Forest Encounters Volume 1
Random Encounters can add a lot to your D&D game; providing unexpected challenges, revealing engaging characters, surprising plot twists, interesting little details, even opportunities for aid. Their emergent nature breaths life into your world, creating a delightful sense that anything can happen when you set out on an adventure. But most random encounter tables out are there are so rudimentary that many players and dungeon masters find them to be a boring waste of time. I mostly agreed with that, until I started making my own. Now I love them, they might be my favorite part of running the game. And I am spreading the love on the Dungeon Master's Guild.
The Verdigris Table: Forest Encounters Volume 1 provides you with a dynamic location for tier one characters to explore.
By itself, the table has more going on than a typical list of random encounters. It is arranged for easy reference during play, and designed to give uncommon results slightly more frequently than common ones, with the chance of a much more rare encounter ever-present. Along with potential enemies and allies, (though how the players navigate the various factions is up to them,) there are also entries for traps, treasures, clues, and even roleplaying prompts to help get to know the characters better.
Each entry is developed in the following pages, with the goal of providing the Dungeon Master enough information to engage their players and allow for multiple ways things can develop, while not being overwhelming so it can be read through while running the game. Some will prefer reading this over during prep and adapting it to better suit their purposes, and there are plenty of ways to leave your own creative stamp here.
A kindly old fortune teller, the local goblins call her “The Grandmother,” is actually a hag in disguise, who is spreading lycanthropy and preparing for the arrival of her coven sisters. A young druid seeks a way to restore balance to her forest and lift the curse from her secret love. Hidden deep within the trees a circle of standing stones still resonates with ancient magic, and a fearsome troll exacts a heavy price from travelers unfortunate enough to cross his path. All the while nature abounds with beasts, plants, and weather patterns, creating obstacles and opportunities for intrepid travelers.
Also included are some different ideas on how you can incorporate this into your home game, ways to tinker with the mechanical side of things, and potential paths to leveling up this environment as the player characters and your story progresses. There are also several plot hooks you can deploy to give your players more direction, or you can simply leave them free to explore and discover a world that feels wide open. A table of rumors is also included for clever adventurers who do their homework and like to know what they're getting into.
I wanted to create an environment that felt distinct and interconnected, while leaving things open-ended enough that you could easily fold this into your game. Pick a forested section of the map, or add a new one, and you're ready to run this. Put it around the entrance to your dungeon, or between the dungeon and the starting town, or use it as an adventure location in its own right. Take it apart and put it back together the way you like, or run it as is and watch a dynamic world reveal itself to you and your players.
