Setup and Tactics If the sides of the town are blockaded, these groups of enemies will attempt to smash through. They will find a single point along the wall and begin to hack and slash, potentially wasting multiple turns as they do so. About half of the force will attempt to break through on any given side, the rest will swarm to the nearest entrance and make their way in from there. These soldiers stick together in their small groups always and are particularly vulnerable to thrown bombs and detonated explosives. Beyond that, these enemies are fairly straight forward in their intentions. They will charge directly at the party members, assuming they have the advantage with their superior numbers. If there are arbalests on the rooftops, some of these groups may stop and try to destroy those as they are a great threat. Sal'kin Bloodfist, The Second Bandit Leader Sal'kin Bloodfist is the second of The Calamity leaders. If the party members took time to gather intel, they will recognize him immediately. Sal'Kin is a brutish half-orc, far more powerful than the individual units of the scattered bandit groups. His body is covered in scars and there is a large chunk missing from his lower jaw. He uses a steel maul to crush through opponents as well as structures and is not afraid of making his own doorways into the homes of the townsfolk. He will stick relatively close to the groups of bandits, shouting commands to keep them focused on high-priority targets such as arbalests. When Sal'Kin is killed, make sure the other bandits are visibly startled and seem a bit frightened. The Final Wave: The Elite Force The leader of The Calamity is a man by the name of Voln Elstrum. He started out as a beggar in the streets in a nearby city and was adopted by a gang when he was still quite young. He had taken his first life before reaching age ten. Now, almost thirty years later, he is an elite fighter with an esteemed reputation amongst all thieves and bandits. Because of this reputation, he thinks himself too good to dirty his hands with the slaughtering of peasants, but after seeing Sal'Kin and his men begin to fall, he realizes he must engage with his loyal pets, Snarl and Howl. Voln and his wolves attack 4 rounds after the second wave, reaching the town in 2 rounds. Enemies APL 4 1x Dire Wolf (MM Pg. 321) 1x Armored Dire Wolf (NEB 2) 1x Voln Elstrum [CR 4] APL 5 2x Rune-Scarred Dire Wolf (NEB 2) 1x Voln Elstrum [CR 4] APL 6 1x Armored Dire Wolf 1x Rune-Scarred Dire Wolf 1x Voln Elstrum [CR 6] APL 7 2x Rune-Scarred Dire Wolf 1x Voln Elstrum [CR 6] Setup and Tactics Voln comes charging in through the main entrance of the town, sending Snarl and Howl to engage the enemy ahead of him. He is a smart man and has survived dozens if not hundreds of encounters, causing him to be incredibly cautious in his fighting tactics. He will hide behind buildings, attempt to take hostages, and use potions to make sure he has the upper hand in battle. With a simple whistle he can command Snarl and Howl to attack any foe and they will obey even if it means receiving attacks of opportunity from another enemy. If the party allowed women to stay and fight, be sure to have one of them be captured by Voln and used as a human shield as soon as he arrives in the town. Afraid to Die When Voln is reduced to 0 hit points for the first time, instead reduce his hit points to 1 and immediately interrupt combat as he surrenders, throwing his weapons to the ground and holding his wounds. If the party chooses to show mercy, give them additional gold or XP as reward, as Voln is a wanted criminal and is responsible for many deaths that typically calls for a public execution in front of the family members of those he has wronged. Aftermath At the end of the battle, the party will have defeated over 30 total bandits - quite the feat. Ron will run over to the party, swinging his crossbow high overhead in joy. "We did it! We got 'em all!" he shouts and the citizens that remained in the town to help fight all join in the celebrations as they flood into the street. One of the townsfolk goes running off to the mines to gather the women and children, and before long the town is overflowing with people once again. There is joy in the air and dozens of bottles of various alcohols have already been opened (and many of them emptied). They celebrate the lives of those who died rather than mourn them, as is traditional in Skalintown. Let your players relish in a hard earned victory. 101
Experience The Experience listed below represents a blend of monster encounters, non-combat encounters, and some bonus experience for finishing the quest. Feel free to adjust these values if you see fit. APL 4 - 4,000 XP per player APL 5 - 7,000 XP per player APL 6 - 9,000 XP per player APL 7 - 11,000 XP per player Loot Your party's reward is based on their APL. These are however just suggested values. Feel free to increase or decrease these numbers or reward them with a magic item - perhaps there is a magic weapon that has been passed down in the Skalin family for generations and the Mayor is willing to part with it. Perhaps the sheriff's crossbow is magical and he feels it would be of better use in the hands of the party. APL 4 - 1,600 gold APL 5 - 2,500 gold APL 6 - 3,600 gold APL 7 - 5,000 gold 102
Custom Enemies 103 Lakira Rain Medium humanoid (half-elf), neutral evil Armor Class 15 (leather) Hit Points 53 (7d8 + 21) Speed 35 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 9 (-1) Skills Acrobatics +6, Insight +3 Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Elvish Challenge 2 (450 XP) Command the Pack (3/Day) As a bonus action, Lakira shouts out a command to her wolves. One wolf within 120 feet can that can hear Lakira can use its reaction to make a bite attack. Mounted Combatant. Once per turn while riding a mount, Lakira can deal an additional 4 (1d8) damage with a ranged weapon. Actions Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage. Lakira Rain Medium humanoid (half-elf), neutral evil Armor Class 16 (studded leather) Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33) Speed 35 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 9 (-1) Skills Acrobatics +6, Insight +4 Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 12 Languages Common, Elvish Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Command the Pack (3/Day) As a bonus action, Lakira shouts out a command to her wolves. One wolf within 120 feet can that can hear Lakira can use its reaction to make a bite attack with advantage. Mounted Combatant. Once per turn while riding a mount, Lakira can deal an additional 5 (1d10) damage with a ranged weapon. Actions Multiattack. Lakira makes two attacks with her longbow. Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
104 Sal'Kin Bloodfist Medium humanoid (half-orc), neutral evil Armor Class 14 (unarmored defense) Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 7 (-2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) Skills Athletics +6, Intimidation +2 Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Orcish Challenge 3 (700 XP) Demolisher. Sal'Kin's deals double damage to objects and structures. Fervor For Battle. If Sal'Kin has been in combat for at least 3 rounds, he deals an additional 1d6 bludgeoning damage with all melee weapon attacks. Unarmored Defense. While Sal'Kin is wearing no armor, his AC includes his Constitution modifier. Actions Multiattack. Sal'Kin makes two attacks with his maul. Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage or 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage if he has been in combat for at least 3 rounds. Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. Sal'Kin Bloodfist Medium humanoid (half-orc), neutral evil Armor Class 15 (unarmored defense) Hit Points 102 (12d8 + 48) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 7 (-2) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) Skills Athletics +6, Intimidation +3 Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Orcish Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Demolisher. Sal'Kin's deals double damage to objects and structures. Fervor For Battle. If Sal'Kin has been in combat for at least 3 rounds, he deals an additional 2d6 bludgeoning damage with all melee weapon attacks. Unarmored Defense. While Sal'Kin is wearing no armor, his AC includes his Constitution modifier. Actions Multiattack. Sal'Kin makes two attacks with his maul. Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage or 18 (4d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage if he has been in combat for at least 3 rounds. Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. Juggernaut Sweep (1/Day). Sal'Kin stomps the ground, then swings his maul in two massive sweeping arcs. Each creature within 10 feet of Sal'Kin must make two Dexterity saving throws, taking 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage for each failed save.
105 Voln Elstrum Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil Armor Class 19 (splint mail, shield) Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) Saving Throws Dex +4, Str +5 Skills Athletics +5, Deception +5, Persuasion +5 Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Elvish, Orc Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Presence of Power. All bandits within 60 feet of Voln that can see him are bolstered in combat. Whenever one of these bandits makes an attack roll or saving throw, roll an additional 1d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw. Actions Multiattack. Voln makes two attacks with his longsword, replacing any attack with a bleeding slice or debilitating strike if able. Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage. Handaxe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. Bleeding Slice (Recharge 4-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage, and the target begins to bleed. At the beginning of a bleeding creature’s turn, it takes 4 (1d8) necrotic damage. This effect persists until a creature uses its action to treat the wound. Debilitating Strike (Recharge 4-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, that creatures highest stat is reduced by 2 for 1 minute. If it is a tie, randomly choose which stat is reduced. Voln Elstrum Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil Armor Class 19 (splint mail, shield) Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) Saving Throws Dex +5, Str +7, Cha +6 Skills Athletics +7, Deception +6, Persuasion +6 Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Elvish, Orc Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Presence of Power. All bandits within 60 feet of Voln that can see him are bolstered in combat. Whenever one of these bandits makes an attack roll or saving throw, roll an additional 1d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw. Determined Combatant. Voln is immune to any effect that would cause him to make an attack roll or saving throw with disadvantage. Actions Multiattack. Voln makes three attacks with his longsword, replacing any attack with a bleeding slice or debilitating strike if able. Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage. Handaxe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage. Bleeding Slice (Recharge 4-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage, and the target begins to bleed. At the beginning of a bleeding creatures turn, it takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. This effect persists until a creature uses its action to treat the wound. Debilitating Strike (Recharge 4-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, that target's highest stat is reduced by 3 for 1 minute. If it is a tie, randomly choose which stat is reduced.
Puzzles Colored Marbles Puzzle The Setup The players are presented with a safe or locked door with a 3x3 grid on the front of it. This door is opened when marbles are placed in a particular order in the slots of the grid. The colors of these marbles are as follows: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Orange, Violet, White, and Black. There are 8 marbles in total for the 9 slots. Make sure to have these marbles be separate from the lock, hidden away somewhere in your dungeon or in someone's personal belongings. Instructions In order for the players to know the order for these marbles, they must also find the instructions. Have these also be hidden away in a separate location in your adventure so the players will not be able to proceed until they have found all of the pieces. The instructions for the marbles are as follows: Orange is below Blue Blue is right of White Black is right of Green Green is right of Violet Violet is below Black Red is left of Yellow and above White Yellow is left of Orange and below Violet White is below Green and above Yellow Solution With these instructions there should be only a single possible outcome for success and it is as follows: Red Green Black Violet White Blue Yellow Orange The Charged Tiles The Setup The players find their way into a room with strong pulses of lightning running through the floor. It isn't obvious which tiles are charged by only looking, and stepping on any of these charged tiles deals 2d6 lighting damage (feel free to adjust this up or down depending on your player's levels). In order to cross the room, the players will need to use a charge detecting device which you will need to have your players find somewhere nearby. This device detects how many charged tiles are within 5 feet and displays it via a small dial on the front of the device. The players will need to use this device to navigate across the room and minimize the amount of damage taken. The Floor 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 X 3 3 X 2 X 1 0 1 1 3 X X 2 2 1 2 2 3 X X 5 3 2 0 1 2 X X 2 X 4 X 1 1 2 X 4 3 2 3 X 3 1 1 X 2 3 X 3 2 X 3 2 3 2 1 3 X X 3 3 3 X X 2 1 3 X 3 X X 2 2 2 3 X 4 2 1 2 3 2 1 1 3 X X 2 1 0 1 X 1 1 X 3 2 2 X Strategy Make sure your players always start at the top of the puzzle. Just as in combat they can move diagonally (even if it doesn’t make perfect sense), but for this puzzle they cannot jump across tiles, for doing so results in the lightning arcing up and shocking them mid jump and then knocking them to the ground. If they try to use this tactic, have them take double the normal damage to discourage them from attempting it again. The top row represents the area just outside of the charged zone and so it has no electrified spots in it. Using elimination, your players should be able to find a guaranteed path through the room without ever needing to risk being electrocuted. If they do make a wrong guess, they simply get a shock and some information, so there is always a way for them to get a hint if they are stuck at the cost of a few hit points. Make sure to draw out this puzzle for your players and continue giving them new numbers as they explore! 106
Double Up Cipher The Setup This is a cipher that extracts only letters that appear side by side from a phrase. You can use this for a number of ciphers, but in this example the puzzle is a door with three levers that each are labeled Open and Closed next to a sealed door. Next to these levers is a message inscribed on the wall and a single button below it. The levers all start in the 'Closed' position. The players must use the clue hidden in the message to determine the correct sequencing of the door. If they guess wrong, punish them in the form of a combat encounter or some other sort of unavoidable damage. The Message Look closely at these words and connect the discreet mapping. Scanning these texts, see those that appear together to unlock the door. You just need to address the problem, or will you be foolish and succumb to failure? You get but one chance. Select wrong and you die. The Cipher Using the clue given in the message, the players must look and see those that "appear together." This refers to the duplicate letters that appear next to one another. By extracting these letters they will get the following results: Row 1 ONEP Row 2 NEPO Row 3 EDSLOC Row 4 Nothing The players can pretty easily unscramble these words to find OPEN, OPEN, CLOSED to represent the first level is open, the second is open, and the third is closed. The Blood Fountain The Setup This puzzle takes place in a decent sized room or hall that the party needs to cross. On the close side of the room is a fountain filled with blood. It is repulsive and fills the room with the thick smell of iron and the constant gurgling of thick churning liquid. Near the fountain of blood are a few ornate bowls whose interiors are stained red from extended use with the blood. Going straight through the center of the room is a strip of red-stained floor, turned this way as the results of hundreds and hundreds of bloodied footsteps walking this path. Whenever a player attempts to walk through the room, small slits open in the wall and poisoned darts spray out in a vicious burst. Each creature in the middle 20 feet of the room must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d6 piercing damage plus an additional poison 2d4 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save. This trap repeats for each 5 feet a creature travels through the center of the room. (Adjust the DC of the check and the damage as your party reaches higher levels and try to avoid using this trap for very low level parties). Crossing the Threshold The way the characters can avoid this damage is to coat themselves in the blood before making the crossing. The thick blood stains going through the center of the room is their clue to discovering how to solve this trap. They can use the ornate bowls to pour the blood over themselves, covering at least half of their body to satisfy the conditions to cross. A creature covered in blood that passes through the room is left to cross completely unharmed. 107
The Submerged Temple This is a fairly niche puzzle that can only work in a submerged dungeon of some sort. It is meant to play to the dangers of being underwater and assumes your players will have the ability to breathe, though they may not be able to communicate verbally! The players will have to solve various puzzles within the pyramid, some of which requiring coordination, to unlock the center of the pyramid and the treasure that it holds. Note: This puzzle requires at least 4 players to successfully complete, is quite complex, and is potentially lethal! The Setup In the center of this rather large room is a pyramid of solid stone with a base roughly 40 feet across. There is a tunnel on the side of the pyramid facing the players as they enter this room. It is a narrow passageway, roughly 3 feet wide, so this already may invoke some fear of claustrophobia. There are additional tunnels on the east and west sides of the pyramid as well, but they are sealed up when the puzzle begins. Central Path The path goes forward for about fifteen feet before curving ninety degrees and proceeding straight up. The player who enters this tunnel must swim up through this opening into a room that is eight feet on each side. This room contains the following features: In the very center of the north wall is a green-outlined spherical recess that looks like it would hold an orb. Below the spherical recess is a lever that is in a neutral state. Moving this left or right will open either the western or eastern chamber, closing off the entrances to other chambers when one is opened. On both the left and right wall are chains with a large ringshaped handle at the end. Pulling these will open slots in the left and right chambers, but it is impossible to notice anything from the central chamber. These take a sustained amount of force to hold open, requiring a strength score of at least 10. Pulling both chains at the same time causes two small slots on each side of the central chamber to open, allowing the passage of small items from the central chamber to the left or right chambers and vice versa. There are buttons in each of the side rooms. If they are pressed at the same time, a green orb will be revealed in the central chamber along with a toxic liquid that floods into the waters. The player must find some way to filter the water they breath or take 2d6 poison damage (adjust based on player level if needed). This poison persists until the orb is retrieved, but requires success on a DC 13 Strength check to pull it free, the players within incurring additional damage on each failure. Eastern Path This path is similar to the central one, continuing forward for roughly fifteen feet before curving ninety degrees into another eight foot cube shaped room. This room contains the following features: In the very center of the north wall is a blue-outlined spherical recess that looks like it would hold an orb. Just below the spherical recess is a large stone button. When the lever in the central chamber is moved to open up either of the other passageways, a second button appears on the south wall. Pressing and holding just one button causes the ceiling in the central chamber to lower. The ceiling reverts to its normal position when the button is let up, but if it is constantly held it will eventually crush whomever is in the central room. Pressing both gives a loud audible click (even in the water), but does not seem to have an effect yet. (Players in both side chambers need to press their buttons to open the orb slot in the central chamber. When the eastern chain in the central chamber is pulled, a slot will open in the eastern wall that contains a red orb. It also frees a large school of piranha. These piranha bite that character for 4d4 piercing damage (adjust based on player level if needed) every round until the orb is retrieved. As soon as the orb is removed, the fish disappear but the pain persists. The player must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the red orb while the attack is occurring, repeating this check each turn as long as the slot remains open. Western Path This path is similar to the central path, continuing forward for roughly fifteen feet before curving ninety degrees into another eight foot cube shaped room. This room contains the following features: In the very center of the north wall is a red-outlined spherical recess that looks like it would hold an orb. On either side of the spherical recess is a hole roughly six inches wide and one foot deep. There are buttons at the end of each of these holes. If the door to this room is closed, razors behind spiraling within the two holes, slicing the hands of any creature pressing the buttons. This deals 2d12 slashing damage (adjust based on player level if needed). If the red orb has been placed into its slot, these blades to not activate. When both buttons are pressed, they produce a loud audible click. When the western chain in the central chamber is pulled, a slot will open in the ceiling of the room containing a blue orb. As long as the slot is open, the player in that room is electrocuted for 2d6 lightning damage per turn. The creature in the room must make a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check when the slot is opened to notice the slot and the orb within, repeating this check each turn as long as the slot remains open. 108
The Solution In order to open the pathway to the inner sanctum of the pyramid, three three colored orbs all must be placed into their appropriate slots. The steps to unlocking this sanctum are as follows (though the order can be switched up a bit): Two players swim into the central chamber and moves the lever to allow players to enter each of the side chambers. The players in the central chamber pull the chains one at a time and the players in the side rooms must retrieve their orbs. The players in the central chamber pull both chains at the same time, opening slots to allow the orbs to be passed through. They must then pass the orbs to the opposite chambers so they can be placed into their correctly colored slots. With the orbs in place, the lever must be moved to reveal both buttons in the eastern chamber. The players in the side chambers must then press ALL four buttons simultaneously to unlock the green orb in the central chamber. The final orb is placed into its slot. Afterwards, the north side of each of these rooms open up and converge to a single pathway that leads to the inner sanctum where there is an item your players need to continue through the dungeon! Riddles First a flash and then a roar The gods enraged, who knows what for? Splintered children, grasping for land A random occurrence, or something planned? Boats sent to the depths, trees scorched and ruined Beware of the skies, when a great storm is brewing. Lightning A splash of blood and a kiss of spring, Make a heart melt with just this one thing. An aroma so sweet, but a base that stings, A symbol of love, a precursor to rings. A Rose This one is quite simple, but if you want to have some fun and rap a riddle to your players you can do so. The life ender, its design slender, silencer for the offender. For murder ideal, annealed steel but easy to conceal. A tool for the fool whose intentions are cruel. In poison it is dipped, flesh ripped, blood dripped, life stripped. You see, it’s a weapon for thee, but additionally, a key for me. A Dagger 109
Cubic Code This is a simple code that is around the outsides of a sealed cube. I suggest breaking up the pieces of the code into their own sections and handing them out so the players have to do a bit of work putting them together. This is quite an easy puzzle and should be solvable quickly for most groups. The Setup The players find a cube with three faces containing letters arranged in 3x3 grids. On the sides opposite those letters the cube has a similar grid with the slot either flat or raised. A raised slot is identified with an O and a flat slot is identified with an X. To solve the riddle, the players must match the raised slots with the letters in the corresponding slot on the opposite side. The same is true for the flat slots. When the players have done this, they will have to order them correctly and provide the answer. Front E N Y T D H O I E Back O X O X O X O X O Left W T I H E T H K I Right X O X O O X X O X Top S C U B S L E I E Bottom X X X X O O X O O The Solution "Within this cube the key does lie" is the phrase that is hidden on the cube. When the phrase is spoken allowed, the cube twists open an reveals a key that is stored inside. Logical Numbers #2 The Setup The players are presented with a device or a door that is protected by a 10 digit combination lock. The instructions to solve said lock can either be scattered in individual pieces throughout the area or all written out on a single piece of paper. I personally prefer to spread such the clues for something like this across multiple guards in the area and to hand the players physical pieces of paper that they must assemble to solve the final riddle, but any method is fine. The players must use the set of clues given below to find the unique solution for the lock. The Clues The number is 10 digits in total, all unique. The middle two digits sum to 10 and are both even. The first five digits sum to 20. Four appears before zero. The number created by the first two digits plus the number created by the last two digits equals the number created by the middle two digits. The number of days in an ordinary year is included without interruption. Clarification Notes The fifth clue is a bit tricky. If you or your players are confused, it simply means that 17 (the first two digits) plus 65 (the last two digits) equals 82 (the center two digits). The final clue can also be difficult if you are playing in a world that does not use a 365 day calendar. In that case, you can simply change the clue to be “the number 6 has a 3 directly on its left and a 5 directly on its right.” The Answer 1740829365 110
Statue and Key The Setup The players enter the room with a statue standing with its chest puffed out and hands on its hips. At the base of the statue are the words "Do As I Do" The room is locked with a mechanism that cannot be picked or opened by any ordinary means. In order to open this door, the players must complete the challenges set forth by the statue by matching its movement, even though some of the actions are quite violent and deadly. There is a small circle outlined on the floor ten feet in front of the statue that marks where the creature that is going to perform these actions must stand. Mimicry The First Action The first action the players must mimic is simply standing up with hands on hips with a puffed out chest. They must be facing the statue during all of these actions for them to register. The Second Action Once this action is completed, the statue bends down and punches the floor with enough force that some of the marble that it is crafted from shattered and falls to the ground in a cloud of dust. After this punch, the statue remains crouched with its fist partially embedded in the floor. The mimicking creature must also punch the floor hard enough that they take 1d6 bludgeoning damage and remained crouched as blood drips from their knuckles. The Third Action The statue rises to a standing position once again. It reaches down to its waist and pulls out a sword. It twists and stabs the sword violently to the right and retracts it with lightning speed. The sword now has a tip that is stained red. The statue takes the sword in both hands and plants it into the floor and awaits the player to mimic the action. For this to work, the player must take a weapon (not necessarily a sword), and strike another member of the party to coat the weapon in blood, then plant it against the floor as the statue is doing. This must be a full force swing and deals full weapon damage to the creature being struck. The Final Action When this action is also mimicked, the statue gives a nod of approval. It drops the blade and allows it to shatter against the floor and pulls out a dagger. It runs the dagger along its own hand, spilling a substance on to the floor that is indistinguishable from blood. It then tosses the dagger to the mimicking creature and reaches into its wound it has opened in its hand and withdraws a marble key. When the mimicking player looks down at their own hand they will see that there is now a dark spot beneath the surface of their flesh – this is the true key. They must use the dagger given to them by the statue to cut open their hand and withdraw the key. As the player is making the cuts and slowly pulling out the key, describe in detail the gruesomeness of the situation and the great pain they feel. Have five instances of 1d4 piercing damage occur during the withdrawal process, spaced out between your descriptions as the key is slowly being pulled free. The Deed is Done Once the key is freed from the creature's hand, the statue returns to its normal state and goes perfectly still – as you would expect of a statue. The players can use that key to open the locked door and proceed. 111
Angular Language The Setup Your players find strange symbols scattered across the dungeon or hideout they have infiltrated. Without knowledge of what these symbols mean, it is impossible to decode. The cipher for this symbolic language can either be hidden away in a chest somewhere the players will stumble upon in their journey or folded up in the pocket of a powerful enemy they defeat. It also does not need to all be found at once, and giving your players the solution piece by piece may lead to some entertainment as they try to figure out the answer with incomplete information. The Language Using this template you can create any number of hidden messages for your players to decipher! 112
Random Encounters Sometimes as a DM you just need a bit of inspiration to give some excitement to your party’s travel (or simply to buy yourself some extra time to figure out what is going to happen when they arrive since you certainly didn't expect them to go to that town all the way across the map!). Below are tables for all of the common types of terrain your party may travel over for an extended period of time - arctic, coast, desert, forest, jungle, plains, mountains, swamp, and finally the high seas! There is also a table for encounters that might occur while they are visiting a city. Each of these environments come with a d20 table of encounters your players might come across on a given day. These can be used to give you a burst of inspiration for a larger hook in your world, or just as a way to spice up travel in an exciting manner. On each of these tables (except for the city), there are 5 slots dedicated to pure combat encounters. You may notice these all fall into the category of Hard and Deadly difficulty which may cause you concern, but the typical use for these tables is to make a day of travel more exciting and are intended to be the only combat encounter your players face that day. They will likely be using a good deal of their resources, but hopefully it will also make for an interesting fight. Sometimes your players just needs to deal with a good old-fashioned orc ambush after a long session of heavy roleplaying. Along with the 20 random encounters for each environment, they also come with a d10 table of methods to make the combat encounters a bit more interesting. If you dislike the idea of your players having nothing to worry about beyond the enemy and nothing to use in their battle beyond their weapons and spells, then hopefully these tables will give you some ideas of extra ways to allow creativity to take hold and be rewarded. These additions to the battlefield may add extra challenges to the combat or it could make things easier for the players if they take advantage of the situation; either way it will make the battle into more than an open battlefield slugfest. Now your only real choice is if you simply browse through the list and find the option you think looks most fun . . . or do you let the dice make the decision for you? 113
Arctic Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 Marching through the frozen terrain, one of your players trips and falls in a pile of snow, landing on a perfectly preserved body in the ice. This body is at least a century old and looks to have once been royalty. They have a beautiful silver necklace around their neck with a familiar symbol upon it. 3 The party finds a lost winter wolf pup. It is friendly to the party, but if they decide to take the wolf along, the mother will be sure to hunt them down to retrieve her child. 4 The party starts to find beautiful sculptures of ice depicting wondrous and deadly creatures. Following the tracks leading from one of these sculptures via Wisdom (Survival) checks leads them to the igloo of an elvish druid named Nakata who has lived out here for decades. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 One of the party members feels the ground beneath their feet shift uncomfortably. It suddenly becomes apparent that they are walking on a frozen lake and have nearly reached its center. They will need to move carefully or risk breaking through. They can use Dexterity (Acrobatics) to move carefully, but if that doesn't go well they will need to use Strength (Athletics) checks to outrun the crumbling ice. 7 The party finds the remnants of a small village that looks to have been raided recently. Within the town are scattered coins and a few minor valuables left behind. Written in blood on one of the walls is the name of the group responsible for this slaughter. 8 The party finds the body of a recently deceased yeti. It looks to have been torn to pieces by some larger, even more powerful predator. They can choose to follow the trail of blood to the beast’s lair if they are looking for a challenge. Make this a beast at least 2 CR over the party’s average level, but also have the creature’s body parts be worth a great deal of coin to reward them for their risk-taking. If you have a particularly large group, give it some basic attacks as Legendary Actions. Emphasize the deadliness of this creature! 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The party stumbles upon an ancient tomb. It is barely visible above the ice and snow and will need to be dug up if the party wishes to enter. Within the tomb are animated guardians and a few decaying books with lore of the area. Fill these books with plot hooks or world information - perhaps there is a magic item left behind with the owner as well. d20 Encounter 11 The party finds a large herd of elk wandering through the area. They can be quite dangerous if provoked, but if captured they can be sold for profit and their meat is delicious when harvested. If the party tries to capture too many, predators may approach to hunt. 12 Your players find a massive arch of stone and ice that extends over a hundred feet into the air. There is evidence of multiple efforts to climb to the top, but none appear to have been successful thus far. A magic item awaits at the top of this structure with a congratulatory note from a mysterious wizard. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 Growing up out of the ice and snow is a massive tree. It is the only tree within miles, but it seems to be thriving even in this hostile environment. Intelligence (Arcana) checks reveal that this is part of a teleportation network. 15 The party finds a small village of perhaps a dozen folk on the edge of a frozen lake. It is an ice fishing community and they are doing quite well for themselves. Perhaps they have a quest for our heroes or maybe they offer respite from the harsh weather . . . if the price is right. There are rumors of a great treasure waiting at the bottom of the lake. 16 The party finds the remains of an ancient outpost. There are signs someone has been lurking around recently. Inside is a group of bandits that are wanted for crimes in a nearby city - Dead or Alive. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 The day’s weather is particularly brutal. With windchill it is well below freezing. Continuing to travel on this day is quite dangerous. The party will need to use the supplies they have on hand and the environment to create shelter or be subjected to periodic Constitution saving throws. Failing one of these saves results in a level of exhaustion. 19 A dazzling display of lights dance across the night sky. These represent nearly every color in the spectrum. An Intelligence (History) check reveals that many see these lights as a good omen of things to come and will perform elaborate rituals all through the night when they appear. 20 The party hears the sounds of bells in the distance. If they follow these bells, they find a large overturned red sleigh with a bag filled with goods pouring out of it. On the ground next to the sleigh is a fluffy red suit with the name Nicholas sewn into the collar. This sack functions as a bag of holding. Someone wearing the red suit can reach into the bag as an action and pull out the toy perfect for the person they are currently looking at, but can only retrieve one toy per year per person. If the person being looked at is evil in nature, a piece of coal is retrieved instead. 114
Arctic Combat Considerations d10 Arctic Combat Considerations 1 The battle takes place atop a frozen lake. If a creature stands on a single space for too long or if multiple creatures are grouped up in a small space, the ice will break and drop the creatures into the freezing water below. 2 There are large boulders scattered around the area that can be used as cover. The area directly around these boulders is covered in deeper snow that makes it difficult terrain. 3 There are scattered patches of exposed ice throughout the battlefield. Whenever a creature not native to this environment steps onto one of these patches for the first time on a turn, they must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. 4 Half of the enemies that are to participate in this encounter enter combat 2 turns later than the others. These creatures are hidden beneath the snow or hiding behind the snow drifts. Increase the difficulty of the encounter slightly to compensate for this delay. 5 This portion of the arctic is crowded with dense pine trees that provide exceptional cover for both the players and the enemy. A fallen tree divides the center of the battlefield and creatures must use half of their movement to climb over it. d10 Arctic Combat Considerations 6 Just to the side of where the battle occurs is a thirty foot drop off. There is snow at the bottom of this cliff so creatures only take half the normal fall damage. Climbing back to the top required a DC 20 Athletics check if attempted with no equipment due to the ice on the rock. 7 A 15 feet high, 10 feet wide wall of stone runs for nearly a 100 feet. The players will need to choose one side or the other. Some of the enemies will jump down from atop this cliff while the others will flank from the side the player's did not traverse. 8 There is a large stone archway that extends over the party’s path when they are attacked. Loud noise and vibrations will cause large blocks of snow and large icicles to drop onto the creatures below. 9 The combat takes place on the side of a long, fairly steep hill. Whenever a creature is pushed or knocked prone, it must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or slide 1d4x10 feet down the hill. 10 A large chasm splits the battlefield in two. It is over 100 feet long and 15 feet across, but fortunately there is a large tree that has fallen over the gap and allows for crossings to occur, though they will need to succeed on a DC 10 Acrobatics check to do so successfully. Otherwise, they slide down into the chasm and take 6d6 fall damage. 115
Coast Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 The party finds message in a bottle washed up upon the shore. Within is a plea from a shipwrecked crew that are stranded on a nearby island. If the party takes the time to rescue them, they are greatly rewarded. 3 An obvious trail of shells leads from the beach off into the nearby forest. This trail continues for nearly a mile before finally coming to a tiny pool of water. At the center of this pool is a faintly glowing spiral fossil that is nearly a foot in diameter. There are legends of such a fossil awakening an ancient sea creature that only appears to those who are worthy when they are in need. 4 A beautiful bird of paradise soars overhead and lands on a nearby tree. This bird performs an elaborate dance that sends off sparks of electricity. This bird has been gifted by the spark of a sorcerer and if shown a display of lightning will follow the party as a new companion. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 A massive sea turtle rests in the center of the beach, smashing itself against a nearby rocky outcropping. There is a harpoon pierced through the turtle’s shell that it is clearly trying to remove. It will lash out at players that come close, but if they persist and help the turtle it will shake off the damaged portion of its shell. It falls to the ground and immediately turns to pearl. This shell fragment is worth a large quantity of gold. 7 The party spots a bullywug scavenging the shores for “valuable” objects to prove its immense wealth. Upon seeing the players, it will attempt to trade the players for any shiny objects they are wearing. If the players refuse, he will run away to alert his tribe. 8 The party finds a portion of land that only becomes exposed at low tide. It extends hundreds of feet out into the ocean via a ten foot wide path completely surrounded by water. At the end of this path is a 30 foot wide circle of sand with a trident impaled at the center. It is a magical trident and removing it from its location causes the pathway to immediately collapse with the party far from shore. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 There is a small fishing village along the coast. When the party arrives they see that some people are acting strange - they speak monotone, don’t laugh or understand sarcasm, and seem to always be slowly moving their arms for no reason. These strange people have a parasitic leech latched onto their neck which is hidden by a thick seaweed “scarf”. Reward the party with fishing supplies, rations, and gratitude if they can help free these people. d20 Encounter 11 Your players come up on a gigantic conch shell, standing at nearly fifteen feet tall. There is a campfire out front and decorations throughout the area - clearly someone lives here but they are not home at the moment. It actually belongs to a hag and if the party takes any of her property she will hunt them down and curse the items they took. 12 The players find a massive sand castle constructed on the beach. It is 15 feet wide and 10 feet high and is decorated with seashells and polished stones. If the party waits here the creator returns, a young boy whose family lives nearby. He builds the castle to escape from his abusive parents. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 Washed up on the shore is a stranded whale. It is still alive but cannot make its way back to the ocean. If the players can find a way to help the whale back to the water, it fires a geyser of water into the air and causes light rain to begin to fall in the entire area. As long as your players are in this rain, they are under the effects of the Bless spell. 15 On this day, a rather powerful storm rolls through the area. Massive waves crash against the shore at regular intervals, but when one of these waves recedes there is a strange book left sitting in the sand. The party must move quickly to retrieve this book or it is swept back into the ocean. Fill this book with interesting lore or a quest hook. 16 As the party moves through this area, they begin to see evidence of multiple shipwrecks. The shores are filled with scrap wood and cloth from destroyed ships and the remnants of some of these ships are still visible further out. There is a Crabstrosity nearby (See Nerzugal’s Game Master Toolkit for details of this terrifying monstrosity.) 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 A friendly sea lion begins to follow the party around, mocking their movements and occasionally splashing them with water before bolting back to the ocean. If the party gives the sea lion food, he will stick by their side until they leave the coast. While the sea lion is around, it will warn the party of danger when it approaches. 19 On the side of a rock near the beach someone has drawn out a rough map of the area. There is a large red X drawn off in a cove and next to it are the words - BEWARE: Betsy, The Saber-Toothed Catfish. 20 The party finds a grove of coconut trees that are growing out of the shallow waters of the sea. Some of these trees lean far over, weighed down from the immense number of coconuts each of them seems to hold. These coconuts have soaked up some of the natural energies of the ocean and drinking the water from one of them grants the ability to breath underwater for a short time. These trees are unfortunately surrounded by a large pack of electric eels. 116
Coast Combat Considerations d10 Coast Combat Considerations 1 There are a few hidden traps lying along the beach. These are basic pitfall traps with no spikes at the bottom. A creature falling into the pit takes 1d6 damage and falls prone. A trapped creature must succeed on a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check to pull themselves out of the pit without assistance. 2 On the second round of combat, a particularly powerful set of waves rolls in as a result of a far off storm. Any creature within 15 feet of the waters edge must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed to the edge of the wave’s reach. 3 This portion of the beach is covered in large pieces of driftwood. Enemies will use this for cover and as a place from which they can launch an ambush. Hanging from the end of one of these pieces of wood is a large fishing net that seems to be in fairly good shape. 4 A river delta is the location of this combat. The party must cross a series of short outlets to the sea - not very deep but roughly 15 feet across. Moving through these is considered difficult terrain and aquatic creatures may lurk in these waters awaiting prey. 5 A few large palm trees hang out over the water at extreme angles. A rope swing is attached to one of them and a hammock to another. A third tree has a few dead bodies hanging from it with bloodied weapons still laying on the ground nearby. d10 Coast Combat Considerations 6 Large rocks are scattered across the beach. These serve as excellent cover for both the players and the enemy. They are small enough that a creature can scramble atop one fairly easily. 7 There are many incredibly sharp seashells scattered in clusters across this portion of the beach. If a creature moves across these seashells, they take 1 piercing damage for every 5 feet of movement expended. 8 An entire school of jellyfish seems to have been washed ashore by a recent storm. Much of the battlefield is littered with their bodies. Stepping anywhere near these results in 1d4 lightning damage. 9 During the encounter, half of the enemies join in after two rounds - approaching from the ocean. These creatures may not be friendly towards the other attackers. Make this encounter one difficulty rating harder than listed to make up for the delayed attack. 10 The supplies from a ship have washed up on shore in this area. This includes casks of ale as well as large containers of oil that are highly flammable and will explode if hit be a fire spell or torch. There are also some spare weapons lying in the sand, but they are a bit rusted. 117
Desert Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 The party finds a field of cacti that extends for miles in every direction. Going around will delay travel greatly, but going through makes any additional encounters much more difficult to maneuver. Some of the larger cacti at the center are aggressive and will lash out at nearby creatures, but they guard an ancient treasure. 3 The party finds a huge funnel of sand in the center of their path. There is sand constantly dripping into a ten foot wide hole at its center, but it disappears into darkness and out of sight. If players drop down, they will land on a large pile of sand in a sandstone cavern filled that was once a hideout for bandits (or perhaps still is!). 4 The party finds a set of massive bones jutting out of the desert. They look to have belongs to some sort of monstrous creature that has been dead for some time. The rib bones are covered in paint from local creatures that worship the remains. Harvesting some of the bone can be used to make armor or potions. This will upset the creatures that worship it. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 The party comes across a portion of the desert that is perfectly flat for many miles. Far in the distance, they spot a figure shrouded in black. Sometimes it appears to grow closer, other times it shrinks to only a tiny spec, but it is always there. If they move towards this mysterious object for at least two hours, they find a cloak hanging off of a dead tree. Wrapped in the pocket is a note that reads: “I’m going to die in this hell.” 7 The party comes across a sign out in the middle of the desert that simply reads, “If you can get it, it’s yours” Just beyond this sign is a rather large, jagged area of rock that is roughly 200 feet across. Sitting at the center of these rocks, half-buried in sand, is a chest with a magic item of your choice inside. Seems easy enough, except under each of those rocks is an entire family of snakes. The party must fight, distract, frighten, or magic their way to the center. 8 The party comes across a giant lizard laying out on a warm stone soaking up the sunlight. This lizard also has two heads which is certainly abnormal. This lizard is much smarter than ordinary lizards and could be used as a party pet or sold to a collector of exotic animals for a high price, but of course only if it is captured alive. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The party comes across an abandoned village crafted primarily of red clay. It contains a dozen buildings and can be used to provide some respite from the heat. One of these homes is much nicer than the others. Successful Intelligence (Investigation) checks within the home reveals a secret underground passageway. Fill this passageway and any connected chambers with world history, additional quest hooks, and perhaps some treasure. d20 Encounter 11 The party comes across a massive portion of stone that juts out of the desert. It is roughly 100 feet high and at the top is a gargantuan bird nest. Within this nest are three Roc eggs. These are known to be incredibly valuable . . . but mother will not be happy. 12 The party finds a herd of camels (4d6 total). Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks can turn these creatures into mounts if the party does not already have them. Otherwise, they can be captured and sold, killed for their meat, or left alone to go about their way in the desert. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 The party finds a field of intricate stone carvings of various desert creatures and even a few humans. The humans are all reeling in terror. Success on a DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) check reveals this is likely the work of a basilisk, but a fail and that character will think there must be a gifted sculptor living nearby in the desert. 15 The party comes across a twelve foot diameter, perfectly round stone. Upon it are strange runic symbols and some blood stains. The corpses of desert creatures lie on the ground nearby. An Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals this was used to summon some sort of demon or devil rather recently. 16 A powerful rainstorm rolls through the area. It is an unending torrent for a full twenty-four hours. During the storm, any sand-covered areas are considered difficult terrain, powerful rivers form and black pathways, visibility is impossible past 15 feet, and subterranean creatures swarm to the surface. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 The party finds a field of massive flowers. The field itself is quite small, but each of these flower’s petals are four feet in diameter. They are solid black with accents of purple and give off the aroma of a rotting corpse. The bulb at the center of these plants is filled with a potent poison and touching any of the petals causes awful pain (necrotic damage appropriate for your party’s level) and paralysis on a failed DC 13 Constitution saving throw. 19 The party finds an abandoned village with just over a dozen tents setup. The winds of the desert have worn down the shelters a bit, but it makes for a good place to get some rest from the hot sun. In one of these tents is a skeleton clutching a note that reads, “It was my fault. I didn’t mean to release it. It hungers.” 20 The party comes across a lush oasis just as the sun is at its highest in the sky. The pool of water here is crystal clear and ice cold. The trees flourish here and fruit even grows on them. It seems too good to be true. Sitting in the sand near the edge of the pool of water is a solid gold lamp with traces of magic lingering. Within it is the trapped spirit of a djinn. If the party can complete an elaborate quest and free the djinn from this lamp, it will grant them a single wish. 118
Desert Combat Considerations d10 Desert Combat Considerations 1 Surprise your players with a pair of rattlesnakes hidden beneath a small cluster of rocks at the center of the battlefield. 2 A few massive spires of stone jut out of the desert. These spires are connected by rope bridges built from villagers who lived here long ago. These bridges are fifteen feet above the ground. The enemies could ambush from up here or the players could use these for a high ground advantage. 3 The sands here shift seemingly at random. Every other round of combat on initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), shift each creature 5 feet in a random direction. All creatures not standing on four legs or more must succeed on a DC 5 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. 4 On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties) of the first round of combat, a dust devil spins up and beings moving across the battlefield. This small twister moves 10 feet in a straight line on initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties) of each subsequent round of combat. The area within 10 feet of the dust devil is considered difficult terrain, is heavily obscured, and causes all projectile attacks that would pass through it to be made with disadvantage. 5 The area is obscured with many large, flat rocks. These can be used as cover or stood upon, but are incredibly hot and can even burn someone if they stand on one for too long. d10 Desert Combat Considerations 6 A few particularly large cacti are scattered across the battlefield. They are quite soft and can be sliced in twain with one attack from a slashing weapon, causing them to potentially fall on anyone standing nearby. Enemies know this! 7 A group of vultures circle overhead. As soon as any creature is killed or knocked unconscious, these birds will swoop in for the free meal. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties) they move and any creature lying on the ground that they attack immediately fails one death saving throw. 8 The party must make a group Wisdom (Perception) check with a DC against the enemy’s Dexterity (Stealth) check. The enemies burst from beneath the sands as they attack, getting a surprise round if they had a high enough stealth roll. There are small holes scattered throughout the battlefield which creatures can easily fall into if they are not careful. 9 The battle takes place at the pinnacle of a rather steep sand dune. If a creature is pushed while on one of these slopes, it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or roll 1d6 x 5 feet down the side of the dune. 10 There is the abandoned shell of a gigantic turtle in the middle of the desert. It is nearly twenty feet across and all but indestructible. The shell is hollow with entrances roughly four feet high where its legs and head once protruded. Enemies await inside for their ambush. 119
Forest Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 Your party finds a smouldering campfire and evidence that someone was here recently. Wisdom (Survival) checks can track footprints from this location to another adventuring group. They have information about local towns and rumors of nearby quests. 3 Your party can smell a pleasant aroma wafting up into the air. Shortly after there is smoke seen pouring up into the sky. Following this smoke leads to a small house miles away from the nearest village. This house belongs to an old alchemist who can make potions for the party from monster parts or rare plants they have collected. 4 Your party hears some light sobbing coming from just off the pathway. Investing the source leads them to a man curled up next to a log crying. He is covered in blood and his clothes are tattered and ruined. He is a lycanthrope (whichever kind you’d like) and lost control of himself last night. He is afraid of whom he may have hurt. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 A group of faerie dragons begin following the party and playing pranks on them from a distance while remaining invisible. This is mostly harmless, such as making illusory obstacles in the path or snuffing out torches. They are friendly and will even lead the party to a nearby cavern filled with treasure if they treat the dragons well. Unfortunately, that nearby cave is inhabited by goblins/gnolls/orcs (whichever is appropriate to the area and your party’s level). 7 As the party walks through the woods they see a pool of tar in the middle of their path. It is nearly ten feet wide and bubbling. Inhaling the air anywhere near the pit makes someone dizzy and susceptible to horrific illusions if they fail a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. This is the early attempts of a demon or devil to pierce into this world. The pit will beckon forth creatures with telepathy and if they approach a tentacle will burst out and attempt to pull them into the pit. 8 The party finds an old man leaning against a tree playing a lute. His long beard is mixed with leaves and moss grows on his clothing. He calls himself the Keeper of this Forest and when he strums his lute the birds match his notes. He will give them a cryptic warning and/or a clue about the journey that lies ahead before bursting into a spiral of leaves and drifting away. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The party finds a metal can sitting near the side of the road with a string attached to the backside of it. This string weaves through the forest for what seems like an eternity. If they hold their ear up to the can, a voice starts to speak to them. The voice demands a tribute of wealth be placed in a nearby chest or they will cut down in their sleep by spirits of the dead. In reality, it is an elaborate ruse by a group of bandits. d20 Encounter 11 The party meets a caravan of traders on the road. They carry some exotic goods that your players may be interested in. Try to think of items relevant to their backstories - a memento of their hometown, a specialty weapon, or simply an interesting trinket. 12 The road passes straight through an old orcish encampment. It has been abandoned (perhaps) for some years, but there are still many wooden signs out front warning of danger. If the party goes within the walls, they find evidence of a group having stayed here recently. It is impossible to tell their race or intent, but there is a trail leading from the village and deeper into the woods. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 The party finds an incredibly intricate treehouse out in the woods. It is forty feet up a tree with no discernible way to reach it as there are no branches anywhere near the base of the tree. If they get a bit closer, they find a rope ladder sprawled out on the ground with the skeleton of a humanoid nearby. There is a beautiful ring with a family crest engraved upon it on the skeleton's finger. Up in the tree is a note, “The rope broke and I can’t get down . . . I am going to have to jump. If I don’t make it, take my ring to my mother, Alesha Traphex.” 15 The party find initials carved into a large tree. The first name is that of one of the local kings or queens (along with a recognizable family crest) while the second is one they don’t recognize. Some deeper investigation reveals that there was a childhood romance that was destroyed because of politics. The party can help to reunite the long separated lovers. 16 The party finds a rabbit with its foot stuck in a trap. If they free the rabbit it transforms into a druid. He was testing them to see if they were kind souls, and if they pass the test he offers them a golden leaf. If this leaf is torn in half, he will come to their side (no matter where they are) and aid them in their endeavors for one hour. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 The party finds a strange stone well out in the woods. It is crumbling around the edges but still in tact. It seems to have a strange aura about it. If they get close, they can hear what sounds like a child crying down in the well, but it is cast in complete darkness. Some demonic force is luring creatures to their doom within. 19 The party spots a massive pit off the side of the road with a sign out front that reads, “FREE FUD” with an arrow pointing down. This pit is fifteen feet deep and filled with spikes. This “trap” is clearly ogre in nature. There is a tribe nearby that has recently begun harassing local villages. 20 At night a dragon squirrel begins raiding the party’s money, making Dexterity (Stealth) checks against the passive Perception of whomever the party has on watch. It hoards their money in the side of a tree where ordinary squirrels might keep food for winter. If the party can track the dragon squirrel with Wisdom (Survival) checks they can find even more wealth than what they lost . . . if they can disable the "dangerous" beast. 120
Forest Combat Considerations d10 Forest Combat Considerations 1 Thick thorn bushes divide the battleground into three distinct sections. These bushes are five feet thick and tall. Moving through them requires 10 feet of movement and causes 1d4 piercing damage. 2 There is a large pool of water in the middle of the battlefield that turns into a stream on one side. This pond is 20 feet wide but the stream is only 5 feet across. Both are shallow enough to wade through, but it is considered difficult terrain to do so. 3 The trees above this portion of the forest are particularly dense and the area is cast in dim light. Because of this, many plants cannot survive on the ground level and they crunch loudly underfoot. All Dexterity (Stealth) checks are made at disadvantage in this area. 4 There is a large tree near where the combat begins that looks as if it could fall over at any moment. A player can attempt to knock this tree over, making a check appropriate to their method to see if they succeed. On a successful check, any creature in the tree's path must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 5d8 bludgeoning damage and become restrained as the tree lands on them. A trapped creature must use their action and succeed on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to struggle out from under the tree. 5 A large hollowed log, ten feet in diameter and forty feet long, runs down the center of the battlefield. The only entry points are on either end, but there are a few portions along the edges that are rotted away enough to allow projectiles to pass through unimpeded. A creature can smash through the side of the fallen tree by succeeding on a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check or dealing at least 10 damage to it in a single round. d10 Forest Combat Considerations 6 One of the creatures attacking the party throws a torch on the first round of combat. This causes the dry leaves at the party’s feet to go ablaze. The fire spreads rapidly if it is not dealt with immediately. 7 A wild beast is watching from the trees and decides to enter the fray as soon as the first creature is killed or knocked unconscious. Adjust the difficulty of the encounter to be a bit harder to make up for the delayed entry of this beast. 8 This portion of the forest is incredibly dense. Trees are so tightly packed together that vision is completely blocked past 15 feet. The enemy will weave between these thick trees to keep the players on edge and to try to force them to split up and be picked off one at a time. 9 This forest is still lined with various traps from local trappers. Scattered across the battlefield are 2 bear traps, a large snare trap, and a disguised pitfall trap. Any and all of these can be used by the players or by their enemies. If you wish to make things even more exciting, have a vicious animal trapped at the bottom of the pitfall trap that will attack anyone who is unlucky enough to stumble down. 10 Whenever a creature is killed in this part of the forest, it is immediately consumed by the flora. Grass, mushrooms, vines, roots, and all other similar plantlife move at highly unnatural rates to wrap their body and pull it into the ground. Whenever this happens, all ground within 5 feet of the corpse is considered difficult terrain from the newly overgrown plants. A creature absorbed by the forest in such a way cannot be revived by normal means. 121
Jungle Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 A set of vines seem to slither across the jungle floor as if it were a snake. If a player cuts the vine, it will recoil in pain and attempt to slither away. Following this vine back to its source, they find a massive ancient tree that towers above the others and pierces through the canopy into the sky above. Druids or other such classes can commune with the tree for knowledge and climbing it can reveal their location with more detail. 3 A set of eight-foot tall stone heads stand out in a clearing. There are arranged in a hexagon pattern, each spaced twenty feet apart and looking in a random direction. There are six in total and their eyes are gemstones that represent the primary and secondary colors. Each of these statues has a rotating base. Let your party solve this “puzzle” until they come up with a "solution", at which point a map on a stone tablet rises out of the ground at the center of these statues. 4 The party finds a ravine in the jungle that goes down a hundred feet into pure darkness. Many vines have crept over the edge and can be used to help in the party’s descent. At the bottom of this ravine is exotic flora that can only survive in the rainforest climate and in total darkness. These can be used to make interesting potions. Creatures that venture down here and eat these plants may also experience strange effects that could indicate to the party what these plants do. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 The party comes across a beautiful river that is filled to the brim with wildlife and plantlife. As it continues, the water begins to flow faster until finally ending in a 70 foot tall waterfall. At the bottom of the waterfall is a swimming area, but in the mud off to the side of this pool of water are markings of something hastily scrambling out of the water and clearly injured. 7 The party finds a sloth clutching to the side of a tree. As they move past it watches them with great curiosity before holding out a claw to the party. The party can approach the sloth and take it as a pet, though it will be useless in any sort of combat encounter. 8 The party comes up on a machete embedded deep in a petrified tree. Along the blade of this rune is a quote written in Elven, “Only the true lord of the forest can remove this blade.” It is impossible for anyone to pull this weapon from the tree or to chop the tree down, even through magical means. The party must perform a heroic feat to save this forest from a deadly threat to be deemed worthy, at which point they will receive this legendary weapon. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The path suddenly becomes void of all plant life except for a cluster of scattered leaves. If the leader of the party has a passive Perception of 15 or higher they notice this anomaly, otherwise they walk straight into a pit of quicksand. The party must band together to save themselves. Have them make checks appropriate to their method of rescue. d20 Encounter 11 The party comes across two trees that are twisted together and spiral up into the canopy. This strange combination of trees grows a strange purple fruit roughly the size of an apple. The only way to get the fruit is to climb this tree 60 feet up. This fruit which is very sweet and will give sustenance for a full day if eaten. These fruit go bad after 1d6 days. 12 The party finds an elaborate carving in the side of a tree just off the main path. It shows a pathway through the jungle and at the end is an X labeled - “Treasure”. Next to it is another note that reads “Not actually treasure.” If the party follows the map, they find a bandit camp. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 A powerful rainstorm hits the jungle. Water pours down off of leaves in the canopy in huge streams and causes the lower grounds to flood. Subterranean animals and insects swarm to the surface which also causes the predators to go on the hunt. All visibility during the storm is lightly obscured so it may be difficult to notice a tiger sneaking up behind them. 15 The party is berated with insults by a parrot that escaped its owner. It will call them idiots and in the heat of battle will mock their outfits and battle tactics. If the party ever attacks the parrot it will swiftly fly away with a cackle. 16 The party finds a set of footprints that leads off the path and deeper into the jungle. If the party chooses to follow these footprints, they find a set of wooden bridges that span high up in the treetops. Around these trees are wide platforms with homes built upon them. These homes belong to a tribe of individuals that wished to leave city life behind long ago and settled out amongst the canopy. They have information on the jungle and its wildlife. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 Off the path sits a giant venus flytrap at least 5 feet in diameter. At the center of this plant’s maw is a massive golden orb. A DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check reveals that this is a valuable ingredient for alchemy or gourmet cooking, but if the flytrap snaps its mouth shut, the orb will be destroyed. 19 This encounter occurs at night. The party spots dozens of tiny faces glowing in the darkness just a few inches from the ground. Closer inspection reveals these are rare Tiki Ants. They carry around small bits of wood with faces of luminescent paint drawn upon them to scare away potential predators. They are often rumored to have an inherent ability to find treasures. 20 The party spots a human walking off in the distance. If they call out or attempt to alert this figure, it takes off running into the jungle. The party can take chase and if they keep it up for ten minutes they find a home crafted into the side of a large fallen tree. The figure is famous adventurer who is said to be dead by the name of Alfred Renown (yes he was born with that name). He faked his own death because there are powerful people who want him dead and would hurt his family. If the party helps him, he will lead them to a temple that holds great wealth. 122
Jungle Combat Considerations d10 Jungle Combat Considerations 1 Some of the plants in this area are just as vicious as the creatures. There is a large violet flower in the center of the battlefield. Whenever a creature moves adjacent to it for the first time, it releases spores into the air. Any creature within 5 feet of the flower must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed until the end of its next turn. There is also a large black flower that does the same thing except it inflicts the poisoned status instead. 2 There is a dried out riverbed that runs through this area. It is ten feet deep and drops off at a steep angle. Climbing out of the riverbed requires success on a DC 8 Strength (Athletics) check. There are a few larger boulders along the edge of the riverbed that could be rolled down at any creatures that have decided to jump down or were pushed down. 3 There is a large pit in the center of this area. Down at the bottom is a writhing mess of vines and other plantlife. Falling down into the pit is not painful, but landing on these plants causes a creature to become grappled as they are tangled in vines. Any grappled creature must use their action to make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, breaking free on a success. They can use some of the many vines that line the pit to climb back up to ground level. 4 The battle takes place at the ruins of an old temple. The walls and roof have almost completely crumbled, leaving massive slabs of stone and stairwells that spiral up to nothing or have trees growing directly through them. This allows the battle to unfold on multiple levels and makes for a great hiding place for enemies that would strike via ambush. 5 There are a runes scrawled on a series of perfectly square stones scattered throughout this portion of the jungle. Each of these runes are a different color and are used to enhance various schools of magic. If a creature stands on one of these stones and uses a spell that corresponds to the element shown on it, the damage for that spell is increased by 1d10 of that type. d10 Jungle Combat Considerations 6 Some additional jungle wildlife lurks amongst the treetops. Large snakes may coil their way down via the vines or perhaps a giant ant stumbles across the battle and sees an opportunity. These creatures show up whenever there is an opportunity to strike, but make sure you factor in these additional enemies into the overall challenge rating of the fight. 7 The skies open up and powerful rainfall floods over the jungle. The water find its way down particularly large leaves and by the time it reaches the ground it is pouring in massive streams. This causes all areas of actual soil to be considered difficult terrain as it quickly becomes muddy. It also causes vision to be lightly obscured from the mist of water that splashes up all around. 8 This encounter takes place at night. There is a creature in this part of the jungle that has an ear piercing mating cry that it performs only in certain seasons . . . and the group happens to be passing through at just that time. Verbal communication with creatures more than 10 feet away is impossible during this fight and sleep is incredibly difficult. 9 This encounter takes place at night. Beautiful luminescent moths fly throughout the area, but unfortunately the light they cast is incredibly disorienting to those that can see in the dark. Creatures with darkvision make all attacks with disadvantage as long as the moths remain nearby. 10 This area is scattered with ancient stone pillars and carvings that provide additional cover beyond the dense trees of the jungle. Some of the carvings are still laced with traps waiting to be triggered after years of lying dormant. Stepping in front of one of these spits out a blast of strange black gas in a 15 foot cone. Each creature in this area must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep for 1 minute or until they are damaged or a creature uses its action to shake them awake. 123
Plains Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 The party comes upon a skeletal graveyard of local wildlife. There are remains of hundreds if not thousands of animals that all seem to come to this one area to die. There is something that draws the animals here when their time has come. Perhaps a brave group of adventurers could find out why. 3 A wildfire breaks out and begins consuming everything in flames. The party must move quickly to stay ahead of the flames and the smoke. Many creatures and other travelers flee as well. While running, the party comes across a trader whose cart has a broken wheel. His livelihood is in the cart so he is quite stubborn to leave it behind even as the flames close in. 4 Off the side of the road is a makeshift market stall. It is far from any town and looks to be barely standing. There is a sign across the top that reads, “Gibly’s Great Goods!” This trade stand belongs to a renegade goblin. He ran away from his tribe to become a merchant and has many interesting (but mostly worthless) items to trade. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 The party meets up with a caravan as they travel down the path. There are eight mounted guards that are all heavily armored and look to be seasoned veterans of combats. They are protecting a central wagon that clearly carries someone of great importance. 7 As the party walks across the fields, they are greeted by a curious weasel. It runs up to the party and will attempt to steal something shiny exposed on one of the party members. Even if they shoo away the weasel, it will a return and attempt to steal from them again. If they give up an item to the weasel willingly, it performs a war dance in excitement. At this point, the party can make a DC 10 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to have the weasel follow them as a companion. 8 The party finds a farmstead surrounded by multiple acres of corn and wheat. If they go visit the farmstead itself, they find roughly sixty people live here as farmhands. In addition to the corn and wheat, they also have a large barn full of cockatrice that they breed and sell to high end restaurants to make stonebroth stew. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The party finds an orcish ritual site that hasn’t been used in quite some time. Most avoid it because they fear any lingering magics that might still exist, which is why it hasn’t been torn down yet. It turns out these orcs were trying to complete a ritual to infuse their blood with those of a demon to gain extra strength . . . and they were very close. If other orcs find out about this, they will certainly be on their way to finish the ceremony. d20 Encounter 11 A meteor shower streaks by overhead. One of these does not burn up in the atmosphere and comes crashing into the ground nearby. A Xorn awaits inside if the party is brave enough to seek it out. 12 The party comes across a massive herd of buffalo. There is hundreds if not thousands of these creatures gathered and they block the pathway fairly effectively. If there are any sharp, loud noises made, the creatures will become terrified and begin to stampede in a random direction. The party will then have to find cover or risk being trampled. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 A powerful earthquake hits the area in the middle of the night. The ground does not seem to split open anywhere, but it is strong enough to wake everyone in the party. In the morning, there are ten foot tall octahedrons floating across the plains. These seem to be made of a unknown shining metal and is infused with powerful magics. Find a purpose for these - perhaps they power a force field to hold off an ancient, powerful foe or perhaps they signify the coming of some grand natural phenomenon. 15 Your party comes across a new fortress being constructed just off the road. It is still in the very early stages of being assembled, but the groundwork is complete. Talking to one of the men there, they can find out which nearby lord is in charge of the construction and perhaps the party can help them with a few pesky creatures that have been making construction difficult. 16 As the party goes on their way, they hear the sound of trumpets blasting in the distance. Not much time later a group of half a dozen ostrich-mounted gnomes come charging up. Both gnome and ostriches are heavily armored and they introduce themselves as the 3rd Flightless Cavalry of Territhstrom and ask what intruders are doing in their lands. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 There is a large beautiful lake that the pathway wraps around. The frogs ribbit in a unique pattern here. If the party repeats this pattern back, the water splits open and reveals a passageway to a dome under the lake. This dome is filled with the hidden texts of a wizard who died long ago. It was his personal study and gives a unique perspective of the world. 19 An area of these fields is particularly flat and seems to be constantly under assault from thunderstorms. It is known as the Lightning Steppes. Every fifty yards or so is a large metal spire that serves as a lightning rod. Signs line the way that warn against straying from the designated path. A fortress made entirely of stone that is visible off in the distance. 20 The party comes across a mysterious man in black walking down the road slowly. He has a long walking stick and a crow perched on his shoulder. He wears an eye patch over his left eye. He asks the party a series of questions and if they answer correctly he rewards them with a book that will answer one question written within it every two weeks. 124
Plains Combat Considerations d10 Plains Combat Considerations 1 This portion of the plains are covered is covered in incredibly tall grass. It is eight feet high in some patches and makes visibility incredibly limited. There are a few paths stomped through the grass, but they were not all created by friendly folk. 2 This field was the location of a large battle that took place long ago. There are still craters and debris from the impact of spells that tore up the landscape. A few rusted out weapons are lying in the dirt. 3 Scattered across this field are many holes formed by groundhogs. Whenever a creature moves at least fifteen feet on a single turn, it must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, one of the creature’s feet falls into a hole and they lose the rest of their movement for the turn. On a success, they manage to dodge the hole and continue on as usual. On a natural 1, the creature sprains its ankle and has its movement halved until finishing a short or long rest. 4 A small abandoned cabin sits in the middle of the field. The roof is mostly rotted away at this point, but the walls are holding up nicely. There is a stone well out front that still functions as well as a wooden fence around the property that has a few holes in it but is held up well for the most part. The enemies use all of these obstacles to their advantage as best they can. 5 A large river cuts through the area. Fortunately there is a nicely built stone bridge to help people cross without issue, but it also obscures vision of anything that might be lurking beneath. d10 Plains Combat Considerations 6 This encounter takes place at night. Flowers bloom under the light of the full moon. They have small globes of light at their center that creates a light that seems to causes the mind to calm. All creatures in this encounter make Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom saving throws with advantage. 7 This field is filled with flowers that cause allergic reactions in almost all creatures. On initiative count 20, each creature in the combat must succeed on a DC 5 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of their next turn as they try to keep themselves from going into a sneezing fit. 8 In this field are stacks of perfectly round rocks that seem to serve as decoration or perhaps of markers of some sort. They are scattered every fifteen or twenty feet and stand at four to six feet tall. They can provide cover from most attacks but can also be toppled with little effort. 9 The skeleton of a large hydra still lies in the middle of the plains. From head to tail it is a hundred feet long, so these bones provide excellent shelter for a number of animals that now inhabit the various nooks and crannies of the remains. 10 There is a massive statue off in the distance dedicated to a prominent god of this world. The area in a 1 mile radius around the statue is constantly under the effect of this god’s blessings. All creatures that share an alignment with the worshipped god are considered blessed while in this area. 125
Mountains Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 The party comes to a large rope bridge that must be crossed to continue their journey. It is not sturdy and can only hold 2 medium creatures at a time or risk collapsing and sending any creatures on the bridge into a 60 foot deep crag. As soon as the first player crosses the bridge, they are ambushed. 3 Two massive stone statues overlook the path. They are centuries old and built by a powerful empire as an attempt to intimidate any who would wish to cross into their lands. As the party crosses in front of these statues, one noticeably turns as if taking note of the party and a crow goes flying off into the distance carrying a note. This note contains information on the party’s appearance and location. 4 A large shard of glowing crystal juts out of the side of the mountain, but it is up quite high on an incredibly steep incline. Players will need to use their equipment and skills to make their way up to the crystal without getting hurt. When the first player touches this crystal, that person passes out for 1d4 hours as the light of the crystal surges into their body. Have this event be significant to some grander scheme and challenge the players to find the origin of this crystal. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 The party finds an abandoned mine. This could belong to dwarves, orcs, or some other race. There are still bloodstains on the walls and there is an area at the back that has been sealed off. Beyond it is a powerful creature they miners awoke from the depths. 7 Party comes to a fork in the road. One path is on the map (if they have one) while the other has no indications of it existing. This new, undocumented path curves off to a large teepee where a stone giant by the name of Bol’Dur resides. He was exiled for setting free human slaves and now helps travelers in the area. 8 Party finds an injured baby goat with its mother dead nearby. There are still a few wolves feasting upon its body as the baby goat bleats for help. If the party saves this goat, it will accompany them on their journey and will refuse to leave the side of the person that first picked it up or aided it. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The party finds an ancient dwarven watchtower crafted of stone and iron. This has become sort of a waypoint for travelers on this pass. Each group that passes by carves their name on the interior wall and leaves notes or warnings for those that follow. It is a cozy little safe haven but sometimes bandits will take residence here and pose as adventurers as well. d20 Encounter 11 The party comes across The Frozen City. This was a small village in a small alcove along the side of the mountain. Years ago, after nearly a month of nonstop snow an avalanche buried the town under fifty feet of snow. It has been very slowly melting and now the tops of some of the homes are visible but none of the villagers or their goods were ever recovered. 12 Wreckage of a caravan at the bottom of a cliff. If the party makes their way down to help, they find one merchant still barely hanging on to life. There was a rock slide and took them right off the path. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 The party finds the body of an assassin just off the path. She has her armor torn open by a large set of talons and is missing an arm. She has gold in one pocket and a scroll in the other with an assignment - to kill a specific member of the party. Think of something the party has done that would anger a powerful NPC and put their crest or signature on this contract. 15 A withered man in tattered clothing comes running up to the party. His feet are bloodied and his eyes are set deep in the skull. He passes out at the feet of the party for 1d4 hours. When he awakes he tells them of a slave camp not too far from here. Have the slavers be a type of monster of appropriate level for your party - orcs, giants, gnolls, etc... 16 A gentle snow begins to fall on the party, only a few snowflakes every couple of seconds. A success on a DC15 Perception check reveals that these large snowflakes have images hidden on them - some faces, some homes, some rolling hills, but from a city your players know of. After a minute or two of these snowflakes, they begin to fall faster except now each snowflake has a different letter on it - H,E,L or P. The snowflakes stop as abruptly as they started. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 Party finds a Giant graveyard. It is quite elegant and many of the items within are likely worth a great deal of coin. Signs along the edges of the graveyard warn that a curse shall be placed on any who disturb those who have passed on. This curse could merely be a false warning or perhaps it allows a shaman amongst the giants to track those who stole from their dead - the decision is yours. 19 A powerful windstorm rocks the area. Crossing any bridges is made incredibly dangerous and rockslides could happen at any moment. At one point during the journey, a particularly fierce burst of wind sweeps over and the party will need to succeed on DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. At the same time they hear a screech as a large eagle crashes into the stone and breaks its wing. 20 The party finds a hot spring with a mystical curative properties. Resting in this spring for just an hour gives the benefits of a long rest. Making potions using this water causes them to heal for their maximum value. 126
Mountains Combat Considerations d10 Mountains Combat Considerations 1 The fight takes place on a narrow path along the edge of a mountain. When the enemy attacks, they cause a rockslide to fall down on the party that scattered rocks across the path and may knock creatures off the path and onto the slope of the mountain. 2 A series of wooden bridges splits up this area. They are sturdy, but can be cut down with bladed weapons without much effort. A creature can use its action to sabotage a bridge. On the first action, half of the bridge falls away and any creatures still on the bridge must make checks to hold on. On a second action, one half of the bridge cuts away completely and goes falling along with any creatures still holding on (though the far side will still stay attached). 3 On the mountain pass are some weapons fixed to the stone itself - three mounted arbalests. These were used to defend this route back when the area was populated by giants. These weapons still have a few bolts lying in nearby crates and enemies have taken over this area and are using them. 4 Up near the top of the mountain the path is coated with thick ice. The players will need to move especially slow or risk slipping off the path. If a player does not choose to move at half speed, they must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw begin to slide until they collide with a solid object or have moved a distance equal to their remaining movement speed. 5 Near where the combat occurs is an exposed lava spout. This is pouring molten rock over a 15 foot area and deals major damage if touched by any creature. d10 Mountains Combat Considerations 6 The pathway goes behind a waterfall whose source is high in the mountains. The waterfall is thirty feet wide and doesn’t actually touch the path itself. There is a fence to prevent people from accidentally stumbling into it. The waterfall is quite beautiful, but if anyone is thrown into it, they are pulled off the edge and down into the water below. 7 When the battle begins, a disgruntled earth elemental begins hurling rocks at all members of the combat from a far off location. Have these scale in damage depending on the level of your party and have the elemental randomly choose his targets. As soon as combat stops (when one side wins), the elemental calms down and sinks back into the earth peacefully unless someone has attacked it. 8 The pathway is blocked by a barricade created from a destroyed wagon and boulders. The enemy may be hiding on the other side of this barricade or waiting on the high ground for someone to come along and be forced to move these objects out of the way to continue their journey. 9 A blood moon rises on this night, which causes some of the creatures that live on the mountain to go mad. Beasts that are ordinarily gentle and docile become highly territorial and will aggressively threaten the players. Use this opportunity to bring together a strange group of creatures to attack the party. 10 This combat takes place at night. Up here in the mountains, heavy fog rolls in and heavily obscures vision. The party will have to be incredibly careful with each step they take or risk tumbling over the edge of the path. Scale down the encounter difficulty to account for this, especially if the party is up against a foe that does not rely on site to detect their prey. 127
Swamp Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 The party finds a series of trenches and tunnels that span over a large area. This is the location of a battleground from centuries ago, but these defenses persist. Some of them have become flooded with water, some half-filled with thick mud, and others open up into entire chambers. If the party spends time thoroughly exploring these tunnels they can stumble upon old texts or a lost weapon, though they may have to slay a soldier who refused to pass on from this life to claim it as their own. 3 The party comes across a quarter-mile wide cloud of fog that obscures their path. Creatures that move within the fog are considered blinded and lose their sense of direction almost immediately. This fog has acidic properties and staying in it for more than one minute causes pain to start to set in. Creatures take 1d4 acid damage for every additional minute they remain in the fog. 4 The party finds a strange wooden building in the woods. Going inside, it appears to be completely ordinary, like something you would expect to find in the city. Everything is in pristine condition and appears unused and is without dust. A DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a secret passageway that leads to a laboratory below ground. This lab contains over a dozen exotic creatures that are being held and experimented upon. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 The party finds the remnants of a fort that has sunk down deep into the muck. About 50% of this structure is now submerged, but that still leaves the top twenty feet exposed. Exploring this reveals that one of the towers of this fort leads down with no windows, so the lower level and all of its secrets can still be accessed. 7 The party finds a disgusting bog. There are small huts constructed on stilts out in the middle of this muck. As the party moves past these houses, they spot a beak and black eyes staring out at them from inside one of these. This is a Kenku village. 8 The party finds an incredibly large, dead tree. It is nearly fifteen feet in diameter and has a makeshift doorway rotted into the side of it, but beyond this doorway is total darkness. Within this tree are runes scrawled along the wall as part of a ritual. It also contains the skeletal remains of three humanoids. A successful Intelligence (History / Arcana) check reveals this to be the work of a hag or coven of hags. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 The party encounters an area covered in large bulbous plants. If anyone gets near these plants, they explode and shoot a tar-like substance in a 10- foot radius. This makes anyone affected incredibly sticky and is nearly impossible to remove. Coming in contact with something solid such as a tree or a boulder (or even a monster) requires a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to pull free. d20 Encounter 11 The party comes across the Fin, Fur, and Fungus Trading Post out in the swamp. It is owned by a strange man named Barnulbus Figley who has few teeth left and smells awful. He has many jars filled with mysterious “curative” sludges that he will attempt to sell to the party. 12 A tangled mass of thick, black thorns block the path. It is 30-feet thick and spans for nearly a mile in each direction. The party can either take the extra time to go around or cut their way through, incurring damage from the thorns if they are not careful. Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks may be required. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 Party starts to find lanterns crafted from bones of swamp creatures hanging from the trees. They seem to converge towards a singular location - an altar sitting up on a mound of mud. Black candles still burn at this altar. This altar is run by a group of swamp-dwelling acolytes who worship a demon of filth. 15 The party finds a large lake with black water. A small wooden boat is tied up at the shore but can carry no more than two medium sized creatures at a time. At the center of the lake is an island with a graveyard. Killing the undead that guard the graves allows the party to access a decorated tomb that contains a magic item belonging to the deceased. Consider making this item sentient or cursed. 16 The party is assaulted by a seemingly endless number of gnats and mosquitos for 2d6 hours. Leaving skin exposed during this time will result in 1d4 necrotic damage per hour. Wisdom (Survival) or Intelligence (Nature) checks can help find ways to prevent these bites. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 There is a glowing light emanating from the center of a medium sized pool of water. It is twenty feet deep at the center and fifty feet wide. Resting on the bottom is a magical item that was once locked away in a chest, but that chest has withered away. This water serves as an antimagic field. When someone takes the item, they are immediately blinded and deafened until they leave the water. Give this magic item some historical significance. 19 The party finds a shack just off the path. The sounds of frogs fills the air and is almost deafening. This building is Randy "Ribbit" Gorhalt's Frog Farm. Quite a strange fellow. He breeds thousands of frogs and sells them off to make frog legs or various stews. He has been having trouble with strange creatures coming out at night and gouging out the eyes of his frog. 20 The party comes across a gigantic crocodile skull - six feet feet tall and over twenty feet long. This is now the home of a maverick lizardfolk shaman who calls himself Zalzanazek. He speaks Common quite well and is excited to see the party. He will invite them in so he can read his Bones of Foretelling and predict their future. Use this to drop new plot threads into your world and give your players an advantage in a later encounter. 128
Swamp Combat Considerations d10 Swamp Combat Considerations 1 Whenever the enemy dies, a strange dark ooze crawls over to them on the next turn. This ooze takes control of the body and reanimates it. The creature is returned to maximum health and deals half of its damage as necrotic (rounded down) rather than its normal damage type. Once an infested creature has been killed, it will no longer reanimate. Scale down the difficulty of the encounter to factor this effect in. 2 Natural gas vents are scattered about the area. Any creature that moves within 5 feet of one of these vents must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of its turn. A creature that holds its breath while standing near one of these vents has advantage on the saving throw. 3 There is particularly thick mud in this portion of the swamp. The area is considered difficult terrain. If a creature weighs at least 100 pounds and does not move 2 turns in a row, it begins to sink into the muck. That creature must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or become grappled. A creature trapped this way can use its action to repeat this saving throw, freeing itself on a success. 4 This area is covered in strange shrines. Some of these are woven shapes hanging from the trees, some are decorated stones, and others are strange carvings into the trees themselves. All spells cast in this area have half of its damage converted to necrotic damage and all healing spells are only half as potent. 5 Narrow wooden bridges weave a path across a large bog. The party can go around, but it would add a significant time to their journey. As they walk across these bridges, enemies leap from the waters below and attempt to pull victims into the water and drown them. d10 Swamp Combat Considerations 6 The enemies have particularly sticky armor and/or fur. Whenever these creatures are hit by a melee weapon attack, the wielder of the weapon must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check or have their weapon become stuck to the target. A creature can use its action to repeat this saving throw, breaking the weapon free on a success. Scale down the encounters difficulty slightly to make up for this added benefit for the enemy. 7 There is a massive tree that appears to be rotted to the core, but somehow still stands tall and strong. This tree will lash out at any creature that comes within 20 feet of it and isn’t undead. These lashes attacks occur on initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties). These attacks are made at a +4 to hit and deal 2d4 slashing damage. 8 Near where combat occurs is a strange green bonfire that burns endlessly. Enemies of the swamp seem to fear it and will keep their distance, but will not give up the opportunity to jump at a group of creatures that move in to investigate. Creatures of the swamp have disadvantage on all attacks made while within 10 feet of the bonfire. 9 Some of the nearby plants release a strange orange vapor into the air. This vapor is incredibly flammable and will explode if exposed to open flame of any sort, dealing 2d4 fire damage to all creatures with 10 feet. A DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check will reveal the special properties of these vapors. 10 This portion of the swamp is covered in giant lily pads. If a creature spends at least 2 turns standing on one of these lily pads, it sinks into the waters below and never returns. Enemies may use this to their advantage to make the available high ground smaller and more sparse for the players. 129
High Seas Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 Deadly Monster Encounter 2 One of the crew members spots a nearby ship that is actively sinking. The captain is willing to help but doesn’t think their boat will be able to handle all of the additional passengers . . . so some of them will have to be left behind with the hope that another ship arrives in time to save them. 3 The captain suggests a day of deep sea fishing as this area is normally great for catching tuna and other delicious fish. One of the party members fishing manages to get quite the bite. It seems to fight back with incredible ferocity - greater than that of most fish, but when they finally pull it up out of the water it is simply a small black chest. It is magically sealed, but there is an inscription around the outside giving clues as to how it could be opened. 4 The party finds a stowaway hidden on the ship. Perhaps they are a wanted criminal trying to get away from the city. Perhaps they was too poor to afford the cost of the ship ride but desperately needed to get to the destination to help someone close to them. Make this a role-playing opportunity for the party as the captain will certainly throw this uninvited passenger overboard. 5 Hard Monster Encounter 6 There is an island not ordinarily on the route. Either this island has somehow spontaneously appeared or they have drifted far off the planned route. It turns out this is indeed a newly formed island from an oceanic volcanic eruption and it has stirred up both new treasures and new monstrosities. 7 One of the crew members is incredibly racist towards one of the party members (preferably this crewman is human and is targeting a non-human player). Things get heated at dinner after a few too many glasses of rum when he goes on a rant that leaves everyone feeling uncomfortable and on edge. 8 A merfolk trader named Leira appears and offers to bargain with the passengers of the ship for various magical weapons and armor that have been lost to the seas over the years. She will take gold but is also fascinated by simple works of art such as statues, gaming sets, and even silverware. She keeps her goods on the bottom of the ocean to prevent thievery from anyone who might attempt to attack her and take her goods. 9 Hard Monster Encounter 10 A deadly storm rolls in causing massive waves to crash against the ship. The party must spent most of the day helping to bail water off of the ship and repair any damages incurred. Have the players make skill checks depending on how they help. Too many failures will result in the ship capsizing. If they manage to keep the ship afloat, everyone will need to succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain a level of exhaustion. d20 Encounter 11 This encounter occurs at night. There is a spire of stone near this area that all of the captains use as a marker for their location. Tonight there seems to be a bright white light emanating from the top of the spire. If the party goes to investigate they find a large glowing white egg covered in small spikes. What creature it belongs to remains to be seen. 12 This encounter occurs at night. One of the party members or crew members notices something strange about the water - portions of it appear to be blood red in the moonlight. This is an adaptation of a particular type of fish to scare away fisherman . . . but as it turns out the scales of these fish are incredibly valuable because of this mutation. 13 Hard Monster Encounter 14 One of the crew members spots a child floating on a large slab of wood out in the middle of the ocean. The child is on the verge of death and remembers little of what happened except that there was a terrifying sea creature involved and a lot of screaming. 15 The party overhears talk of mutiny from one of the crew members, talking about how unfairly the captain pays them for their work. It seems to be picking up traction among the crew members. The party can tell the captain, aid in the mutiny, or simply let things play out without involvement. 16 One of the party members finds a hidden compartment on the lower level of the ship filled with contraband - perhaps exotic creatures, a deadly poison, or forbidden books. They can take this to the authorities, use it to exploit the captain, or perhaps simply pretend they never saw anything. 17 Hard Monster Encounter 18 The ship is approached by another ship at a rapid and aggressive pace. The captain has suspicions and tells everyone to be at the ready. This new ship is a pirate vessel and they demand a tribute to allow the party’s boat to pass through this area unharmed. 19 A large flock of seagulls lands in the ship and seems to refuse to leave. No matter how much the crew members try to get the birds to leave they come back in greater and greater forces until nearly the entire ship is covered. This is typically seen as a bad omen of things to come on shore - the birds know there is going to be disaster so they remain at sea as long as possible. 20 A massive sea slug seems to have latched onto the side of the ship, the largest any of the crew has ever seen. It is so large that it is actually tilting the ship and sending it off course. The crew will need to band together to take care of these seemingly mindless beast before it causes the ship to capsize. 130
High Seas Combat Considerations d10 High Seas Combat Considerations 1 The ship is affected by particularly rough waters on this day. Twenty foot high waves cause the ship to sway wildly. Every two turns, the orientation of the ship is shifted by 90 degrees and any creature knocked prone will slide to the low side of the boat. During this time, all Dexterity saving throws are made with disadvantage since it is so difficult to maintain footing. 2 One of the NPC crew members is knocked overboard on one of the first turns of combat. He is heavily injured and will be beyond saving if someone does not get to him within 3 rounds. 3 The creatures that attack have strange parasitic worms attached to them that seem to be controlling their actions. Their movements are erratic and often nonsensical. They may attack random walls or crates on deck instead of enemies because of this lack of thought. Scale the encounter up in difficulty a bit to account for these lost actions. 4 There is a heavy fog on the sea today. Visibility is heavily obscured, but sound still travels freely. A boat approaches from out of the fog but it is impossible to spot until the last moment. 5 The creatures that attack the ship seem to have a specific goal of destroying the ship’s sail in hopes of stranding the boat out in the middle of the ocean. Enemies will take attacks of opportunities just to be able to move closer and tear at the sail. An attack against the ship’s sail is an automatic hit and if it is dealt at least (10 x party’s average level) damage, the crew will need to mend it before they can continue on their way. d10 High Seas Combat Considerations 6 The creatures that attack the ship come equipped with Urchin Bombs. These creatures can use an action to throw these bombs and deal area of effect piercing and poison damage. Have the damage of these bombs scale depending on your party’s level. At higher levels have them also give a chance to inflict the poisoned status. 7 In addition to the creatures attacking the ship, there is a large shark circling in the waters below. Anyone thrown from the ship will be immediately attacked by this powerful beast. 8 The combat takes place at night. The creatures stealthily crawl up the side of the boat and hope for a surprise round of combat up on deck. This will hopefully catch some of the players unarmored and unprepared. Scale down the difficulty of the encounter to account for this. 9 Combat initiates on two floors. The enemy manages to break a hole in the bottom of the ship and come through on the lower deck while others jump up over the side of the ship. The creatures below will need to be dispatched quickly and the hole repaired or the ship will sink, but the creatures up top may kill the crew if they are not protected. Force the party to split up to save the day. 10 The combat begins when an abnormally large wave strikes the ship. It nearly takes the boat under and completely covers the deck in water. Anyone on the deck will need to take hold and succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be tossed across the deck and be dealt 2d4 bludgeoning damage and knocked prone. After the wave has struck, the enemy creatures are standing on deck and combat begins immediately. 131
City Random Encounters d20 Encounter 1 A thief attempts to snag a few coins from one of the party members. Have the thief make a Dexterity (Stealth) check at a +5 bonus against the targeted player’s passive Perception. On a success, the thief steals 3d4 gold from that player. On a failure, the player spots the thief going for their coins. 2 A nearby building erupts into flames. When the party moves to investigate it, a sorcerer comes stumbling out covered in burn marks before collapsing to the ground. This was the result of a deadly wild magic surge and there are still people still inside the building that need help. 3 The party spots a young child who looks to be living in squalor steal a piece of bread from a baker’s cart. The child looks at them with large, fearful eyes before running down a side alleyway. 4 The party comes across a group of people gathered around a Halfling priest preaching about the end of days. He has a bag of holding sitting on the ground in front of him and is urging people to leave behind their greedy ways and donate their superfluous luxuries to save their souls in the coming dark times. 5 The party is approached by a man in priest robes. He asks them if they have visited the church and spoken to the gods about their actions. He reminds them that every adventurer should be in the good graces of the gods before going out into the wilds, for it is never known if they will return. 6 A young girl stands on the side of the street crying her eyes out. She is alone and asks the party if they have seen her mother. They were separated when the little girl ran off chasing a cat and now she is terrified. Make her the daughter of someone of significance in the city. 7 The party is handed a flyer advertising a local tavern. Anyone that speaks Thieves’ Cant can see a hidden message in the flier about the local Thieves’ Guild recruiting new members for an upcoming job. 8 There is a man standing on a crate shouting at the top of his lungs about the unfairness of a local lord and how the people need to rise up against him. The lord seized his farm after the man refused to pay his taxes because the amount was too high. He lost his crops to a blight and the lord did nothing to help and now he seeks vengeance. 9 The party notices some graffiti on a a few buildings as they walk through town. It belongs to an underground organization that marks homes and businesses that have known associations with scandalous activities - drug trade, prostitution, gambling, etc . . . 10 There is a man selling magical items out of the back of a cart. These items are at a large discount and he seems quite anxious to get rid of them. They are stolen and the people they belong to will eventually catch up to this vendor and get him to confess who he sold them to and come after the party if needed. d20 Encounter 11 The party notices a special deal at a nearby shop. Perhaps they are offering 25% off healing potions or buy 2 get 1 magic item free! 12 The party comes across a large group of people crowded around two individuals. They are shouting obscenities at one another and appear ready to fight. Turns out they are both sleeping with the same woman. The party can let the fight happen or intervene to prevent violence. 13 The party hears a local crier advertising a drink called Slag Ale. It is made with a bit of molten lava and anyone that orders a pint that is not a dwarf must sign a waiver since it can eat through their stomach. Any non-dwarf that finishes the drink is awarded a free room for the night, a free dinner, and gets to add their name to the Wall of Champions. 14 The party comes across a wishing well. It is filled with thousands of copper, pieces but there are a few pieces of silver and gold tossed in as well. It is out in the open and there are beggars abound, but everyone seems to respect that the wishing well is off limits for any sort of thievery. Many people are convinced the well is blessed by the gods. 15 The party comes across a new store. It is called Patterson’s Peculiar Pets. He has a number of exotic creatures for sale, but they come at a premium. 16 Another group of adventurers is staggering through town. It looks as if they are barely hanging onto life. If the party asks them what happened, they will be told about a powerful creature plaguing an abandoned building in town or perhaps one of the nearby farms. There is a reward given by the city for dispatching this foe. 17 A set of bells start going off in the distance and people clear the streets. There has been a wedding between two members of important families in the region. Perhaps this will cause friendship where there was much strife or completely reshape politics in the area. Perhaps a neighboring lord is displeased with this and it leads to war! 18 A boy no older than 12 runs up to the party and nervously asks if he can accompany them on their adventures. He offers to serve as a squire. He is an orphan so this city has nothing left for him, so even a death out in the wilds is better than a life of begging on the streets day after day. 19 There is a caravan moving through the city. It is incredibly well defended with two dozen guards escorting a single armored cart that is covered with a fine purple cloth. Word around town is that they’ve found a hidden relic belonging to the former ruler of the city that is thought to be quite dangerous. They are incredibly worried someone will try to steal it. 20 The party arrives right at the beginning of a festival. All shops are running discounts for their goods for those who partake in festivities, there are entertainers on every corner, and the party can sign up for various competitions. These competitions include archery, jousting, stone throwing, duels, and more. 132
Traditional Magic Items I think interesting magic items are one of the greatest gifts you can give to your players as a Dungeon Master. I find few things more satisfying than seeing the creative ways my players can utilize zany magic items, turning a difficult encounter into a trivial one and creating lasting memories of how their crazy plan actually worked. Many of the items below were designed with the intent to allow for such creative scenarios, while others are alternatives to the official list of magic items available. Either way, hopefully you can make use of the items in this list below or gain inspiration for custom magic items of your own! Abyssal Greataxe Greataxe, rare (requires attunement) You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Enemies hit by this weapon are unable to teleport or leave the plane they are currently on by any means for 1 hour. Soul Vessel. When a sentient humanoid creature is slain by this weapon, its soul is extracted and stored within the axe. When this happens, you gain 5 temporary hit points. Each soul consumed slowly opens the eye at the center of the axe’s blade. When the axe reaches fifty total souls, the eye opens completely. The bonus to attack and damage rolls increases to +3 as the souls are consumed permanently to empower the weapon. These souls can only be released from their containment if the axe is destroyed before the eye is fully opened. Curse. If you die while wielding this axe, your soul is trapped within the weapon and you cannot be resurrected unless the axe is first destroyed. Acidic Twine Wondrous item, uncommon This spool of pure white twine seems completely ordinary to an untrained eye. When a piece of this twine is cut free, it begins to excrete a potent acid for 1 minute. This acid will eat through flesh and even most metals. A new spool contains 20 feet of twine. Amulet of the Combatant Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) Whenever you roll for initiative, if the result of your die is even, you gain temporary hit points equal to your total character level. If the result of your die is odd, you have advantage on attack rolls during your first turn of this combat. 133
Amulet of Foresight Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing this amulet, you gain a heightened level of insight into your opponent’s actions. You may add your Intelligence modifier to your initiative rolls. Amulet of Pure Flame Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While wearing this beautiful ruby amulet you gain the following benefits: When you are dealt fire damage, reduce the total damage taken by 5. You gain the control flames and produce flame cantrips. This amulet has the following additional properties. When one of these properties is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Burning Passion. You touch a creature and fill it with a fiery passion for battle. For the next minute, that creature gains a +3 bonus to all saving throws. While this effect is active, the inspired creature has ethereal flames cast off their body and produces bright light in a 10-foot radius area and dim light for an additional 10 feet. Illuminate. You cast the daylight spell. The light created by this spell casts everything in a shade of red. Incinerate. You pull a bead of pure flame from the amulet and launch it at a target within 60 feet. If the target is a creature, make a ranged spell attack against it with a +7 bonus to the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes 8d8 fire damage as the bead swells to a three foot orb and bathes the target in lava. A creature killed by this effect is turned to ash and can only be resurrected via a Wish. Once you have used this feature, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Amulet of the Sun Blessed Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) While wearing this amulet, you are empowered by the energy of the sun. While standing in direct sunlight or while within bright light created by a daylight spell, you gain +1 to your proficiency bonus. While you wear this amulet, you can cast the daylight spell twice per day. Aquan Quiver Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) At dawn each day, ten of the arrows in this quiver become enchanted with aquatic power. These arrows deal cold damage rather than piercing and deal 1 additional damage on hit. Once per day when you fire an aquatic arrow, you can use your bonus action to cause the arrow to explode in a powerful torrent of water as it hits its target. Each enemy within 5 feet of the target must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Armor of the Exotic Explorer Light or medium armor, very rare (requires attunement) You have a +1 bonus to AC while wearing this armor decorated with moss and leaves that will never die. In addition, you gain the following benefits while you are in arctic, coast, desert, mountain, or swamp terrain: The bonus to your AC increases to +2. You gain proficiency in Survival while in these areas. If you are already proficient in Survival, you gain expertise instead. You can't be surprised and have advantage on initiative rolls. 134
Astral Weapon Any weapon, uncommon This magically enchanted weapon gives off an occasional pulse of purple energy that produces 5 feet of dim light. You can use an action to unleash the arcane powers contained within this weapon. Choose a target within 120 feet. The weapon fires 2d4 bolts of arcane energy that strike the target for 1d4+1 force damage each. These arcane bolts cannot miss. Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until the next dawn. Avian Armor Armor (medium or heavy), rare (requires attunement) This beautiful armor is to be worn by a creature that spends a majority of its time in the sky. This armor is crafted of superlight materials and weighs one-fifth the weight of the base armor. If the base armor imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks or has a Strength requirement, the avian version of the armor does not. You can speak a command word as an action to activate a set of wings on the armor, giving you a flying speed of 60 ft. for the next minute. When this effect ends, you fall if you are still aloft, unless you can stop the fall. Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until the next dawn. Bag of Golding Wondrous item, uncommon This small pouch appears to be nothing more than a beautifully decorated bag, but within is an extradimensional space that can hold 5 square feet of currency. There are four large beads threaded through the string on the front of the bag that are colored copper, silver, gold and platinum. Sliding these beads to the right causes all currency placed into the bag or withdrawn from the bag to be of the designated currency type. The pouch can open to a maximum of 12 inches and any non-living, non-magical item that passes through the threshold of the bag is instantly converted to its value of the selected currency. If this bag is placed within another extra-dimensional space, the pouch is destroyed and all of its contents explode violently up to 300 feet in all directions in the form of coins of all varieties. Blade of the Reaper Any bladed weapon, rare (requires attunement) When you kill an enemy of CR 1/2 or greater, this weapon gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. This effect can stack up to a total bonus of +3 to attack and damage rolls. This bonus resets if you have not killed a creature of CR 1 or greater in the last hour. Bloodstone Amulet Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing this amulet, you have the ability to push your body past its normal limits. If you took the Attack action this turn, you can use your bonus action to make one additional attack. You may use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). Book of Mephit Summoning Wondrous item, uncommon You can spend one minute reading from this book to summon a single mephit of CR 1/2 or lower. In order to summon this creature, you must perform a blood sacrifice. You lose 1d4 hit points for a CR 1/4 mephit and 2d4 hit points for a CR 1/2 mephit. For the next 10 minutes, this mephit will obey your commands, even if these commands would knowingly cause harm to the mephit. Once this time is up, the mephit remains on this plane but no longer needs to obey your commands. Once this feature has been used, it cannot be used again until the next dawn. Boots of the Electromancer Wondrous item, uncommon These boots hold 5 charges. Whenever you expend all of your movement in a single turn, they regain an expended charge. If you used the Dash action this turn, you can expend any number of these charges as a bonus action to unleash a bolt of lightning at a creature within 30 feet. That creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 lightning damage per charge expended. 135
Boots of the Wolf Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While wearing these wolf hide boots, you can use your bonus action to active them for the next minute. While active, you have advantage on any attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and your ally is not incapacitated. Once this feature has been used, it cannot be used again until the next dawn. Bone Lantern Wondrous item, rare When lit, this lantern burns for 1 hour on 1 pint of oil, shedding bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. The bright green light that this lantern produces reveals creatures on the ethereal plane for as long as they are in the lantern’s bright light. If the oil placed in this lantern has been mixed with the ichor or bone dust of an undead creature, it instead casts purple light. Undead creatures that are caught in the bright purple light that this lantern produces have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws. Bouquet of Woe Wondrous item, very rare This beautiful bouquet contains a dozen beautiful flowers, each of which brings pain, sickness, exhaustion, or general chaos. The included flowers are as follows: 2x Begonia of Blight 2x Crimson Carnation 2x Lily of Lethargy 2x Petunia of Pain 2x Repulsive Rose 2x Tulip of Turmoil Begonia of Blight (uncommon). While holding this flower, you can speak the command word “rot” followed by an amount of time in minutes. After that many minutes have passed, the flower will wilt and cause all food and plant life within 15 feet of the flower to rot away. Consuming food rotted by this flower will inflict the poisoned condition for 1 hour on the creature that ingested it. Triggering multiple flowers at once increases the reach of the rot by 15 feet per additional flower. Crimson Carnation (uncommon). While holding this flower, you can speak the command word “bleed” followed by an amount of time in minutes. After that many minutes have passed, the flower will erupt in a violent explosion of red liquid that is indistinguishable from human blood, coating everything within 15 feet of the flower. Triggering multiple flowers at once increases the reach of the liquid by 15 feet per additional flower. Lily of Lethargy (uncommon). While holding this flower, you can speak the command word “drain” followed by an amount of time in minutes. After that many minutes have passed, the lily will double in size, drawing in energy from creatures around it. Each creature within 15 feet of the flower must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. Triggering multiple flowers at once increases the DC of the saving throw by 2 per additional flower. Petunia of Pain (uncommon). While holding this flower, you can speak the command word “wound” followed by an amount of time in minutes. After that many minutes have passed, the petals of the flower go rigid and explode out in every direction. Each creature within 15 feet of the flower must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 slashing damage. Repulsive Rose (uncommon). While holding this flower, you can speak the command word “plague” followed by an amount of time in minutes. After that many minutes have passed, the rose expels a powerful, putrid gas that floods the area. Each creature within 15 feet of the flower must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage and become poisoned for one minute. A creature poisoned this way can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, but automatically fails if it is still within 15 feet of the flower. Triggering multiple flowers at once increases the DC of the saving throw by 2 per additional flower. Tulip of Turmoil (uncommon). While holding this flower, you can speak the command word “horrify” followed by an amount of time in minutes. After that many minutes have passed, the flower lets loose an ear-piercing screech that scratches against the sanity of anyone that hears it. Each creature within 15 feet of the flower must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of the flower for one minute. This effect ends if the flower is destroyed. Triggering multiple flowers at once increases the DC of the saving throw by 2 per additional flower. 136
Bottle of Whispers Wondrous Item, uncommon When the cork of this bottle is removed, it will capture whispers of any conversation within 30 feet. As it captures these conversations, colorful smoke begins to swirl through the bottle. The colors are vibrant and diverse, each unique to an individual conversation. Once 5 minutes of conversation have been captured, the bottle is completely filled and can hold no more whispers until its contents are emptied. When the bottle contains smoke, it can be tipped on its side to pour out conversations one at a time. Each of these conversations are written on a small piece of parchment wrapped up and bound by a colorful string that matches the color of smoke that was poured out of the bottle. There is no indication of who spoke the words written on the page and the participants are simply listed as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc… Once the contents of the bottle have been poured out, it requires twenty-four hours to recharge before it can absorb additional conversations. Bow of the Bloodhunter Bow, uncommon (requires attunement) While below half of your maximum hit points (rounded up), you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon and your attacks ignore damage resistances. You may fire a blood arrow a number of times per day equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). If this arrow hits, you lose hit points equal to your proficiency bonus and the arrow deals bonus necrotic damage equal to twice that amount. You can only activate this feature if you are above half of your maximum hit points (rounded up). Bracers of Consistency Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) These simple bracers are laced with divination magics allowing the user to sometimes catch glimpses into the future and counter their opponent’s defenses. If you have missed two or more weapon attacks in a row, your weapon attack rolls are made with advantage. Bracers of Hidden Defenses Wondrous item, rare This set of bracers are made of thick iron plating with a fine trim and a small shield carved into them for decoration. When the command word is spoken, these bracers transform into a set of perfectly fitting plate mail around the wielder over the next 1 minute. This plate mail persists until the command word is spoken again, at which point they return to the form of a set of bracers over 30 seconds. There is no way to detect that this item is out of the ordinary except through magical means. Butcher's Axe Battleaxe, uncommon This large cleaver is made of jagged, shredded shards of metal that have been smelted together to form a vicious blade. Once per day, you can use your bonus action to launch an ethereal meat hook at a creature within 30 feet. Make a ranged weapon attack against that creature with a +5 bonus to hit. On a hit, the creature takes 1d8 force damage and must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pulled up to 25 feet towards you in a straight line. On a success, the creature is not moved. 137
Candle of Revitalization Wondrous item, legendary This candle appears perfectly ordinary except for a set of runes that are carved into the wax and hidden beneath the candle along the candle holder. When this candle burns, it fills every creature nearby with a newfound energy and strength, allowing them to far exceed their normal limits. It also creates a lovely vanilla aroma. Each creature that stays within 30 feet of the candle for the full duration of its burning (one hour) gains the benefits of a long rest. This candle has only one use. The next time a creature that received the benefits of the candle takes a long rest, it gains four levels of exhaustion upon waking as its body attempts to recover from the strain. Chromatic Amulet Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement by a Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard) While attuned to this amulet, you can cast the Chromatic Burst cantrip. Chromatic Burst Evocation Cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet Components: V,S Duration: Instant You launch a burst of chromatic energy at an enemy you can see within range. Choose cold, fire, lightning, or poison and make a ranged spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the creature takes 1d10 damage of the chosen type. (2d10 at 5th level, 3d10 at 11th, 4d10 at 17th). Chromatic Teleportation Spheres Wondrous item, very rare Within this fine, velvet lined navy blue case are six beautiful shining spheres, each 4 inches in diameter. Their colors are green, red, blue, yellow, orange, and purple. A creature with proficiency in Arcana can set one of these spheres on the ground and chant the command word, at which point the sphere will slowly open and expand into a runic circle four feet in diameter. This process takes one hour and destroys the sphere. When finished, this acts as a permanent chromatic teleportation circle. When standing within any of these chromatic teleportation circles, a creature can concentrate and speak aloud the color of another circle. That creature will be instantly teleported to the spoken location along with anything they are holding or wearing up to 300 pounds. Only a creature that has visited the other teleportation circle or has been vividly described its location can teleport successfully. Once a creature has used this teleportation network, it cannot do so again for 24 hours. Cloak of Everflowing Water Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While wearing this cloak that is indistinguishable from water, you can use an action to create a simple melee weapon out of water that lasts for one hour. You are considered proficient with this weapon and attacks with this weapon deal 1 bonus cold damage on hit. Additionally, once per day, you may use your reaction to gain immunity to fire damage until the end of your next turn. You also gain access the Water Blast cantrip while wearing this cloak. Water Blast Evocation Cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 20 feet Components: V,S Duration: Instant You launch a blast of freezing cold water at an enemy you can see within range. Make a ranged spell attack against that creature. On a hit, the creature takes 1d12 cold damage. (2d12 at 5th level, 3d12 at 11th, 4d12 at 17th). Cloak of the Cobalt Kingdom Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) This dazzling silver and blue cloak appears and feels as if it is made of stone, but is as flexible as any other fabric. While wearing this cloak you gain the following benefits: You gain a +1 bonus to AC. Your Constitution score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20. You can cast stoneskin once per day without requiring concentration. While this is active, the cloak melds with your body and turns your flesh a dull blue color. 138
Cloak of the Renowned Champion Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This tattered cloak is beautifully crafted, but has become tattered from years of use in battle being passed on from hero to hero. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC while wearing this cloak. You can use your reaction to add your Charisma modifier to the saving throw of an ally within 90 feet that can hear you. Once you have used this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. Cometfall Wand Wondrous item, rare This wand holds 3 charges. It regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. When an enemy fails a saving throw by 5 or more against one of your spells that requires a spell slot, you can use a bonus action to expend 1 of the wand’s charges. If you do, a massive chunk of rock and ice appears in the sky and plummets towards the target. All creatures within a 10 foot radius sphere centered on the target must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 bludgeoning damage and 3d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. In order to activate this feature, there must be a clear, unimpeded path from your target to the open sky. Crown of the Four Elements Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement) While wearing this beautiful four-pointed crown you have resistance to cold, fire, lightning, and poison damage. In addition, you can detect any elemental within 1 mile and innately know its approximate strength. You can also speak, read, and write primordial and the languages derived from it. When you take a short rest, choose cold, fire, lightning, or poison. Your damaging cantrips deal an extra 1d10 damage of the chosen element. This crown has the following additional properties. When one of these properties is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Burn. When you deal damage with a spell that causes fire damage, you can cause a creature damaged by the spell to take an additional 5d10 fire damage. Shock. When you deal damage with a spell that causes lightning damage, you can cause a creature damaged by the spell to make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is stunned until the end of its next turn. Plague. When you deal damage with a spell that causes poison damage, you can cause a 15-foot wide cloud of poison to erupt from a creature damage by the spell. Each creature in this area must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or take 2d10 poison damage and become poisoned until the end of its next turn. Freeze. When you deal damage with a spell that causes cold damage, you can cause a creature damaged by the spell to make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is encased in a block of ice, becoming paralyzed and immune to all damage until the ice block is destroyed. This block of ice has 25 hit points and AC 15. On a successful save, the creatures movement speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn, but is not frozen. Summon Elemental. You can cast the conjure elemental spell. Crown of Storm Herald Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) While wearing this crown, you have resistance to lightning damage. As a bonus action you can summon a 3 foot wide nimbus cloud that you can ride for up to 8 hours a day. This cloud has a flight speed of 30 feet and can only be ridden by you. If you summon this cloud while there is a storm active, this cloud grows to 15 feet wide, has a flight speed of 60 feet, and can be ridden by up to 8 medium creatures. While riding this cloud, you will never be struck by lightning. This crown has 9 charges. It regains 1d6 + 3 expended charges daily at dawn. You can use an action to expend 1 or more of the crown’s charges to use the following abilities: One with Lightning (1 charge) - You teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. If you are outdoors, upon arrival, a bolt of lightning streaks out of the sky and strikes you. Each creature within 5 feet must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Jolting Blast (3 charges) - You send a powerful burst of lighting at an enemy within 60 feet. Make an attack roll against that creature with a +9 bonus to hit. On a hit, that creature takes 5d10 lightning damage and must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. If the creature fails this saving throw by 10 or more, it is paralyzed instead. Barrage of Lightning (7 charges) - Lightning strikes the ground at four locations you can see within 120 feet that are at least 20 feet apart from one another. Each creature within a 10 feet of any of these points must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 5d10 lightning damage. This damages objects in the area and ignites flammable objects that aren’t being worn or carried. This ability can only be used while outdoors. If there are stormy conditions when you use this ability, the damage of each bolt is increased to 8d10. 139
Cube of Befuddlement Wondrous item, uncommon You can use an action to throw this 2 inch diameter cube at a location up to 60 feet away. The creature nearest the cube with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become captivated by the cube. On a captivated creature's next turn, it uses its action to pick up the cube and attempt to solve its puzzle. That creature makes a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw. On a successful save, the creature solves the puzzle and is free from its allure. On a failed save, the creature is not successful and continues to be captivated by it. If the creature has not solved the cube after 5 rounds, it throws it to the ground in frustration and is freed from its captivation. A creature is also prematurely freed if the cube leaves its hands for any reason or if it takes damage. Once this cube has been used, it can't be used again until the next dawn. Deflector Disc Shield, uncommon This item holds 5 charges. While holding this shield, whenever you are hit by a ranged weapon or spell attack, this item gains 1 expended charge. Whenever you are hit by a ranged attack, you can use your reaction to expend any number of charges. You gain a bonus to your AC equal to the number of expended charges against the attack. Do this after you know if the attack hits but before damage is rolled. Devil's Blood Potion Wondrous item, rare When you drink this potion, you gain resistance for bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons and have advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects for 1 hour. Droplets of Condensed Water Wondrous item, uncommon This small waterproof pouch contains 20 tiny, jelly-like translucent spheres. When these are exposed to even a single drop of water they explode into a 5 foot diameter sphere of water that spreads as normal through the area. Droplets of Intoxication Wondrous item, rare This small vial contains 100 drops of liquid. Adding these potent droplets to water causes it to become alcoholic or even poisonous. When placed in 8 fluid ounces of water, the droplets have the following effects (more droplets are required for greater quantities of water): 1 Drop - Water is turned to beer 3 Drops - Water is turned to wine 5 Drops - Water is turned to whiskey 20 Drops - Water is turned to poison The poison created from these droplets looks and tastes the same as whiskey, meaning the victim is typically unaware it is poisoned until it is too late. An hour after the poison is ingested, the poisoned creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d6 poison damage and falling unconscious for 8 hours on a failed save, or half as much damage and not knocked unconscious on a successful one. Dwarven Cobalt Longsword Longsword, rare (requires attunement) You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. As a reaction, you can cause your body to swiftly become encased in stone. When you do so, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the end of your next turn. Once you have used this ability twice, you must wait until the next dawn to use it again. Additionally, there is a small flask attached to the hilt of this weapon. The contents of this flask can be poured into any ordinary cup of water to turn it into dwarven ale. The contents of this flask contains enough liquid to turn one gallon of water into ale and refills each morning at dawn. 140
Echo Blade Dagger, rare Whenever you are damaged by a spell, you can use your reaction to speak a command word and store a copy of that spell within this dagger. This does not prevent or mitigate any of the effects of the initial spell. During that same day, you can use your action to unleash the copied spell from the dagger with the same spell level, bonus to hit, and spell save DC as the initial casting of the spell. Once this feature has been used, it can't be used again until the next dawn. Elemental Shards Wondrous item, uncommon (small), rare (medium), or very rare (large) These fragments of condensed energy are sometimes left behind when powerful elemental creatures are slain and contain raw fire, cold, lightning, or poison energy. Someone with enough knowledge in arcana or in blacksmithing can take a mundane item and infuse it with one of these shards. This process takes between 1 and 7 days depending on the skill level of the crafter and the size of the shard. An item can only be infused with the benefits of a single elemental shard. Imbuing a weapon with this a shard causes it to deal an additional damage of the corresponding element (though it does not make the weapon magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances). A small shard adds 1 damage, a medium shard adds 1d4 damage, and a large shard adds 1d8 damage. Imbuing armor with one of these shards gives it special protections from the corresponding element. When you are wearing a piece of armor imbued with a shard's magic and you are dealt damage of the corresponding type, you reduce the damage taken. A small shard reduces damage taken by 3, a medium shard reduces the damage taken by 10, and a large shard gives resistance to damage of that type. Feyleaf Armmor Leather armor, rare (requires attunement) While wearing this beautiful set of leather armor adorned with leaves and flowers, you gain some of the common traits of fey creatures: You can speak Sylvan. You have advantage on Intelligence (Nature) checks when in a forest environment. You only require 4 hours of sleep to become fully rested. Once per day, you may choose to succeed on a saving throw against a spell that you would have otherwise have failed. Figurine of Wondrous Power - Caterpillar Wondrous item, uncommon This jade statuette looks indistinguishable from an ordinary caterpillar. It can become a caterpillar for up to 2 hours. The caterpillar can be commanded to consume in a specific area and will eat any and all things it can in the given time, reverting to statue form immediately if caught. The caterpillar can consume 2 cubic feet of food per hour. Once it has been used, it can’t be used again for 3 days. Figurine of Wondrous Power - Ferret Wondrous item, uncommon This ivory statuette with ruby eyes has the appearance of an adult ferret. It can become a ferret for up to 4 hours. The ferret can be commanded to steal a specific item and will do so to the best of its ability, reverting to its statue form immediately if caught. The item must be no heavier than 2 pounds and must be small enough for a ferret to carry in its mouth - typically a key or a piece of jewelry. Once it has been used, it can’t be used again for 4 days. 141
Fisherman’s Quarterstaff Quarterstaff, very rare (requires attunement) You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. As a bonus action, you can transform this weapon into a fishing rod or back into a quarterstaff. While in its fishing rod mode, this weapon loses its +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls, but gains access to a few additional properties. When one of these properties is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Net. You can use an action to conjure a large net over a 10 foot square area within 30 feet. Each creatures within this area must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or be trapped under the net. A trapped creature is considered restrained. This net has no effect on creatures that are Huge or larger. A creature can use its action to make a DC 17 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 15 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees a creature and destroys the net. Fish. Whenever you hit a creature with the fishing rod, you can use your bonus action to attempt to curse its weapon. That creature must succeed on a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or have its weapon transformed into a fish of appropriate size until the end of its next turn. While the creature’s weapon is a fish, it deals 1d4 + Strength modifier bludgeoning damage and is not considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances. Hook. You can use your action to launch a large hook attached to a powerful fishing line at a creature within 30 feet. Make an attack roll against the creature with a +10 bonus to hit. On a hit, the creature takes 1d8 piercing damage and becomes impaled by the hook. It remains hooked until a creature uses its action to remove the hook or cut the line, or until you transform your weapon back into a quarterstaff. While you have a creature hooked, it cannot move more than 30 feet away from you and you can use your bonus action to try to pull it 10 feet closer to you. The creature must make a Strength saving throw versus against 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus, being pulled on a failed save. Gilding Powder Wondrous item, very rare This pouch contains 8 ounces of gilding powder. When this powder is sprinkled upon an object, it turns to gold over the next minute. More powder is required for larger and more intricate objects. 8 ounces is enough to create 5000 gold in raw value worth of golden items, though some items may fetch a more significant price if sold to the correct buyer. This powder has no effect on magical items. Glacial Halberd Halberd, very rare (requires attunement) You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls while wielding this magical halberd. This weapon is freezing to the touch for any creature that is not attuned to it. It is constantly coated with a thin layer of ice and the blades of the halberd are constantly dripping with icicles. While holding the halberd, you can use an action to activate one of the following properties. When one of these properties is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Deep Freeze. You touch the halberd to a body of water and cause it to immediately freeze. This can affect up to 5,000 cubic feet of water. After ten minutes, the ice thaws and the water returns to its previous state. Blade of Bitter Cold. You smash the halberd to the ground an unleash a thin blade of ice in a 5 foot wide, 120 foot long line. Each creature in this line must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d10 cold damage and gaining one level of exhaustion on a failed save, or half as much damage and not exhausted on a successful one. Cold Snap. You plant the halberd firmly against the ground and unleash a wave of freezing energy in a 15-foot radius around you. Each creature in this area must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 6d10 cold damage and have its speed reduced to 0 on its next turn. A creature that succeeded on this saving throw takes half as much damage and has its speed halved instead. 142
Glacial Mirrors Wondrous item, uncommon This set of mirrors allow discrete communications across great distances. You can record a message up to 10 seconds in length and send it to the paired mirror by speaking a command word. The paired mirror ices over which indicates to its owner that a message is ready to be heard. Once you have sent a message, another one cannot be sent until the next day, but not before the previous message has been heard. Once a message is sent, the next time the paired mirror is exposed to an open flame, the ice melts away. The face of the person who sent the message is displayed within the mirror and the message is written across the surface of the mirror in common, despite the language used to record the original message. To anyone except the person holding the mirror, the mirror shows nothing but an ordinary reflection. Once the message is complete, this becomes an ordinary mirror until a new message is received. Gloves of Glamour Wondrous item, uncommon These beautiful leather gloves match perfectly with any outfit, even changing their color and size to meet the requirements of the person wearing them. While wearing these gloves, you cannot get dirty, even when falling directly into mud or other such filth. Additionally, your weapons and armor gleam pristinely at all times while these are on your hands. Gloves of the Hermit Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) While attuned to these gloves crafted of raw animal hide, you gain proficiency in Survival. If you are already proficient, you gain expertise. Additionally, you can use your bonus action to conjure a swarm of small woodland creatures such as squirrels, ferrets, or mice for one minute. These creatures follow you and attack your targets. Whenever you take the attack action on your turn, make an additional attack with a +4 bonus to the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 + 1 piercing damage from the creatures as they bite relentlessly. After one minute these summoned creatures disappear. Once you have used this feature, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Granite Gauntlets Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing these gauntlets made of thick stone, you gain the following benefits: You deal an additional 1 damage with unarmed attacks made using these gauntlets. You deal double damage against objects with unarmed attacks. You gain a +2 bonus to Strength (Athletics) checks made when attempting to initiate a grapple or maintain a grapple Gravity Bomb Wondrous item, uncommon You can use an action to throw this bomb at a point up to 60 feet away. When it reaches the end of its trajectory, the bomb detonates in a wave of powerful gravity. Each creature within 15 feet of the detonation must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be pulled to its center. If multiple creatures are affected by this, they are moved as close to the center as possible without occupying the same space as another creature unless their size permits it. A creature that failed the save by 5 or more is knocked prone in addition to being pulled to the center of the explosion. Greataxe of Vengeance Greataxe, uncommon (requires attunement) You can use an action to speak a command word and gain resistance to all damage until the start of your next turn as you enter a defensive stance. While in this defensive stance, you absorb some of the kinetic energy of attacks against you. The first time you deal damage with this weapon on your next turn, you unleash this absorbed energy. Add bonus force damage to the attack equal to the amount of damage you have taken from enemies since your last turn (maximum of 20). Once you have used this feature, you can't use it again until the next dawn. 143
Greatsword of the Angel Slayer Greatsword, very rare (requires attunement) You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls while wielding this magical greatsword. When you hit an angel with it, the angel takes an extra 2d6 necrotic damage. When you roll a 20 on an attack roll made with this weapon against an angel, it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or take an additional 25 necrotic damage. When you attune to this weapon, you sprout a set of blackfeathered angel wings and gain a fly speed of 30 feet. These wings persist as long as you remain attuned to the weapon. Additionally, you can also cast the hallow spell. Once you have done so, you can't do so again until the next dawn. Halberd of the Sky Hunter Halberd, rare (requires attunement) You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made while wielding this magical halberd. As long as you are not wearing heavy armor, you can use your bonus action and expend half of your total movement to leap high into the air. The height of this jump is equal to 15 + your Strength modifier feet. You may also move up to 10 ft. horizontally before returning to the ground in an unoccupied space. If this movement would provoke attacks of opportunity, those attacks are made with disadvantage. Additionally, you only take fall damage from a height of 50 feet or higher. Helix Wand Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This wand has 7 charges. It regains 1d6 +1 expended charges daily at dawn. You can use an action to expend 1 or more of the wand’s charges to cast a twisting bolt of spiraling elemental energy at an enemy within 90 feet. Choose a combination of two elements from cold, fire, lightning, or poison, then make an attack roll with a +6 bonus to hit. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 of each of the chosen types. For each charge you expend above 1, deal an additional 1d4 damage of each of the chosen types. Incendiary Cloak Wondrous item, very rare This beautiful cape of red and gold is clearly crafted of the finest clothes and cost several hundred gold in raw materials. This would be considered a fine gift and a compliment to any lord or lady, displaying great wealth when worn. Curse. This cloak is cursed. The moment someone puts on this cloak, it bursts into deadly flames and latches on to the wearer's body with an unyielding grasp. The creature wearing the cloak takes 1d10 fire damage per round for the next hour, at which point the magics fueling the cloak finally run out. This effect persists even if the creature wearing it perishes. Removing the cloak requires a remove curse spell or success on a DC 25 Strength saving throw. Anyone who attempts to remove the cloak from the victim, success or fail, takes 2d10 fire damage. Inferno Gauntlets Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing these beautiful scaled gauntlets, your unarmed attacks deal 1 bonus fire damage. You may use your bonus action to ignite these gauntlets for one minute, causing them to deal an additional 1d4 bonus fire damage on every attack instead. Once you have used this feature, you can’t use it again until the next dawn. You may also cast the burning hands spell at first level with a save DC of 13 once per day. 144
Inconspicuous Hat Wondrous item, uncommon While wearing this innocuous hat, you magically blend into the hustle and bustle of crowds. Enemies searching for you in cities have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to spot you and you have advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with guards. Jar of Fireflies Wondrous item, common This jar contains 3 charges. Opening the jar takes an action and consumes one of its charges. When this jar is opened, dozens of magical fireflies are conjured and begin to float in a 30-foot radius of the location the jar was opened. The glow of these fireflies creates bright light in this area. If an entity that is considered dangerous comes within 30 feet of the fireflies, they turn a bright red color and emit a small buzzing sound to warn of the threat. These fireflies last 8 hours or until they are exposed to natural sunlight, at which point they quietly dissipate. Lance of the Black Knight Lance, very rare (requires attunement) You gain a +2 bonus to your attack and damage rolls while wielding this magical weapon. While attuned to this weapon, you can cast the find steed spell, but the steed you find is limited to an black armored war horse. In addition, when you make an attack with this weapon while mounted, it deals an additional 1d6 piercing damage and ignores resistance to piercing damage. Life-Bestowing Woodworking Tools Wondrous item, very rare A creature with proficiency in woodworking tools can use these supplies to craft a simple animal carving over an 8 hour period. This animal can be no more than 12 inches in any dimension. Have the carver make an Dexterity (Woodcarvers' Tools) check to see how well it managed to craft this animal. On a result of 15 or higher, the carving is considered of high enough caliber and is bestowed with the spark of life for 24 hours. Once this feature has been used it can’t be used again for one week. The carving becomes a tiny construct with AC 10 and 5 hit points. It has 4 Intelligence and obeys any simple commands from the creature that created it. A walking animal has a move speed of 20 feet and a flying animal has a fly speed of 30 feet. This carving is constrained to the movements permitted by its joints. Once 24 hours have passed, the animal returns to an ordinary wooden carving. Lightning Gauntlets Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) Unarmed strikes made while wearing these gauntlets deal an additional 1d6 lightning damage. As long as you have a creature grappled, that creature takes 1d10 lightning damage at the start of each of its turns. In addition, whenever you successfully land an attack against a hostile creature while wearing these gauntlets they gain 1 charge, or 3 charges on a critical hit. Whenever these gauntlets reach 10 charges, all charges are automatically consumed and your next successful unarmed attack deals an additional 5d6 lightning damage. Lucky Necklace Wondrous item, uncommon Whenever you roll a 1 on a weapon attack roll, the next weapon attack roll you make is made with advantage. Marius’s Portable Stage Wondrous item, uncommon This item appears to be an ordinary piece of wood. It is approximately one square foot and weighs less than a pound. If you place this piece of wood on the ground and speak the command word, it will instantly transform into a stage five feet wide and two feet tall with you standing at the center. If there is not room to deploy a stage, it will instead become a podium. If there is not room for either of these items, the activation fails. You can speak the command word a second time to transform the stage or podium back into the piece of wood. While standing atop the stage or behind the podium, your voice is amplified to three times its normal volume and you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks against ordinary townsfolk. 145
Mask of the Witch Doctor Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) While wearing this wooden mask decorated with the feathers and bones of wild beasts, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC. Additionally, while wearing this mask you have the ability to conjure totems. You can use an action to create a magical totem at an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet. This totem is a tiny object with AC 12 and 15 hit points. The totem persists for 1 minute or until destroyed. You may only have one totem active at a time and once you have summoned a totem you can’t summon the same type again until the next dawn. Invigorating Totem. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), a creature of your choosing within 30 feet of the totem regains 1d10 hit points. Empowering Totem. Allies within 30 feet of the totem deal an additional 1d6 force damage with all weapon attacks. Impeding Totem. The area within 50 feet of this totem is considered difficult to terrain for creatures that are hostile towards you. Maul of the Marauder Maul, uncommon While attuned to this weapon, you can replace one of your attacks with a brutal sweeping attack. You make an attack against each enemy within 5 feet of you, making a separate attack roll for each enemy. You may use this special attack a number of times per day equal to your Strength modifier (minimum 1). Molten Maul Maul, uncommon (requires attunement) This powerful maul is crafted from an alloy of obsidian and adamantine. A tube filled with lava that never cools runs through the full length of the weapon’s handle, causing the weapon to always be warm to the touch. While wielding this weapon, you can use a bonus action to cause the maul to shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet for 1 hour. You can use an action to smash the mail into the ground, causing a seismic shock to rumble forth in a 30-foot cone. Flames erupts from large cracks formed by the impact of the maul. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Once this feature has been used, it cannot be used again until the next dawn. Obsidian Amulet Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) When you become attuned to this item, choose bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. As long as you are wearing no armor and are not using a shield, you have resistance to non-magical damage of the chosen type. During a short rest, you may choose to change the associated damage type for this amulet. Obsidian Chainmail Chainmail, rare (requires attunement) While wearing this black obsidian chainmail, whenever you are dealt fire damage by an enemy, the armor becomes empowered for one minute. While empowered, your melee weapon attacks deal an additional 1d6 fire damage and enemies that hit you with an attack while within 5 feet of you take 1d6 fire damage. The armor also sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet while empowered. Overgrowth Armor Light or medium armor, rare (requires attunement) This armor is covered in rough bark and wrapped in thick roots. You can use an action to speak a command word and cause roots surrounding this armor to implant themselves in the ground around you for up to 1 minute. This ability only works if used outdoors or if the floor is made of a soft material. You can end this rooted status as a bonus action on any subsequent turn. Once this feature has been used, it cannot be used again until the next dawn. While rooted you gain the following traits: You are considered grappled and cannot be moved against your will. Your AC can't be less than 16. At the start of your turn, as long as you have at least 1 hit point, you regain 1d4 hit points. You gain a vine whip attack with a 15 ft. reach. This uses your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus for its attack roll and deals 1d10 + Dexterity modifier slashing damage on hit. 146
Phoenix Pendant Wondrous item, rare This beautiful ruby pendant has the appearance of a phoenix flourishing its wings. If you smash this pendant on the ground within 5 feet a creature that has died within the last 10 minutes, flames lash out of the remnants of the pendant and surround the body of the deceased. After a few seconds, the flame subside and the creature is returned to life with 1 hit point, covered in ash. Pistol of the Pillager Pistol, rare (requires attunement) You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. You can use a bonus action to place a gold piece into a slot on the back of the gun to cause it to become supercharged for the next minute. During this time, you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 with this weapon and projectiles fired from this pistol ignore resistances. Once you have used this feature, it can't be used again until the next dawn. Pitons of Ascension Wondrous item, uncommon You can use an action to speak the word “ascend” while standing near a surface you wish to climb. Doing so will cause these pitons to float up and automatically embed themselves in a surface as long as it is made of stone or a similar material. These are evenly distributed and one set of pitons is enough to climb up a surface 100 ft. tall with adequate rope. Portable Dart Trap Wondrous item, common or uncommon This four cubic inch wooden box serves as a one-time use dart trap. The back side of the box has a paper covering that can peeled off to reveal a sticky adhesive beneath that can be fixed to any wood or stone wall with thirty seconds of continuous pressure. Engaging a button on the bottom of the box releases a string twelve feet in length that when severed causes the spring loaded darts within the box to fire out of the front of the box. It takes one minute to fully set this trap and can be used to defend a hallway up to 10 feet in width. A creature that breaks the string of the trap must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 4d4 piercing damage. A creature with a passive Perception of 13 or higher notices the box or its string and knows that it is a trap. Versions of this trap that are better camouflaged or that fire poisonous darts are available, but they come at the uncommon rarity and cost significantly more. Portable Spike Trap Wondrous item, uncommon or rare This one foot wide, one foot tall, one inch thick wooden box serves as a one-time use spike trap. The box has hinges on the edge and can unfold to cover a 4-ft square area that must be flat. When unfolded, there is a button on the right side of the trap that activates it, at which point it starts to slowly descend into the surface upon which it is resting. Over the course of ten minutes, the box sinks further and further down until it has created a ten foot deep hole. The trap can only burrow through six inches of solid stone, the rest must be dirt or another soft material, otherwise the magic that fuels this device runs out prematurely and the trap does not activate. Once the hole has been dug, a set of vicious spikes pop up out of the box, ready to impale anyone unfortunate enough to step into the trap. A creature that steps into the same space as the spike trap must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall down the hole, taking 4d6 piercing damage and becoming trapped unless they are capable of escaping the hole. A creature with a passive Perception of 13 or higher notices the hole in the ground and can identify it as a trap. Versions of this trap with poisonous spikes, that drop the victim down a deeper hole, or can burrow through stone are available, but they are rare and cost significantly more. Potion of the Champion Wondrous item, very rare Your Dexterity and Strength scores become 19 for the next hour. Potion of Glacial Armor Potion, uncommon When this potion is consumed, if you are wearing no armor, a set of glacial platemail instantly forms around you. If you are wearing armor, it is simply reinforced with magical ice to cover your weaknesses. This armor provides you with an AC of 18 and gives you resistance to cold damage. You are considered proficient with this armor and it is light enough for anyone to wear with comfort. This armor persists for 10 minutes, after which the armor shatters to snow that fall harmlessly to the ground. 147
Potion of Insta-Frost Potion, uncommon Pouring this potion into a body of water will cause it to instantly freeze if it is 10,000 cubic feet or smaller, otherwise it will simply cause the temperature of the water to plummet. This ice persists for 1 hour before beginning to melt. The full bottle must be expended, no matter the size of the body of water. Potion of Kings Wondrous item, very rare Your Charisma and Constitution scores become 19 for the next hour. Potion of the Scholar Wondrous item, very rare Your Intelligence and Wisdom scores become 19 for the next hour. Potion of Treasure Finding Consumable, rare After consuming this potion, you can see an ethereal trail on the ground that guides you to the most valuable item within 1 mile. This does not factor in items within 30 feet of you. This guides you through existing passageways and will even guide you towards hidden doorways if they would serve as a faster route to the destination. This potion does not factor in whether or not these pathways are blocked by locked doors, however, so the most direct route may not always be the most accessible. Quill Blade Wondrous item, uncommon This item has the appearance and even functions as an ordinary writing quill. When the command word is spoken, the quill transforms into a longsword until the command word is spoken again. There is no way to detect that this item is out of the ordinary except through magical means. Quilt of Plenty Wondrous item, uncommon The first time you unfold this 6 foot by 6 foot quilt each day, it contains a large woven basket. Within this basket is a banquet with enough food to feed 4 people for a single meal or 2 people for a day. Any uneaten food created by this quilt disappears at midnight. Rapier of Dazzling Displays Rapier, uncommon As an action, you may flourish this lovely weapon. A creature of your choosing within 60 feet of you that can see this display must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by you. While charmed, the target drops anything it is holding and uses its action to cheer and applaud your performance on its turn. You can use your action on subsequent turns to continue this performance and maintain the charm. You can continue this performance for a maximum of 1 minute and the charm is immediately broken if the target is damaged. Once this feature has been used, it cannot be used again until the next dawn. Ring of Endurance Wondrous item, uncommon While wearing this ring, whenever you roll for initiative you regain one of your expended hit die. Ring of the Hydromancer Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While wearing this ring, you gain a swimming speed of 30 feet and can breathe underwater. Once per day you can use your action to bind two targets - creature or object - together with a stream of ice cold water. If either target tries to move more than 20 feet away from its bound partner, it must expend 2 feet of movement for every 1 foot traveled and it both targets take 1d8 cold damage for every 5 feet it travels. This effect persists for 1 minute or until the targets move at least 50 feet apart. This ring has 9 charges. It regains 1d6 + 3 expended charges daily at dawn. You can use an action to expend 1 or more of the ring’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it: shape water (1 charge), create or destroy water (2 charges), water breathing (3 charges), tidal wave (4 charges)*. Spells cast using the ring have a DC 15 saving throw. While it is actively raining or you are completely submerged in water, the saving throw increases to 17. 148
Ring of the Reckless Wondrous item, rare While wearing this ring, you thrive on the adrenaline brought on by the fear of death and in return it protects you and allows you to fight on through the pain. As long as there are 3 or more hostile creatures within 10 feet of you, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons. Scepter of Pure Ice Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While attuned to this item, when you are dealt cold damage, reduce the total damage taken by 5. Additionally, you cannot gain exhaustion as the result of bitter cold weather. Once per day you can use an action to create a bridge of ice. This bridge is up to 30 feet long and 5 feet wide and must be between and two points you can see within 120 feet. This bridge turns to snow after 10 minutes. The scepter has 9 charges. It regains 1d6 + 3 expended charges daily at dawn. You can use an action to expend 1 or more of the scepter’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it: ice knife (1 charge), Snilloc’s snowball swarm (2 charges), sleet storm (5 charges). Spells cast using the scepter have a +7 bonus to hit and a DC 15 saving throw. In areas within 1 mile of natural snow or ice, this increases to a +9 bonus to hit and a DC 17 saving throw. Shard of the Fallen Star Dagger, legendary (requires attunement) While wielding this ancient dagger crafted from the shard of a meteor, you gain a +3 bonus to spell attack rolls. It also has the following properties. When one of these properties is used, it cannot be used again until the next dawn. Dancing Stars. Motes of light dance around you for the next hour or until you dismiss them. These motes exude bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. Meteor Shield. As a bonus action, you conjure dozens of tiny meteor shards that will automatically deflect attacks against you in combat. For the next minute, your AC becomes equal to 13 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier. Starfall. As an action, you summon a point of brilliant radiant energy at a point in the sky you can see within 150 feet and bring it crashing to the ground with immense force. Each creature within 20 feet of the point of impact must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 12d8 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A Creature that fail this save by 5 or more is also blinded until the end of its next turn. Step Through the Stars. As a bonus action, you vanish in a blinding flash of light and reappear with an equally bright flash in an unoccupied space you can see within 300 feet. Each creature within 10 feet of your starting or finishing location must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the beginning of its next turn. 149
Sickle of the Plague Bringer Sickle, uncommon (requires attunement) While wielding this sickle, when an enemy hits you with a melee weapon attack while within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to unleash a swarm of insects at your attacker. That creature must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d4 poison damage and becoming poisoned until the end of your next turn on a failed save, or half as much damage and not poisoned on a successful one. Once you have used this feature, you can't use it again until the next dawn. Additionally, you can use your bonus action to cause the sickle to drip with a vile poison. Attacks with this weapon deal an additional 1d4 poison damage for the next minute. Once you have used this feature, you can't use it again until the next dawn. Silverware of Cleansing Wondrous item, rare Any food eaten using this sterling silver utensils are immediately cleansed of any basic poisons that may have tainted them. Exceptionally powerful poisons still result in debilitating effects, including unconsciousness or great harm, but will never kill the intended victim. Soul Orbs Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement) This set of thirteen 2-inch diameter orbs are capable of imprisoning the souls of living entities and expending them as resources to grant boons. These are typically in the possession of powerful demon lords, but can do great harm when they fall into the hands of mortals. These orbs are grey in color, but glow royal purple when a soul have been captured within them. While you are attuned to these orbs, they orbit your body, following you wherever you go. If a sentient humanoid creature is killed within 60 feet of you, you can choose to trap the soul of that creature within an empty orb. If you choose to do so, that creature cannot be resurrected with any spell except wish, which removes the soul from the orb and returns it to the creature. When you capture a soul, you immediately gain 15 temporary hit points for 1 hour. As a bonus action, you can choose to expend one of these souls to grant yourself one of the following benefits: Your next weapon attack deals a bonus 4d6 necrotic damage. You regain 4d6 hit points. Your next attack roll is made with advantage. Enemy attacks against you have disadvantage until the end of your next turn. 150
