Some spiced up random encounters for OotA
Combine the terrain and encounter tables in Chapters 2 and 3. This option can occur 15% of the time using the table provided by the book, but it should happen 100% of the time if an encounter is rolled.
I was a bit wary reading the comments about the looseness and lack of detail, but it's actually a complete boon. I have spend a lovely Sunday evening building random encounters: terrain + creature + couple of minutes thinking how the two would play together: Here's my list so far for the first 20 days. Almost totally based on the dice where they fell. I recommend everyone to give it a try.
- Day 1 evening: Sinkhole + Escaped human slave (commoner or new PC). DC 12 Dex save or fall into 20’ pit 2d6 damage. Slave has a club.
- Day 3 evening (camp attack): 1 orc and 1 orc eye of Gruumsh raiders (8 50p gemstones)
- Day 5 morning: Lost 3 hours. Underground Stream + 6 Kuo-toa trader/fishermen (bit mad) with rotting fish guts in jars (22 gp of general goods + 12 days of provisions for sale). Know way to Sloopbludoop. If anyone wants to buy rotten fish guts they can. They are disgusting but fortifying. DC 10 constitution check. Fail lose 1 hp, save gain 1d6 hp. They can buy 4 jars for 1 gp each.
- Day 6 evening: Fungus cavern + Ochre Jelly. Nightlights, Timmasks, Bluecaps, Ripplebark. Orchre jelly has killed and digested a humanoid. What’s left is the skeleton clutching a Longsword)
- Day 7 morning Lost 8 hours : Muck pit + 4 gas spores (Beholder Memory - suffering grievous injury after fierce battle with Drow Archmage)
- Day 9 morning: Gas leak + Mad Duergar with scroll (cantrip - Minor Illusion) trying to breathe the gas.
- Day 10 Lost 2 hours
- Day 10 evening: Party realize they have camped in a Boneyard + 1 Minotaur skeleton. If they explore they find piles of weird bones and horns. The minotaur attacks if they disturb the bones. Otherwise it will attack in middle of night, or when the party passes near it to leave cave.
- Day 11 Lost 5 hours. Cliff and Ladder + Mad Deep Gnome Sliding down ladder with a weird patchwork robe flapping in the breeze being used as a makeshift air brake. He is quite mad and has not a care in the world, more or less oblivious to everything going on around him. The only way to get through to him and get the cloak is to a) attack and kill him, b) to cure him of madness (greater restoration), b) to charm him or enchant him to give you the cloak d) to Persuade DC20. Intimidation or any other kind of approach just makes him cackle with laughter. Robe of Useful items: 2 daggers, 2 bullseye lanterns, 2 steel mirrors, 2 10-poles, 2 50’ ropes, 2 sacks, portable ram, iron door, 4 potions of healing, scroll lightning bolt, scroll spider climb, riding horse with saddle bags, rowboat (12’), 10x100gp gems, bag of 100p, silver coffer 500gp, wooden ladder 24ft, pit 10’, 2 mastiffs, window 2 x 4 x 2 deep.
- Day 13 Lost 1 hour
- Day 14 morning Lost 4 hours : Steam Vent + 3 escaped goblin slaves (hostile)
- Day 14 camped: Horrid sounds DC11 wisdom check or madness level increases by 1
- Day 15 morning: Lava swell, Tremor opens up lava filled fissure behind them. DC10 de save or 3d6 damage. Drow pursuit drops by 1
- Day 15 evening: Hundreds of feet of Webs extending into tunnel + 4 giant spiders. Travel distance cut by half for the day.
- Day 16 evening: Rope bridge over river (if cut reduce Drow pursuit by 1) + 6 piercers disguised as stalactites 30 ft above the bridge. Every piercer that misses has 50% chance of damaging bridge by 3d6. The bridge can take 25 damage. If it is smashed through everyone must take a Dex saving throw (DC 12) or fall into the river taking no damage but being attacked by a giant lamprey (treat as giant constrictor snake with blood sucking ability).
- Day 17 evening: Orog lair. Human corpse wearing Chainmail Armour. 2 Orogs perching on ledges 40 ft above. Hurl javelins down. If the party inspect corpse first the Orogs can gain surprise.
- Day 19 morning: Gorge 300 ft deep. Difficult climb. Travel Slowed by half. Giant Roctopus lairs at bottom of gorge in a crevasse. Gains surprise automatically unless the party is being vigilant, has advantage on initiative. Inside crevasse is an obsidian statue of Lolth (100g)
- Day 20 morning: Crystal clusters, Fist sized chunks of quartz Faerzress infused crystals. As party are inspecting the crystal an Umber Hulk bursts out of the wall. Making one of the crystals explode. It is blinded for 1 minute. Disadvantage to attack and can’t use confusing gaze. Inside the wall where the hulk burst out there are 5 50 gp gems, a +2 shortsword, a staff of charming (charm person, command, comprehend languages 10 charges, 1/day immunity to enchantment spells), bracers of defense (+2 AC if you are not wearing armor or shield).