Templates, Downloads & Resources

A template is only useful if it gets filled in. The best tabletop templates are short enough to complete in a few minutes, ask the questions you will actually need answered at the table, and leave room for the campaign to surprise you. This page gathers the free templates and printables published across the site and explains which one to reach for, and when.

Which Template Do You Need?

Different stages of a campaign call for different paperwork. Matching the template to the moment saves you from filling in forty fields nobody will read.

When	Template	Who fills it in
Before the campaign	World building template, session zero checklist	GM, then the group
Character creation	Character sheet, backstory questions	Each player
During prep	Session plan, NPC cards, encounter sheet	GM
At the table	Initiative order, loot log, quick notes	GM or a volunteer player
After each session	Session notes, campaign tracker	GM, or rotating note-taker

What a Good Template Contains

When you evaluate or build a template, compare it against these minimum fields. Anything beyond them should earn its place.

World building template

Start with the parts players will touch: the starting region, two or three factions with goals, a short history with one unresolved conflict, and how magic or religion affects daily life. Detailed cosmology can wait. The free world building template is organized in exactly that order, with fantasy add-ons for gods, races, and monsters.

Session notes template

Keep it to five headings: what happened, NPCs met (with names), items gained, open threads, and what players said they want to do next. That last heading is the most valuable one for prep.

NPC card

• Name and role (innkeeper, rival captain)
• One physical detail and one voice or mannerism
• What they want, and what they fear
• What they know that the party might need
• Where they appeared and what the party did to them

Character sheet

For D&D 5e, use the official sheet or a faithful copy for rules play; the layout matters because players learn where to look. Add a separate half-page for backstory hooks the GM can use: a person, a place, a secret, and a goal.

Printable or Digital?

Both work, and many groups mix them. Paper is fast, distraction-free, and good for character sheets players like to hold. Digital wins once you have more than a few dozen NPCs or locations, because search beats flipping pages.

• Keep printable: character sheets, initiative cards, a one-page session plan, handouts.
• Move digital: NPC rosters, location notes, campaign timelines, anything you need to search or link.
• Hybrid habit: scribble notes on paper during play, then transfer the important parts within a day while they are fresh.

If you outgrow paper, the guide on organizing worldbuilding notes shows how to structure them so they scale, and Anima is a free option that runs in your browser with no account: wiki entries link to each other, and campaigns include a session log alongside initiative and dice.

Free Templates and Printables Across the Site

• World Building Template: Free Download: geography, history, cultures, magic, and politics in a fill-in structure.
• Session Notes Template: a post-session format that makes the next prep faster.
• D&D 5e Character Sheet: Printable & Fillable: official PDFs, fillable versions, and a section-by-section walkthrough.
• DnD Character Sheet: Complete Resource Guide: how to fill one out and which digital sheets are worth using.
• Campaign Tracker: Best Tools & Templates: tracking quests, factions, and calendar across many sessions.
• How to Run a Session Zero: a checklist you can print and work through with your group.
• Worldbuilding Questions: 100 Prompts: a question bank to turn any blank template into a finished one.
• How to Build a Character Bible: a template structure for recurring characters, arcs, and secrets.
• NPC Generator: fills an NPC card in one click when you need a name and personality fast.
• Treasure Hoard Generator: generates a hoard by CR tier for your loot log.

Adapting Templates to Your Table

1. Cut first. Delete every field you did not use in the last three sessions.
2. Add one field your game needs. A horror campaign might track sanity or dread; a political one, faction standing.
3. Use the players' words. Record quests the way players describe them; it makes recaps easier.
4. Date everything. In-world dates on session notes let you build a timeline later for free.
5. Keep one master copy. Duplicate a blank version rather than editing your only file.

More GM resources are collected in the Dungeon Master Toolkit Hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get a free D&D character sheet?

Wizards of the Coast publishes official 5e character sheets as free PDFs, and many fillable versions exist. Our printable and fillable character sheet guide lists the options and explains each section.

What should a DM session notes template include?

A short summary, NPCs met, loot and rewards, unresolved threads, and what the players plan to do next. Keep it brief enough to fill in within ten minutes after the game.

Is there a free world building template?

Yes. The world building template on this site is free and covers geography, history, cultures, magic, and politics, with optional sections for fantasy races, gods, and monsters.

Should I use printable or digital templates for D&D?

Use printables for anything you handle at the table, like character sheets and initiative. Use digital notes for anything that grows over time, like NPC rosters and world lore, because you will need to search it.