element is already present. In others this is not a limitation but you can instead create it on the spot, but never while immersed in the anti-element.
8: Magical
This is the power of generic arcane magic, the likes of which is widespread in RPGs such as final fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft. This magic is studied academically and produces predictable effects based on spells that often have vocal and somatic components.
Anti-Powers: Magic of this type is its own anti-power (dispel magic anyone?)
Limitations: This power is assumed to pull on ambient arcane energy and that said energy is occasionally not normal. It could be unusually abundant or scarce, or just a bit strange in a given area. The power of this power-source thus fluctuates somewhat based on location.
9: Moral
This is the power of concentrated principles, this power source implies thins like absolute morality.
Anti-Powers: The opposite principle Moral power acts as the anti-power. Good powers can dispel evil ones and the inverse is also true, as an example.
Limitations: You must be fully dedicated to and live by the principles that act as the power source. Failing to do this leads to the power going away.
10: Nature
The power of being in tune with nature, the providence of fantasy rangers and druids primarily.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: Much like Divine or Moral you must live a certain way to use these powers. Additionally the powers weaken the less natural your environment is, a city would weaken your powers a bit while a radioactive toxic dump could cut you off.
11: Psionic
The power of the mind! This is a staple of science fiction shows and literature. This source is functionally a re-skinned Super source. Alternatively treating psionics as Chi in terms of limitations would also be appropriate.
Anti-Powers: Anti-psi is presumed to exist, in the form of tech and/or people with actual anti-psi abilities to shut down psi.
Limitations: Otherwise none
12: Spirit
The power to commune with local spirits or small gods and ask for their aid.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: Spirits do not always do your bidding, and when they do they give you the aid they feel like giving you or what they think you need. The might not give you the exact effect you wanted.
13: Super
Generic super powers, this assumes that said powers all come from a single unified power source but in a kitchen-sink superhero setting that is rarely the case.
Anti-Powers: Anti-super is presumed to exist, in the form of tech and/or people with actual anti-super abilities to shut down super.
Limitations: Otherwise none
14: Wild Abilities
These abilities have no source per se, this covers people that have abilities that fit into none of the earlier sources and have no inherent limitations.
Anti-Powers: None
Limitations: None
Result:
Prominence of each power, roll 1d3 for it. In this case Prominence means how common the power source in question is.
1: Low Prominence
2: Medium Prominence
3: High Prominence
Result:
For each power source, roll 1d2 (or flip a coin)
1(or heads): No bias in who gets the source
2(or tails): The source has a bias in who gets it
Result:
For each biased source, roll 1d3 for number of bias factors
For each bias factor, roll 1d2 (or flip a coin)
1(or heads): Positive Bias (makes you more likely to have it)
2(or tails): Negative bias (makes you less likely to have it)
For each Bias factor per power source roll 1d3 for strength
1: Moderate, if positive the source is about twice as common in that group, if negative about half as common.
2: High, similar to moderate but a factor of ten
3: Absolute, if positive everyone with that factor has it, if negative no one with said factor has it.
Bias Factor, roll 1d10
1. Bloodlines
2. Gender: Male
3. Gender: Female
4. High Status
5. Low Status
6. Particular Species
7. Poor
8. Special Organisation
9. Strange Environmental Exposure
10. Wealthy
Result:
Cosmology, roll 1d2 (or flip a coin)
1(or heads): Normal cosmology, that is: Earth-like with space and planets and no other strange things.
2(or tails): Something stranger
Result:
Strange Metaphysics effects, roll D20 5 times, re-roll repeats (only if something stranger above)
1: A particular Power source has a malignant evil side and a good side (roll randomly).
2: Afterlife confirmed.
3: Belief shapes reality.
4: Chaos zones or weather where reality is out for lunch, exist.
5: Consuming another creature gives you traits from that creature.
6: Dreams can be quite meaningful.
7: Elemental Planes exist.
8: Fate and prophecy are a thing.
9: Fey creatures exist.
10: Flora and Fauna can get very strange.
11: Ghosts are a thing, sometimes not even death holds someone back.
12: Mirrors have special revealing properties.
13: Moral Planes exist
14: Parallel Universes exist and are known.
15: Power of Friendship/Love are a thing.
16: Mysterious obelisks of sacrifice dot the lands.
17: Spectral plane overlaps Material one.
18: Ultimate source of life is a thing (such as a world tree or whatever).
19: World(s) aren't planet shape.
20: Time Travel is a thing.
Result:
Part 3. Species
Are humans a thing in this setting? roll 1d6
1-5: yes
6: no
How many sapient species of note does this setting have? Roll 1d6
Result:
For Each Non-human species roll 1d6 for body plan
1-4: Humanoid
5-6: Exotic
For each Exotic body plan species roll 1d8
1: Aquatic (fish, merfolk, those kinds of beings)
2: Avian
3: Blob
4: Centaur-like
5: Centipedal
6: Gas-Bag (Blimp-like)
7: Slitherer
8: Tentacular (squids and octopi come to mind)
For Each Non-human Species roll 1d8 for Gender and reproduction
1: Asexual Reprodution
2: Exaggerated Humanlike Sexual Dimorphism (men actually average +1 sm over women)
3: Exaggerated Inverted Sexual Dimorphism (women actually average +1 sm over men)
4: Hermaphrodites
5: Humanlike Sexual Dimorphism
6: Inverted Sexual Dimorphism (bigger women)
7: Negligible Sexual Dimorphism (bare minimum gender differance)
8: Parasitic reproduction
For Each Species roll 3d6 for size range
2-3: Tiny
4-8: Small
9-12: Medium
13-16: Large
17-18: Huge
Roll size for each species based on size range, this is the sm (size modifier) of the smaller gender in case of exaggerated dimorphism. This is for adult members of the species.
Tiny: 1d2 (1 = sm -5, 2 = sm -4)
Small: 1d2 (1 = sm -3, 2 = sm -2)
Medium: 1d3 (1 = sm -1, 2 = sm 0, 3 = sm +1)
Large: 1d2 (1 = sm +2, 3 = sm +3)
Huge: 1d2 (1 = sm +4, 2 = sm +5)
sm -5: Rat
sm -4: Juvenile Cat
sm -3: Cat
sm -2: 6 year old kid
sm -1: 13 year old kid
sm 0: Human
sm +1: Horse
sm +2: Compact Car
sm +3: Limousine
sm +4: Elephant
sm +5: Humpback Whale
sm +6: Brachiosaurus
For Each Species, roll D20 twice for what they are known for being good at
1: Alchemists/Chemists
2: Architects
3: Artists
4: Beast-Masters/Bio Engineers
5: Power Source 1 or Comedic Relief or re-roll
6: Diplomats
7: Farmers
8: Hunters
9: Power Source 2 or Sailors/Spacers or re-roll
10: Explorers
11: Merchants/Bankers
12: Power Source 3 or Tricksters or re-roll
13: Philosophers
14: Priests
15: Lovers
16: Scholars/Scientists
17: Smiths/Machinists
18: Spies
19: Warriors
20: Writers
For each species roll 1d5 for their favored temperature
1: Stifling
2: Hot
3: Temperate
4: Cold
5: Frigid
For each species roll 1d6 for favored environment
1: Forests/Jungles
2: Mountains
3: Plains
4: Lakes/Oasis
5: River-lands
6: Swamps
Results:
Only list what humans are known for being good at in the setting, for others list all other relevant traits as well.
You will never need all of these entries so remove as needed. Yo must come up with species names yourself.
Humanity:
Favored temperature: Temperate
Favored terrain: Plains and River-lands
Known for Being Good at:
Species 1:
Body-plan:
Favored temperature:
Favored terrain:
Known for Being Good at:
Reproduction:
Size:
Species 2:
Body-plan:
Favored temperature:
Favored terrain:
Known for Being Good at:
Reproduction:
Size:
Species 3:
Body-plan:
Favored temperature:
Favored terrain:
Known for Being Good at:
Reproduction:
Size:
Species 4:
Body-plan:
Favored temperature:
Favored terrain:
Known for Being Good at:
Reproduction:
Size:
Species 5:
Body-plan:
Favored temperature:
Favored terrain:
Known for Being Good at:
Reproduction:
Size:
Species 6:
Body-plan:
Favored temperature:
Favored terrain:
Known for Being Good at:
Reproduction:
Size:
Part 4. Politics and History
Setting Average Tech Level, Roll 1d13-1
Result:
Tech Divergence: 3 points per high prominence, 2 per medium prominence, 1 per low prominence. doubled for cosmic, every 3 points = +1 divergence in tech level. If a power source has been rolled multiple times then multiply the divergence points of that source by how often it came up.
Divergent Tech-level means that society is more powerful for its size than simple tech-level would indicate due to the presence of powers in society. For example, a TL 5+3 and a TL 8 society would be roughly as powerful per capita, though obviously quite different.
Final TL result:
Number of Nations, roll 2d4
Result:
For each Nation, Roll 1d5 for climate. If the nations climate matches a species favored temperature it gets +1 affinity for said species, for every 1 step removed from this favored climate, subtract this modifier by one. Humans are used to illustrate.
1: Stifling (-1 Human Affinity)
2: Hot
3: Temperate (+1 Human Affinity)
4: Cold
5: Frigid (-1 Human Affinity)
For each Nation, roll 1d6 for most common landscape feature. If the nations most common landscape feature matches a species favored terrain it gets +1 affinity for said species.
1: Forests/Jungles
2: Mountains
3: Plains
4: Lakes/Oasis
5: River-lands
6: Swamps
For each nation, roll D20 twice for nations themes. Affinity increases by +1 for nation theme matching species theme, up to +2 if both match.
1: Alchemists/Chemists (+1 Power and Industry)
2: Architects (+1 Power and Industry)
3: Artists
4: Beast-Masters/Bio Engineers (+1 Biotech and Medicine)
5: Power Source 1 or Comedic Relief or re-roll
6: Diplomats
7: Farmers (+1 Biotech and Medicine)
8: Hunters (+1 Biotech and Medicine)
9: Power Source 2 or Sailors/Spacers or re-roll
10: Explorers (+1 Transportation and Information)
11: Merchants/Bankers (+1 Transportation and Information AND Power and Industry)
12: Power Source 3 or Tricksters or re-roll
13: Philosophers (+1 Transportation and Information)
14: Priests
15: Lovers
16: Scholars/Scientists (Treat any roll of 1 on divergence as 2, or treat 1-2 as 3 when combined with Spies)
17: Smiths/Machinists (+1 Power and Industry AND Weapons and Armor)
18: Spies (Treat any roll of 1 on divergence as 2, or treat 1-2 as 3 when combined with Scholars/Scientists)
19: Warriors (+1 Weapons and Armor)
20: Writers (+1 Transportation and Information)
For Each Nation roll 1d8 for each of the four components of TL. These components being: Biotech and Medicine, Power and Industry, Weapons and Armor and Transportation/Information.
There are modifiers for each of these rolls based on the nations themes as well. See parenthesis above.
Minimum TL in each component is 0 and maximum TL in each component is 12.
1: -2 TL
2: -1 TL
3-6: No Divergence
7: +1 TL
8: +2 TL
9: +3 TL
10: +4 TL
For Each Nation roll 1d2 for multi-species
1: Multi-species
2: Dominantly Mono
For each Nation roll 1d4+affinity mods for each species
1 or less: No presence
2-3: Small Population
4: Moderate Population
5+: Large Population
For Dominantly Mono nations the largest population is dominant and all the others are downgraded to small populations. In case of a tie, the first population to reach the largest category counts as dominant.
Historical Effect, Roll 1d12 once per nation
1: Burning Shame, in fairly recent history the nation did something widely held to be terrible, it is currently highly repentant.
2: Classism owing to a history of strong class divides.
3: This nation is the source of a common trade language
4: Strange creatures attacked in the past, this still scars the land with cults and fucked up places.
5: Fallen Empire, Place used to be a mighty empire, interesting ruins and leftovers from that.
6: The nation has long been ruled by one gender, but now there is dissent and tension over it.
7: Some place in this nation is forbidden on pains of death for anyone to enter save for a few.
8: Sacred site to a major religion is in this nation, pilgrims flock to it.
9: Slave Owners until recently
10: Speciesism owing to history (pick minority or species absent from this nation)
11: Still slave owners
12: Was minor until great surges of immigration/colonization, is a new and bold nation.
For each nation-pair roll 1d6 to figure out relations
1-: War
2-3: Unfriendly
4-5: Neutral
6+: Allies
Result:
If you have fewer than 8 nations remove as needed.
Nation 1:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 2:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 3:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 4:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 5:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 6:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 7:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Nation 8:
Climate:
Geography:
Historic Effect:
Population:
Relations:
Tech-Divergence:
Themes:
Final Part
Setting Name:
Parting Words
I have had some fun tweaking and doing a random setting with my friends before. This is the refined and finished 1.0 version which has come after several tests.In particular I would like to thank one of Iwakus members @CreepyShutIn for helping me test this before.
I hope in all honesty that this random setting generator has helped you come up with something. Maybe it just relieved your boredom one afternoon and that would be enough. If you do end up both using it and then using the created setting feel free to report how it went.
Patch Notes
Version 1.1: Added further tech divergence rolls and modifiers to the generator, opening up tech level divergence not tied to powers.
Last edited by a moderator: