The Forest, CR 1/2 – Random Encounters for Dungeons & Dragons: Fifth Edition

by jmgariepy · January 21, 2016

“Wolves?” Kevric the bard asked. “Wolves aren’t a threat. Just wave your hands around and make a lot of noise. They’ll go away eventually.”

The ranger accepted his food, found a stump and ate. The party’s warlock slipped behind, and whispered in his ear. “Two to one odds Kevric doesn’t make it out of the woods alive.”

The ranger looked at the hunk of meat at the edge of his fork. “I don’t gamble on the fate of doomed animals,” he said, and took a big bite.

Art from the series ‘Off-White’ by Akreon.

Appropriate random encounters for two first level characters, or a lone second level character travelling through the forest. For more information on random encounters, when they are appropriate, and how often they should occur, see the Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG), page 85.

For more random encounter charts, go to the Random Encounters for Dungeons and Dragons: 5th Edition page.

When determining a random encounter, roll 1d12+1d8 and consult the chart.

d12+d8	Description	Relationship to two first level characters, or a lone second level character.	Result
2	Very Rare	Deadly Encounter	The party caught the eye of a tiger.
3	Rare	Hard Encounter	A pack of seven jackals are desperate for a meal. (Use statistics for hyena.)
4	Rather Unlikely	Hard Encounter	Two zombies shamble through the woods, strangling the life out of every living creature they wrap their hands around.
5	Unlikely	Hard Encounter	A daring pair of wolves.
6	Uncommon	Medium Encounter	A troop of four baboons pester the characters by throwing rocks. These primates learned that some humans tend to drop what they’re carrying and run when confronted, and now they’re pressing their luck.
7	Plausible	Medium Encounter	A drunk satyr stumbles through the woods, itching for a fight.
8	Common	Medium Encounter	A gnoll hunter scavenges these parts for exciting prey.
9	Most Common	Friend or Foe Medium Encounter	A bugbear stumbles across the party. Lost in the woods, he pauses on the brink of attack wondering if he should instead ask for directions.
10	Most Common	Easy Encounter	A giant bat decides the characters would make a fine host.
11	Most Common	Easy Encounter	A stirge wants to proboscis a little more than it can suck.
12	Most Common	Common Roleplaying Encounter	The party stumbles upon a camp of three dwarf guards in the woods. It wasn’t difficult to find, between the raucous drinking, and the strong scent of venison cooking on a large bonfire. The dwarves are happy to share (they certainly can’t eat all this venison, and they’re tired of lugging around a large cask of ale through the woods.) But if the characters spend more than 15 minutes here without convincing the dwarves to settle down, roll again on this chart. If you get a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or a 16, double that many monsters, and they assault the camp.
13	Most Common	Common Beneficial Find	A freshwater spring rises from the ground and forms a small pond. Any Survival checks to find game in the vicinity is made at an advantage, due to frequent use of the spring by the local wildlife.
14	Common	Piece of Flavor	A lone wolf’s howl resonates through the woods. Far in the distance, another wolf returns the call.
15	Plausible	A Trap!	The character leading the party must make a DC 10 Perception check, or a bear trap snaps shut on their leg. (See Hunting Trap, Player’s Handbook, p. 152.)
16	Uncommon	Uncommon Roleplaying Encounter	Four hyenas crash through the woods. Originally owned and abused by a gang of Orcs, the pack escaped. But they are still chained together and constantly snapping at each other. Further investigation reveals the hyenas are malnourished and covered with bite marks. If left to their fate, only one will survive. But the hyenas are suspicious of help, and bite anyone whose hands are close to their chains. A DC 10 Handle Animals check is needed to get near each hyena without being bitten.
17	Unlikely	Environmental Hazard	Dark clouds fill the sky. In an hour, a torrential downpour will wrack the Forest. If the characters don’t find proper cover, they must make two separate DC 10 Constitution checks. Each failed check confers a level of exhaustion. (Players Handbook, p. 291)
18	Rather Unlikely	A Barrier	The characters find themselves on a peninsula, surrounded by a swift moving, shallow river. An Athletics check made at DC 8 will get players from one side to the other. Failure means falling down and taking 1d6 damage from smacking against the hard rock. Whether they pass or fail the check, the character easily reaches the other side of the river.
19	Rare	A Lucky Find	Something glittering catches your eye. It’s a lucky platinum piece, sticking out between some dead leaves.
20	Very Rare	Incredibly Fortuitous Find	A blue faerie dragon hides, while trailing the party. If trouble appears, it ‘helps out’ by adding extra illusionary combatants to the party. The fairy dragon is mostly helping, but also thinks it’s funny to see the players’ confounded expressions.