A GM’s work is never done, so to make things easier on you, we’re providing a series of tables to help you flesh out your encounters, your adventures—your world. This table provides 33 unique environmental encounters… not encounters of the combat sort but strange, wonderous, or disturbing things for your adventurers to happen upon while, well, adventuring. Roll on the table and use your result as a plot seed, as an additional element of an existing quest, or simply toss it in your party’s path to create an intriguing moment of discovery and roleplay.
| 1d100 | Environmental Encounter |
| 1–3 | A tree that bears an uncanny resemblance to a dragon head. |
| 4–6 | A skeleton with its hand wrapped around a jeweled dagger embedded between its ribs. |
| 7–9 | A dry and cracked fountain carved with intricate scenes of forest creatures and humanoids frolicking. Every face in the carving has been chipped off. |
| 10–12 | An overgrown stone circle with a flat altar stone. There is a hidden hollow beneath this central stone. |
| 13–15 | A sinkhole the size of a small house, surrounded by will-o’-wisps. |
| 16–18 | A sandstone monolith with an engraving in Abyssal that reads, “And so […] shall enter the world, the pink sky shall weep beneath the hollow moon, and so shall we rejoice.” |
| 19–21 | A massive tower completely engulfed in thorny vines. |
| 22–24 | A strange glass sphere, big enough to sit four people within, that seems to have crash-landed. |
| 25–27 | Steppingstones that lead to nowhere in particular. |
| 28–30 | A cave with huge glowing crystals, covering the walls and ceiling. |
| 31–33 | The fossilized remains of an ancient red dragon. |
| 34–36 | An abandoned cart with three large cages in the back. The cage doors have been broken open, and within each are two sets of manacles, also broken. All seem to be sized for Medium humanoids. |
| 37–39 | A tunnel that runs beneath a massive glacial lake. The tunnel’s walls are covered with swirling cave drawings that look like tentacles. |
| 40–42 | A not-yet-awakened treant. It looks like a normal tree, except for a slumbering face in the bark. |
| 43–45 | A ziggurat, five stories tall, made of matte black stone and seemingly untouched by the elements. |
| 46–48 | An oasis full of lush, tropical plants, elegant marble sculptures—and no signs of life whatsoever. |
| 49–51 | A well-manicured hedge maze in the middle of the wilderness, days travel from any civilization. |
| 52–54 | A crystal-clear watering hole that is 40 feet wide and 400 feet deep. A single gold coin glints at the bottom of the pool. |
| 55–57 | A cliffside with dozens of faces carved into the stone. |
| 58–60 | A twisted tree nearly 50 feet wide with a narrow opening in the hollow trunk. |
| 61–63 | An open temple on an overlook. The stone temple is about 30 feet in diameter with pillars supporting a decoratively carved roof. |
| 64–66 | A toadstool ring 10 feet wide made of brightly colored mushrooms of all types. |
| 67–69 | A wooden doorframe standing on its own with no other structures in the vicinity. |
| 70–72 | A 20-foot-tall block of blue ice that sings when you get within 5 feet of it. |
| 73–75 | A primitive well, lined with granite and topped with a stone that reads, “For all who thirst,” in Sylvan. |
| 76–78 | A swarm of blue butterflies. When a butterfly is touched, it vanishes in a puff of pink smoke. |
| 79–81 | Spikey succulents with large purple flowers that only bloom at night and smell like rotting meat. |
| 82–84 | A bright blue glacial lake surrounded by snowdrops that are in bloom regardless of season. |
| 85–87 | A shoreline covered completely in bits of tumbled bone. |
| 88–90 | A subterranean lake filled with bioluminescent algae, causing the water to glow blue when it’s disturbed. |
| 91–93 | Large fungi with floating, balloon-like pods anchored by a thick vine. |
| 94–96 | Hundreds of stones piled into the shape of a flying eagle, its wings spanning more than 100 feet. |
| 97–100 | A 20-foot hole full of dozens and dozens of boots. Upon inspection, they’re all left-footed boots. |
This is why I come here. Other places give you encounter tables. Kobold Press gives you writing prompts.
Great stuff! Added to the Blog Database.
https://jonbupp.wordpress.com/for-dungeon-masters/chapter-5-adventure-environments/wilderness/