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:

combatgnoll

A group of gnolls

1 Gnoll named Ravi
1 Giant Hyena
2 Hyenas

At a dropdown to jagged rocks (near a stone path leading up a slope)
They are fleeing a nearby disaster
In a fight they use ranged attacks and try to keep in cover
Possibly... they have an Eversmoking Bottle
Difficulty... 480.0 Deadly

combatsnake

A nest (group) of snakes

2 Constrictor Snakes
1 Giant Poisonous Snake
2 Flying Snakes

At a fertile oasis and an obelisk (close by is a half-buried cairn)
They are stealing a wagon
In a fight they focus all their attention on the most visible foes
Difficulty... 400 Deadly

combat

5 Giant Lizards

At a wide trench near a covered well (nearby is a shallow stream)
They are are lost in the area
In a fight they attack whoever is nearest
Difficulty... 500 Deadly

combatgnoll

A group of gnolls

2 Gnolls
3 Hyenas

At a ruined hut by a tiny waterhole (nearby is the fresh corpse of a medusa)
They are playing in sand
In a fight they work together to focus on the largest foe
Possibly... they have a Necklace of Fireballs with one bead
Difficulty... 345.0 Hard

combat

A group of kobolds

2 Kobolds
1 Swarm of Wasps (Monster Manual p.338)
1 Giant Bat

At a desolate watchtower with a signal fire. There is an ancient tomb with a cottage (near a half-buried narrow road)
They are digging tunnels
In a fight they run and hide if things go badly
Possibly... during the fight a non-combatant stumbles into the area
Difficulty... 400 Deadly