D&D 5E Random Encounter by Terrain
Murkmoldiev
First Post
The best reference for that is the 1st edition Monster Manual 2.
LabyrinthLord718
Explorer
The new DMG has some, but I would custom make them for my own campaign. I've pretty much stopped doing totally random encounters, though -- I just follow the flow of the story and if it needs a little punching up, add an encounter (or if the party is running low on resources and I want to push 'em a bit more).
ExploderWizard
Hero
Terrain is only one factor that I use when building my random encounter tables. Technically, both the farmland surrounding a town and the wild open steppe are classified as plains.
The types of encounters between these types of areas are going to vary quite a bit. The farmland would consist of small animals, some herd animals, perhaps a wandering bear, and (wonder of wonders) lots of farmers! Untamed steppe is also likely to have herd animals and other wild creatures, but also more likely to contain genuine monsters.
Time of day or night is another factor to account for. Some predators are nocturnal and there may be a very good reason why some areas are scarier at night.
In settled lands, encounters on roads or in close proximity to them may differ greatly from those in the surrounding terrain even if the area is inhabited. On the road one is more likely to encounter passing merchants, farmers, pilgrims, soldiers, and so forth, at least during the day. Off road encounters may be very different even in the same region.
For these reasons, I usually customize encounter tables to the actual region being traversed instead of just by terrain type.
The types of encounters between these types of areas are going to vary quite a bit. The farmland would consist of small animals, some herd animals, perhaps a wandering bear, and (wonder of wonders) lots of farmers! Untamed steppe is also likely to have herd animals and other wild creatures, but also more likely to contain genuine monsters.
Time of day or night is another factor to account for. Some predators are nocturnal and there may be a very good reason why some areas are scarier at night.
In settled lands, encounters on roads or in close proximity to them may differ greatly from those in the surrounding terrain even if the area is inhabited. On the road one is more likely to encounter passing merchants, farmers, pilgrims, soldiers, and so forth, at least during the day. Off road encounters may be very different even in the same region.
For these reasons, I usually customize encounter tables to the actual region being traversed instead of just by terrain type.
tankschmidt
Explorer
Talysian, as luck would have it, I am about halfway through reproducing the wandering monster tables from the AD&D Monster Manual II with 5e monsters. They are not ready for primetime yet, but if you are not opposed to old school sensibilities, I'd be happy to PM you a copy of what I have so far. This would be dungeon levels I through X and four different tables for cold wilderness areas.
Unfortunately, it doesn't really, except for an example Sylvan Encounters table on page 87. It has some advice on creating encounter tables, and Appendix B has tables of monsters by terrain, sorted by CR; but you're to use those tables to create your own random encounter tables.
It would be cool if there were a nice resource with random encounter tables for all kinds of circumstances.
Psikerlord#
Explorer
Hopefully they will release some geographic random encounter tables in the new article series coming in 2015. But if not, wouldnt take much to make up some tables, with a very very wide CR range, and just use them over and over. I reckon you could probably use the same table for 1st - 16th. At 17th + you're on another scale, and every chance your party wont even be on the prime material plane much anymore.
Ravenheart87
Explorer
I've still yet to decide if I should use the 1e MMII or The Mother Of All Encounter Tables charts to create my 5e random encounter tables.
donjon.bin.sh does seem to have one for 5e: http://donjon.bin.sh/5e/random/#encounter
It seems to generate a list corresponding to the basic guidelines.
It seems to generate a list corresponding to the basic guidelines.
Similar Threads
