GM tools I actually use
Blaine Rules, apps, maps and software, in my words
Everything here lives on someone else's site, and most of it is free. None of these are affiliate links. For the physical kit, see my GM bag.
Free rules and adventures
Try a game before you spend a dollar.
Archives of Nethys
Free
Paizo's official Pathfinder 2e rules site. Pretty much every rule, free and searchable.
Daggerheart quickstart adventure
Free PDF
The adventure I ran all weekend at Phoenix Fan Fusion. A great way to see if Daggerheart is for your table.
Apps for specific games
Character sheets that do the math for your players.
COMP/CON
Free
Lancer's official companion app for building pilots and mechs. With the free player rules, your players can play without buying anything.
Cyberpunk RED Companion
Free (Android)
Cyberpunk RED's character sheets can overwhelm new players. This app helps a lot.
Playing online
For when the table is a screen.
Foundry VTT
One-time license
My favorite virtual tabletop. You buy it once and host your own games, with strong support for systems like Pathfinder.
Owlbear Rodeo
Free
A simple VTT that runs in your browser: maps, tokens, and not much else. I like it as a free option.
Maps
From a quick dungeon sketch to a whole world.
Inkarnate
Free version, Pro by the year
World, region and city maps that look hand-painted. I love it, and I pay for the yearly plan.
Dungeon Scrawl
Free, in the browser
Old-school dungeon maps in minutes, right in your browser. Great when you need a map fast.
Dungeondraft
One-time purchase
Detailed battle maps for dungeons and buildings, ready to drop into a VTT.
Wonderdraft
One-time purchase
World and regional maps from the makers of Dungeondraft.
Prep and notes
Where the campaign lives between sessions.
Donjon
Free
A huge collection of random generators for dungeons, towns, treasure and more. Donjon is great.
Fantasy Name Generators
Free
Where I get most of my names. Before every session I put five names on an index card, so nobody at my table meets an innkeeper named “uh.”
Obsidian
Free for personal use
My notes, open behind the screen on a laptop or Mac mini while I run.
At the table
Sound and screens for the home game.
Syrinscape
Free and paid plans
Sound effects and music. I run it from a button board, with an image on each button, so any sound is one press away.
OBS Studio
Free
Runs the display on the front of my GM screen, showing players environments, NPCs and initiative.