New d30 Books — Nearly a Decade in the Works! (Available December 2026?)

Believe it or not, I'm in the final stages of a 2-volume set of d30 Books that I hope to release this December. This was inspired by my old Monster Indexes. 

About 10 years ago, I was starting to work on a d30 Encounter Companion and realized as it expanded it needed to be 2 books—one for Humans/Humanoids, and one for Monster/Beasts. Then life happened, and then it let up enough that I could get back to this, and now I find myself months away from finishing all the proofing and artwork needed to get these released out into the world. 

Volume 2 (Monsters/Beasts) is 238 pages and, right now, Volume 1 (Humans/Humanoids) stands at about 150. However, I'm revisiting and expanding some of the content for Volume 1 (based on some things I did in Volume 2) and expect that one to come out to almost 200 pages as well. 

I'm planning on having them available in hardback, coil bound, trade paperback, and PDF. Not sure on pricing yet. Color cover, B&W interior.

Below are a few sample pages from Volume 2, showing the two major types of entries. Some are just tables to modify a standard version of a monster + supporting tables, other are 30 (or 60!) fully different variations of a creature type, statted individually + descriptions and supporting tables. And as usual, there are some worksheets in the back to support the DM using the book. Only a few pages in each overlap with the previous d30 books. Otherwise about 97% new content in both books.

BTW, I'm also messing with the cover illustrations, so those are likely to change.

More to come!!!

Reaction Tables for Creatures with Low Intelligence

If you've seen my article in the Petty Gods Expanded Edition, have a copy of Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain, you know that I don't feel like a single reaction table is broad enough to cover every D&D encounter. While the Hippocratic Humorism approach of those tables works okay for intelligent creatures, I realized it wasn't really good for non-intelligent creatures or those with only animal intelligence. Those are creatures that react based mainly on instinct. 

As part of a yet-to-be-announced d30 project I've had in the works quietly for the last couple of years (and hope to be able to tease more substantially this summer), I've worked out the following Reaction tables based on instinctual behaviors. 

More to come!

Defining Full Telepathy vs. Limited Telepathy

I've been working on a pretty significant new d30-related book—well, really books... plural (more to come in future posts). And I realized I was assigning creatures as having Telepathy or Limited Telepathy, without really knowing what that actually means. For example, many AD&D Monster Manual creatures are noted as having "limited telepathy" but never really describe what that means—like the lammasu... "Lammasu communicate in their own tongue, the language of lawful good, and through a limited form of telepathy."

Okay... so what are the limits?

They got better about this in 2e, but I set out to define Full Telepathy vs. Limited Telepathy (particularly for how it would be treated in my House Rules). So here goes...

FULL TELEPATHY

Full Telepathy supports full and clear mental communication with other creatures with very few restrictions.

• Usable at will. Full Telepathy, as an inherent ability (vs. a spell-like ability) is usable at will.
• Sentience is required. In order for the communication to take place, the target creature must have an intelligence of at least 1.
• No common language is needed. The telepath and the target need not share a common language.
• Two-way communication is supported. Full telepathy is always two-way, allowing for a conversation.
• A longer range is achievable. The standard range for Full Telepathy is 90'.
• Sighting isn't required. Full Telepathy allows for the telepath to “sense” the presence of other minds within range and target them directly.
• Communication is possible to select multiple creatures at once. The telepath can communicate with as many eligilbe targets within the range as they choose, but only one message may conveyed at a time (that is, the telepath may not conduct multiple conversations at once, unless otherwise described for that individual telepath). 
• Communication is quicker than normal speech. Full telepathy allows for the conveyance of abstract concepts beyond simple words, allowing for much quicker communication (particularly over the linear limitations of speaking and the rudimentary nature of Limited Telepathy).
• Concentration is not required. The telepath is usually able to perform other physical actions (e.g., combat, use of a breath weapon) while using Full Telepathy. Spellcasting, however, is typically prohibited while communicating telepathically (given the verbal component required). Full Telepath does not, however, hinder the use of spell-like abilities (that don’t require the verbal components of spellcasting).

LIMITED TELEPATHY

Limited Telepathy has any number of specific restrictions that kept it from being as versatile as Full Telepathy. The following limitations are common, but all of them need not apply, nor are they limited to the ones noted below.

• Usable at only certain times or under certain conditions: Though commonly usable at will, the use of Limited Telepath may have limitations that constrain when, where, and how often it may be used (e.g., in the Astral Plane, 3×/day, for 10 minutes every hour, etc.)
• Higher Intelligence Requirement: Like Full Telepathy, order for the Limited Telepathy to take place, the target creature must have an intelligence of at least 1. However, a higher Intelligence (e.g., 3 or greater) may be required.
• Shared language required: The telepathy functions only if both creatures share a common language. This may be the most common limitation.
• One-way communication: Under this circumstance, the telepath is able to either: a) send thoughts, emotions, or images to another creature, but not receive them in return; or b) understand the meaning of a speaker’s words, even if the telepath doesn’t speak the same language.
• Limited to simple concepts: Some forms of Limited Telepathy are limited to conveying only simple ideas, feelings, or images rather than complex thoughts or conversations.
• Species-specific: In such cases, the telepathy only works between members of the same species.
• Limited range: The distance over which the telepathy operates may be significantly shorter (e.g., as little as 10').
• Sighting required: The telepath may need to be able to see the target in order to communicate with (or, at a minimum, to establish the connection with) them.
• Limited recipients: Typically, Limited Telepathy is confined to conversation with a single creature at a time.
• Concentration required: If concentration is required, the telepath may undertake no other physical actions at the same time, or the telepathic connection will be lost.

Unless otherwise stated for a creature entry that includes Limited Telepathy, assume that a noted limitation restricts only that condition, and otherwise functions as Full Telepathy (e.g., "Limited Telepathy: shared language required." would function as Full Telepathy, except the telepath and target(s) must share a language.

d30 PDF Download: d30 Rat Generator

In all the time I've been doing d30 tables, I can't believe I haven't done a rat generator until now.

Click here (or on the image below) to download
a free PDF of d30 Rat Generator PDF from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Skeleton Variations

This is a d30 table I created for my Sunday morning d30 game ("The Tomb of Trianta") at the recently-concluded NTRPGCon.

When each wave of skeletons showed up with different runes on their chests, the party was having to constantly rethink their tactics. Also, because characters were created completely randomly at the beginning of the game, there ended up being no cleric in the party... which ventured into a tomb full of undead. That surely didn't help in what ended up as a TPK when the party faced the boss monster (a vampire and once-matriarch of the Trianta family).

Click here (or on the image below) to download
a free PDF of d30 Skeleton Variations PDF from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Deity Generator

I know that title may be a little misleading, since I haven't posted a "d30 Feature of the Week" since mid-June of last year! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things (in general). Which is why you've seen a few new posts here and there, and why I'm trying to keep some new content coming.

I do have some new d30 charts I'm trying to finish in time for this year's NTRPGCon. Last year saw the adventurers journey to the Halls of Trianta. This year, the adventurers will journey to the Tomb of Trianta. I'm not sure how many of those new tomb-related d30 charts I'll be sharing, since they'll be spoilers for the players. But I'm sure that I'll be proud of some of them, and share anyway (with a spoiler warning).

Anyway, I think this one came out pretty nice, so I hope you'll enjoy it.

Click here (or on the image below) to download
a free PDF of d30 Deity Generator page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: Fiend Generator

Today's tables are ones I started a while back, and recently pulled out of d30 Development Limbo. They're based loosely on Appendix D from the DMG ("Random Generation of Creatures from the Lower Planes"). The funny thing is, just as I was getting close to finishing these up, Steve Marsh sent me his "Abomination Generator" pages from the Shattered Norns project I'm helping with. Abominations are MUCH different than fiends (demons/devils/daemons), and his tables produce some FREAKY-looking stuff.

But I digress.

These pages (please note there are 2 separate downloads for this) cover everything in the DMG Appendix D, and then some. I'm not saying they won't change or get updated at some point (which is the case for all the d30 charts I post here); e.g., I'm thinking about adding psionics in there somewhere. But these will get you well underway should your game for some lower planes creatures.

BTW, if you don't feel like rolling a d30 (not a situation I can imagine, I assure you), then check out the automated generator over at Land of Myriad.

Feel like rolling some d30s? Download these 2 puppies...

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Click here to download Part I
of the d30 Fiend Generator from MediaFire.

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Click here to download Part II
of the d30 Fiend Generator from MediaFire.

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d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Dragon Encounters

As with most of these pages of tables, the title says it all.

This set of tables generates the following:
– general appearance
– personality
– what the dragon is famous for
– the dragons current fixation/preoccupation
– protection for its lair

I'm planning on an accompanying "generator" that would quickly determine age, sex, spells, etc. Not sure when I'll have that finished up, though.

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Dragon Encounters page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Bard Encounters

Since I've been examining the bard this week, I figured I break out this d30 encounter table. I actually created it over a year ago, and it will be included in a yet-to-be-announced followup to the d30 DM Companion and d30 Sandbox Companion, but has otherwise been sitting on my hard drive.

It generates the following:
– background on the bard's instrument(s)
– the bard's general proficiency on his/her instrument
– what the bard prides him/herself on (knowledge area)
– an ironic trait (despite being able to perform eloquently)
– the bard's dark secret

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Bard Encounters page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Worm Generator

Alrighty, folks! Right on the slithering tail of last week's d30 Snake Generator, today's PDF download is a d30 Worm Generator. This continues the new monster generator tables I've been working on. For those who've been playing along at home, here are the predecessors:
– d30 Snake Generator
– d30 Spider Generator
– d30 Chimera Generator
– d30 Blob Generator (Jellies, Oozes, Puddings, Slimes)
– d30 Plant Monster Generator
– d30 Giant Generator
– d30 Sea Creature Generator
– d30 Troll Mutations
(And I ask again, "Do you see where this is going?")

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Worm Generator page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Snake Generator

Alrighty, folks! Right on the eight heels of last week's d30 Spider Generator, today's PDF download is a d30 Snake Generator. This continues the new monster generator tables I've been working on. For those who've been playing along at home, here are the predecessors:
– d30 Spider Generator
– d30 Chimera Generator
– d30 Blob Generator (Jellies, Oozes, Puddings, Slimes)
– d30 Plant Monster Generator
– d30 Giant Generator
– d30 Sea Creature Generator
– d30 Troll Mutations
(And I ask again, "Do you see where this is going?")

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Snake Generator page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Spider Generator

Alrighty, folks! Got another d30 chart for you this week. Today's PDF download is a d30 Spider Generator. This is one of several new monster generator tables I've been working on. For those who'd like to download some of the previous ones, here are those links:
– d30 Chimera Generator
– d30 Blob Generator (Jellies, Oozes, Puddings, Slimes)
– d30 Plant Monster Generator
– d30 Giant Generator
– d30 Sea Creature Generator
– d30 Troll Mutations
(Do you see where this is going?)

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Spider Generator page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Castle Encounters

Alrighty, folks! Got another d30 chart for you this week. Today's PDF download is a d30 Castle Encounters page. This is meant to compliment the Castle Generator tables found on pages 26-27 of the d30 Sandbox Companion.

The first table features background information on the castle owner (sample results include: conspirator in plan to kill king/queen, nearing death, has no heirs, and successful merchant who bought his/her title).

The second table features quirks about the staff (sample results include: addicted to opiates, fearful of outsiders, and telepathic).

The third table features castle features (sample results include: being used as secret brothel, extensively trapped, and haunted by previous tenants).

Finally, the fourth table features impending events, and notes the chance of the castle owner being aware of the impending event (sample results include: attack from a monster, birth in the family, and visit from a religious figure).

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Castle Encounters page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: Chimera Generator

Holee krap! It's hard to believe it's been nearly 9 months since my last post of a d30 chart.
Is it any coincidence that was right before I took over Petty Gods? I think not.

I've got a whole big ol' list of d30 chart ideas, and time is finally freeing up a bit (though work has been getting crazier), so I'm hoping to get back to my regular Friday posting of d30 downloads.

Today, I present the d30 Chimera Generator.

Click here to download a free PDF of d30 Chimera Generator page from MediaFire.

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Berserker (Barbarian) Encounters

I'm trying to better about doing my promised d30 download every Friday. It keeps me creating new ones. The title says it all on this one... "d30 Berserker (Barbarian) Encounters." Hopefully it will add a little flavor to your berserker encounters. On a side note, right before I got ready to upload this, I noticed that the line which should have been "sacred runes" actually said "scared runes." I like the idea of that... "scared runes." It is, however, fixed on this chart to say "sacred."

Click here to download a free PDF of this
d30 Berserker (Barbarian) Encounters page from MediaFire.

Free RPG Day: Free d30 Potpourri

As promised yesterday, here are some new d30 charts free for download...
1) d30 Gnoll Encounters
2) d30 Disturbing Sights/Visions, Foreboding Events, and Dark Prophecies
3) d30 Misc. Magic Items: Capes, Cassocks, and Cloaks

Yes, it's a true potpourri of d30 goodness... a little bit of everything (encounters, details, and treasure). To download them from MediaFire, click the title above each pic.


d30 Gnoll Encounters


d30 Disturbing Sights/Visions, Foreboding Events, and Dark Prophecies


d30 Misc. Magic Items: Capes, Cassocks, and Cloaks

d30 Feature of the Week: d30 Blob Generator (Jellies, Oozes, Puddings, Slimes)

When I posed the question the other day (via Google+) asking about d30 charts you'd like to see, I got a lot of good suggestions. Today's d30 download is one of those suggestions. It was a tough undertaking, and I'm still not sure I'm 100% happy with the results. It's a lot to get into a limited space, and still be roll-economical. I'm thinking that eventually this could be a 2-pager.

Click here to download a free PDF of this
d30 Blob Generator from MediaFire.

d30 A-to-Z Update: "You should compile your 27 entries into a single download."

In regards to my A-to-Z d30 posts this past April, the question/request keeps coming up about combining the 27 entries into a single PDF for download. I actually mentioned a couple of times (in response to posts, so I did not expect everyone to see this) that I really feel like several different kinds of material had been developed over the month: 1) encounter-related material (like monsters and NPCs), 2) location-related material (like the altar generator, the village generator, the necropolis generator, etc.), and 3) treasure-related material (like the coin generator, or the intelligent sword generator).

Many of you knew that the d30 Sandbox Companion took a very long time to be published from the time I announced it. Honestly, a good portion of time (months, in fact) went into the order of the book's contents—grouping the right things in the right order, and placing those categories in the best order possible. IIRC, the order of the book went through 4-5 major overhauls. And what Welbo and I came out with on the other end was (what we believe to be) the "ultimately usable" version of the book.

While I could "slap together" April's items into a single PDF, I do admit it would be a single convenient PDF, but I also believe it would not work the way a DM needs it to work for him/her at the gaming table. I also believe it would be terribly incomplete. For example, April saw encounter charts for forests, jungles, and swamps. But what about hills, mountains, and plains? April also saw encounter charts for dwarves, elves, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, and orcs. But what about bugbears, gnolls, gnomes, halflings, and lizard men? April also saw encounter charts for magic-users, paladins, and thieves. But what about bards, clerics, druids, fighters, rangers? And don't even get me started on all the various monster charts I would like to see here (something like a snake generator, to go along with the plant monster and giant generators, and troll mutations pages I've done in the past). I'm sure how you could see that, when these charts were added, it would be enough to fill it's own book (and quite possibly be even longer than the d30 Sandbox Companion)... something like a d30 Encounter Companion.

Now let's take a look at the other types of charts I've done this past month... the location- and treasure-related ones. If I had a page for every idea that I had but didn't do, I'd have two more books... a d30 Location Companion and a d30 Treasure Companion.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS: right now, there is no schedule or plan to release these three additional d30 books. There are only the following thoughts: 1) any "compiled" PDF I would put together right now would be something that I felt did not live up the promise it seems to hold, and 2) I will continue to produce more and more d30 charts (at least 1 per week) from this ever-expanding list of ideas. So, in a weird way, any PDF I released would technically be outdated 1 week later. What I can offer you right now is this... a promise that I will continue to produce d30 charts that you can download into a folder on your desktop, organize however you see fit for your DM'ing needs, and know that at some point I will think they're ready to be compiled, I will most likely do that.