D&D Random Encounters for 5E - Desert

Encounters might be a meeting with a patrol of guards at an old shrine or a familiar looking for aid. It might be an ambush in the wilderness, a stand-off in the city or a monster in the Underdark.
The desert conjures images of sun-blasted wastes, stark canyons and sandy ridges. Encounters may take place at a well-guarded oasis, a lonely mesa, among half buried ruins or in the bed of a dried up river.

tools for - dnd5e encounters desert

level: party size: terrain: sources: type:

combatwarrior

A group of warriors

4 Tribal Warriors
1 Scout

At a portal (close by is a tomb)
They are are on a raid or quest
In a fight they focus all their attention on foes with expensive looking gear
Possibly... they have a Ring of Fire Resistance
Difficulty... 400 Deadly

combat

2 Thri-kreen (Monster Manual p.288)

At an area of dirty sedge (the area is touched by demonic magic)
They are digging up someone
In a fight they try to capture foes with expensive looking gear
Possibly... during the fight it gets windier
Difficulty... 600.0 Deadly

combatbandit

6 Bandits

At an isolated mesa (near a carved cave huts)
They are trapped in something
In a fight they work together to focus on any obvious spellcaster
Possibly... they have a Ring of Fire Resistance
Difficulty... 300 Hard

combat

2 Pseudodragons

At a low hill and a patch of sedge (there is the potent smell of something metallic covering the area)
They are are on a quest
In a fight they run away if things start going badly
Difficulty... 150.0 Easy

combat

A group of kobolds

5 Kobolds
2 Giant Rats
1 Swarm of Bats

At a sickly garden near a large tree scorched by lightning (near a set of steps to a defensible position)
They are marked by a sun diety
In a fight they attempt hit and run tactics
Difficulty... 562.5 Deadly