For a while now I’ve been advocating a more varied set of random encounters for travel and wilderness exploration. I give the basic setup in my document Better Encounters Tables for 5e (link leads to the document on my ko-fi page). I thought I’d write up a few suggestions for different adventures in the Beyond Icespire Peak adventures, since I’ve been publishing guides for those adventures (Storm Lord’s Wrath DM’s Guide and Sleeping Dragon’s Wake DM’s Guide are completed, Divine Contention is in progress. Links lead to DM’s Guild).
So here is a random encounter table for Aid from Phandalin, an adventure in Storm Lord’s Wrath, in which the PCs escort 100 giant goats from Leilon to Phandalin, a trip which takes the party an unenviable seven days as the goats consistently stray.
The encounters in this table have the potential to reveal lore for this adventure as well as for the “Death Knight-Dreadnaught” and “Attack on the Wayside Inn” adventures. The dwarf God Dumathoín makes an appearance in “Dumathoíin’s Gulch” in Divine Contention. By all means replace NPCs or encounters with those relevant to specific characters in your party.
| d12 | Type | Encounter Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social | A resident of Phandalin is heading to Leilon and then back to the Wayside Inn to hear the concert of the famous bard Tarbin Tul in a few weeks’ time. |
| 2 | Skill | A small side track leads to a little pond where magic goldfish leap. If the party can catch a fish, it will give them a scale that acts as a charm of vitality (DMG p 228) if they release it. It is very hard to catch a fish; the base DC is 15. Once a failed attempt has been made, the DC goes up by 5 each time as the fish become more wary. |
| 3 | Skill | The goats manage to get themselves across a 100′ deep crevasse. The party can either go around the end of the crevasse to get them, adding half a day to their travel; attempt to cross the crevasse, risking falling damage but finding a shortcut that saves them half a day’s travel ; or try to lure the goats back. The base DC for crossing the crevasse or luring the goats back is 15. |
| 4 | Social | The party happens upon Sister Garaele from Phandalin who has taken a bad fall and broken her ankle. She needs medical treatment. If the party help her, she can tell them about new arrivals in Phandalin and about some attacks on the Shrine of Luck. She also knows a shortcut that can save the party half a day’s travel, and the location of the old mine (9) and the pond (2). |
| 5 | Combat | Use the Goat Check encounter in the module |
| 6 | Roleplay | An incredible magical lightning storm rages over the ocean to the west, filling the sky with blue, green, and red bolts of lightning. Characters may see the visage of the Storm Lord Talos himself. An opportunity for the players to reflect on the God of Destruction and their ongoing battle with his followers. |
| 7 | Combat | A group of Skeel’s undead, marked with Myrkul’s skull, are out hunting for flesh and spot the party at dusk or after nightfall. There are 3 ghouls and 1 ghast per party member, including sidekicks. |
| 8 | Skill | You find a friendly camp of Phandalin miners on their way to scout some old mines. Amongst the miners is a very fine fiddler who has a habit of challenging travellers to a musical duel. They can receive a number of sticks of Gnomengarde dynamite depending on how well they do. |
| 9 | Roleplay | The party comes upon a long-unworked mine that used to supply Leilon. Inside is a beautifully carved, ancient statue of Dumathoín, the dwarven god of mines and the dead. A successful Intelligence (History or Religion) check vs DC 15 will lead players to an amulet of the god which will grant them the effects of the bless spell once per long rest. An opportunity for the players to reflect on the past and future of Leilon. |
| 10 | Roleplay | The party comes upon a field where a herd of cows are milling anxiously and the remains of a farmer family are nearby, having been ripped apart and gnawed on by ghouls. An opportunity for the party to reflect on the numbers of undead, and how they feel about the new rise of the cult of Myrkul and the danger to Leilon. Content warning, be sensitive to players with this one and consider not including children in the gnawed remains. |
| 11 | Combat | Use the Hungry Ogres encounter in the module. |
| 12 | Social | The famous bard Tarbin Tul, on his way to Neverwinter, having just come from Phandalin. Tul knows lots of information about the history of Leilon as well as many ancient lands. He can tell them about Myrkul or Talos if they ask. |
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