Chaotic Hero

A TTRPGs generator, designed and developed end-to-end.

Chaotic Hero interface showing a generated character sheet

Summary

Placeholder for summary text of the project

Duration

Ongoing

Overview

Chaotic Hero is a tabletop RPG tool I designed and built from scratch — a generator for characters, encounters, and narrative seeds for games like D&D, Pathfinder, and other TTRPG systems.

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The repository file structure for the article system shown in a code editor
The repository file structure for the article system: Markdown sources in content/articles/, HTML templates in src/templates/, the build script in scripts/build.js, and the generated articles/ output directory, which is gitignored.

The project started as a personal utility and grew into a public tool used by players and game masters around the world.

Design Process

The interface had to handle a lot of randomness without feeling chaotic. The challenge was creating a system where every generated output felt intentional and useful, not arbitrary.

I started with the data model — mapping the relationships between character attributes, class abilities, and narrative context. The design followed from that structure.

Technical Approach

Built with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. No framework dependencies. The generator uses a seeded pseudo-random algorithm so results can be shared via URL.

The visual language draws from classic print design: monospaced type, ruled lines, and a restrained palette that references character sheets without copying them literally.

Quote

Good design is as little design as possible.
Author: Dieter Rams