Nothing beats imagination, but using DnD props can have a great effect on your game sessions. For example, it’s late at night, and you have been playing D&D for a few hours. Finally, you reach that door everyone has been dying to open, only that a chunky lock stands in your way. The DM looks at you and solemnly passes you a puzzle. A real, physical puzzle you need to solve to get through. And you thought RPG couldn’t get any better! There are a lot of Dungeon Master Props you can use to enhance your game and surprise your players with a bit of challenge. Some game props like scrolls, potions, and pub games are perfect material representations of what’s happening in the session. Others (miniature models, for example) can be extremely helpful for picturing larger structures or more abstract scenarios. And there’s finally the atmospheric D&D props; things like goblets, candles, and general paraphernalia. In this list, we have compiled some of the best prop ideas to make your game of Dungeons & Dragons or tabletop unique and memorable.
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I used to play a game based on Middle Earth (MERP). Some of us Tolkien-minded people had decided to create our own diaries, containing illustrations and entries about our latest adventures. Our GM liked them enough to actually give extra XP points to those working on backstories and diaries. Parchment and scroll cases are perfect props for tracking down stories, and they can be used to share announcements with the party, write letters or draw maps. Some parchment paper can actually go in your printer. And there are also lots of beautiful leather (and vegan leather-looking) journals players can use to keep diaries, use as campaign logs, or even as spellbooks. These DnD props, unlike the ones used by DMs, can help players get into the game and work on their character backstories and development with a little more color.
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An antique leather journal part of the Templar Series By Viatori, with double straps, polished Stone, and parchment Paper.
Chinese Rice Paper Scroll with Silk. Painting/Calligraphy Area: 30 cm by 64 cm.
A leather handmade journal with natural threading and bookmark, 7.1 Inches high.
A handmade artisan leather-bound journal crafted from genuine leather, with brown coloring and an antique feel.
Constructed of high-quality leather, this journal features two embossed dragons and has handmade paper.
This beautiful turquoise leather journal is not just incredibly colorful, it also has a nice stone on its front!
Designed to look antique, this paper is perfect for giving your pages extra authenticity.
This embossed journal with stones and locks contains 200 pages of unlined handmade paper.
Made of eco-friendly Daolin paper, these vintage-looking sheets have uniform density and a smooth surface.
There are a few very interesting options when it comes to using potions and flask props in your tabletop game. Some of these are just absolutely beautiful, while others even include dice sets inside (so, when you get a heal, you can roll the dice inside the flask!). Here is our little selection of ‘health accessories’ and HP-related DnD props.
This potion is made of glass, with a leather strap that can be used for hanging it on a belt.
These tiny health and mana vials are filled with red and blue liquid and glitter.
Belt potion holder for alchemists, medics, doctors or assassins. Handmade with natural leather.
These genie blown glass miniature perfume bottles are hand-crafted in Egypt.
These Nakpunar brand spherical corked glass bottle is made with heavy duty glass.
A beautiful handmade health or mana potion bottle necklace you carry or use as a prop.
These bottles are ideal to represent different potions, as they each contain colorful stones.
This set of 10 unique pressed glass bottles come with cork stoppers.
These handmade Egyptian large perfume bottle measure approximately 6.75 inches (17 cm).
Disentanglement puzzles are a great tabletop RPG puzzle idea and a great way to incorporate more DnD props that serve a real purpose. They can be used for situations where a person has to solve a problem using logic. It can be a lock or door mechanism, a closed box containing loot, or a challenge someone else poses to a player. You can have a few prop puzzles with different difficulties, and use them depending on how high or low a roll is. Or you can throw one of these into a player’s hands, and tell him/her the puzzle has a spell and he/she can’t let go until it is solved.
We all know in every game there is at least one visit to a tavern. Whether your players are looking for something in particular or not, it’s a good chance to chance the modality of the game a little using a special type of DnD prop. How about some old pub games or even a chess match? According to how good or bad a roll is, you can set up easy or complicated chess puzzles for a player to solve. Is that bard getting on your nerves? Make him play against a game of medieval 4 in a row with that big guy across the room. Additionally, you can use the games for bets or just as an entertainment while people wait for their turn. Pub games make for great D&D props because they can allow players to engage in an activity while having a chance to have a chat and develop their storyline.
This hardwood box by Wood Expressions includes chutes and locker, and 42 balls.
Shut the Box from Front Porch Classics is a tabletop version of the popular English pub game.
The board is made from beech and birch wood giving it a classic, handmade feel.
Something that practically all games include is… loot! Or, well, currency. And lots of it. It’s one thing to write down how many platinum, gold, silver, and bronze coins your character has. It’s another to showcase your riches in a neat pile right by your side. Loot props are great to give players a better idea of what they have achieved and can also create better opportunities for roleplaying.
Manufactured by Stonemaier Games, these coins come in five colors and shapes.
This set includes 60 real metal fantasy coins and a leather pouch to carry them.
These doubloons are a little more realistic looking than their counterparts, stylish and struck in gold imitation.
These doubloons are a little more realistic looking than their counterparts, stylish and struck in silver imitation.
A beautiful set of gold-imitation coins with a unique bi-facial design and a leather storage bag that can hold up to 100 of them.
You can use models of different elements that might appear in-game as great DnD props useful for a variety of situations. For example, you can use a ship model to explain to the players how things are distributed while crossing that narrow sea or in company of pirates (some models are also made to scale, so you can have on-board battles and encounters) You can also use models of weapons such as catapults to calculate trajectories and give an overall feeling of being there and understanding the physics of these elements. Models don’t need to be just decorative props, they can actually serve many useful purposes that drive the story further.
A tabletop ship with mortise-tenon connections for easy build up or tear down.
A range of plastic, pre-assembled scenery that’s great for wargames and RPGs.
The Rusty Dragon Inn includes 51 miniatures – even bottles!
This model set is 3D printed with eco-friendly PLA plastic.
This Modular Dungeon system has 200 pre-textured pieces and 36 feet of total linear wall-length segments built to be durable, portable, and affordable.
Realistic and sculptural looking wall elements that bend it into the shape of your dream dungeon room.
This eco-friendly PLA plastic 3D printed role playing game model set includes 13 pieces of terrain buildings, perfect for any wargaming landscapes.
This set includes 2 pieces of terrain buildings suitable for medieval, contemporary, and futuristic war game settings and battles.
There are some beautiful goblets and mugs that work perfectly as DnD props. You can fill them with real drinks, or you can use dry ice for a dramatic effect. Candles also make great RPG accessories, be it for mood lightning or to mark the time (some candles even have a duration written on them). Of course you don’t need any of this to have a great game, but I have played with dim lights and ambient music while drinking from one of these goblets, and I can assure it, the experience is enhanced by these RPG props and just gets better and better.
This goblet has intricate details of rich scrollwork, gleaming gems and a dragon.
This mug features a series of dragons and is made of polyresin and stainless steel.
Every one of these Viking horns is made of authentic, ethically sourced ox horn.
A set of 3 handcrafted resin candleholders in a deeply burnished bronze shade.
The light can be used as a projector when removing the shade. Comes with 3 shades.
You can use hour glasses to mark time, and add a little pressure to the game. Combine an hourglass with a puzzle, and the experience will get pretty real! Alternatively, you can use these Dnd props to keep track of the game and make sure you are moving on a steady pace. Here are some hour glass ideas that look great and are fully functional props too:
Flip it over and watch the grains of iron stack up in seemingly impossible formations.
Glass timer with black and white sand. The sand flows through in 5 minutes.
Each vintage pattern is hand-carved and unique. Several designs are available.
We hope you liked our selection. Do you have any suggestions for RPG props? Let us know!
