Tokens
Face it. You've done the research and 3d printed minis can be simply too expensive in the long run to have enough copies of all the monsters your players will or may ever face... and if you already own a 3d printer and have tried printing your own, extremely time-consuming! Don't get me wrong. Actual minis are awesome and I definitely use both printed and pewter ones, but with ~$25-40 you can make 100 monster tokens divided however you like. This is a really huge cost saver if you have a particular monster/NPC that isn't going to be used much/again. Plus, you can have them numbered or label them for easy ID on your battle map so you don't lose track of a creature's stats; which particular skeleton is currently at 3 hp and which has full health. Even if you do use minis or 3d print your pieces, tokens are still great for mobs.
Rat or wererat? Are those behind it mercenaries or a more sinister group? Tokens can be reused very easily.
Supplies
Image Creation
Base
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1" unfinished round coins $7 for 50 / $10 for 100 - For the base.
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Keywords: 1" unfinished wood round
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2" Tokens
Notice: Although I try to update all of my links & prices at least once a month, Amazon sellers may change or remove the particular items or prices since the time they have been listed here. The items I have listed are the best that I have found at the time, but any item matching the general description should suffice for this project.
I've broken these down by size and then by part. In addition, I have added the keywords I used to find these items if you want to do your own searches or in the event that the seller has changed/removed the item listed below.
1" Tokens
Image
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Laser/Ink Jet White Labels (1" Round - 63 Per Page | 1575 Labels) $8.50 - To print the pictures and stick on the tokens.
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Keywords: 1" print labels
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Polish
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Remarkabel Clear Epoxy Sticker for Bottle Cap Pendants, Dome (100) $6 - To give a nice professional look and protect the image from wear and tear
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Keywords: 1" epoxy dome
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Polish
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MEYA 2" Clear Round 3D Dome Circle Epoxy Sticker (50) $16.50 - To give a nice professional look and protect the image from wear and tear
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Keywords: 2" epoxy dome
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Image
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AmazonBasics Fast Peel Address Labels for Laser/Inkjet Printers, White, 2" Round, 120 Labels $3 or $10* - To print the pictures and stick on the tokens. *This one tends to fluctuate in price every week so if it's listed at $10 just keep an eye on it and it should drop by the next week.
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Keywords: 2" print labels
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Base
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Woodpeckers 2" Round Disc Unfinished Plywood Cutout Circles* $8 for 25 / $12 for 50 - Base of the token.
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Keywords: 2" unfinished wood round
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*Do not get "BCP 40-piece" tokens. They are all 1 15/16" and the label and dome will overhang it.
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Figure out what you want to represent each monster/character I tend to just Google various keywords to find an image I'm happy with & download it
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Use the template file type of your appropriate to your labels.
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Import/copy the monster image into your graphics program (GIMP is a good, free choice if you don't have Photoshop) and size it up and utilize any other effects. I tend to insert backgrounds, but that's strictly my personal taste.
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Add numbers to your tokens. I cannot stress it enough how much easier life is when you have a mob ganging up on the players.
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Print out the page for assembly.
Sample sheet
Image
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Label Outfitters Large 3" Diameter Round Laser and Inkjet Print-to-the-Edge Labels (120) $9.50 - To print the pictures and stick on the tokens.
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Keywords: 3" print labels
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Polish
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3" Clear Round Epoxy Stickers (50) $35 - To give a nice professional look and protect the image from wear and tear
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Keywords: 3" epoxy dome
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3" Tokens
Assembly
Using Labels
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(Optional) Paint/Sharpie the edge black. This helps when using status markers for contrast.
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Apply the label sticker onto the token
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(Optional) Apply the epoxy dome to the top to protect the image and also give it a professional finish
(Optional)
Art by TyphonArt
(Optional)
Without options
With dome & black side
Art by
D&D Beyond / WOTC
Token Sites
Listed below are sites where you can download and print token art for free or little money. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it's a solid place to start for pre-made token art if you are unable to edit images on your own.
Devin's Token Site
You can download packs of tokens for little money and packs 1-20 are free. The style is top down, hand drawn circa AD&D/2e; nothing fancy, but a large variety.
"As a hobby I like to game and create gaming material, I’m most widely known (in the virtual gaming circles) for my overhead tokens which this site should showcase well enough."
"Roll20 is a website consisting of a set of tools for playing tabletop role-playing games, also referred to as a virtual tabletop, which can be used as an aid to playing in person or remotely online. "
Although primarily used for virtual role-playing, Roll20 does have an extensive catalog of tokens you can print out aside from just using them online. Like Devin's, these are top down views.
Roll20