Traveling within your fantasy would should be exciting, not boring! Use these one hundred different encounters to bring your world to life and keep your players on their toes.
| d100 | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1 | The party comes across a fisherman struggling to pull his net up. If assisted, it turns out to have been stuck on a rusted iron coffin covered in old holy symbols. The coffin feels heavy. |
| 2 | The party notices several statues in the path around a traveling wagon. As they approach closer they notice some of the statues are in poses with expressions of fear. A basilisk is feasting on one of the victims in the bushes just off the path. Since it is preoccupied and full, the party can easily pass it unless they decide to attack it. |
| 3 | A noble and his entourage are returning from a very unsuccessful hunt. He propositions the party with gold and food if they can hunt a beast for him to take back and show his friends. |
| 4 | The party comes across a wagon with smoke lightly flowing out of the windows. If investigated, the party will find a halfling pipe salesman smoking a strong strand of pipeweed. He will offer the players some of his pipeweed in exchange for coins. |
| 5 | The party comes across a crowd of people with an angry disposition. They are placing stacks of branches around the feet of an old woman tied to a stake. They call for a torch amid cries of, "Witch", "Burn her!", and "She's a servant of the dark lord!" |
| 6 | The party comes across a clear babbling stream, stepping stone crossing, good banks, shallow enough to ford a lightly loaded wagon, and with good fishing too! A nearby druid is somewhat friendly with any travelers passing through with good intentions and a light step upon the land. |
| 7 | The players come across a hole in the ground surrounded by deer, foxes and other forest animals kneeling in apparent prayer, they are not sentient but appear to be wearing crude crowns and other adornments. The hole spews a white smoke that causes hallucinations. |
| 8 | On the side of the road is a small shrine to a lawful good deity. The shrine is a one-foot-thick wooden wall with a small roof over it with a wooden carving of the deity protruding from the wall. A handful of scraps of parchment bearing prayers are tacked to the wall. Various offerings lie at the foot of the shrine: Fresh cut grain, flowers, a woven cord bracelet, a wooden carving of a boy, etc. A wooden bowl contains 2d6 gold pieces. |
| 9 | A horse and cart loaded with turnips is stopped on the side of the road up ahead. A hunched peasant farmer is attempting to fix one of the wheel’s broken spokes. He asks if the party can help him get the mended wheel back onto the cart. After a successful strength check from whoever helps him, the farmer offers the party some pickled pigs feet in thanks that count as good-quality rations. |
| 10 | The party finds a cart on the side of the road that has been overturned and lit ablaze. The horse that was pulling the cart has been killed and much of its meat removed. The corpse of the cart driver can be found in the bushes nearby. If the party examines the contents of the charred cart they find it was carrying a number of bundles of lucky charms. Most of them have been burned or melted together, but they do manage to find 3d10 lucky charms that survived the fire intact. |
| 11 | After falling off the beaten path, the party comes upon a prominent hill topped with a large anvil that appears to be made of the very stone that comprises the hill. Magic can be seen emanating from the anvil and seeping towards any weapon that is brought close to it. |
| 12 | An old hunter greets the players and offers to share his fire for lunch. He gets to talking about the good old days, and talks in a funny old man voice. After lunch, he keeps talking. And talking. And talking. The players have to get clever with roleplay to avoid offending the nice man, or just disregard his feelings and take off. |
| 13 | A white hart crosses your path before quickly sprinting away. Any superstitious member of the party recognizes this as a sign from the Gods. Your trip is blessed! |
| 14 | The party notices a barrel sat in the shade of a lone tree a mile outside of a small village. Keen eyes spot flies buzzing about the edge of the sealed lid; the ground shows clear signs of the barrel having been rolled or dragged to this spot. If the party opens the barrel, they find the bloated corpse of a young man wedged in an unnatural pose inside. The bottom of the barrel still has about two to three inches of wine sat in it; and the young man appears to be dressed in the livery of a delivery company. |
| 15 | The party comes across a small dirt path branching off the main road. A very sweet, fragrant scent is coming from this path. If the party follows it, they will come across a small field of flowers that are used in an expensive perfume in the region. |
| 16 | The players come across a small hamlet that is in complete turmoil. A piglet who was seen as a miracle because it was born with a birthmark in the shape of a deity's holy symbol has gone missing. The entire hamlet is torn apart by greed and suspicion. |
| 17 | A traveling artist has set up a canvas in a nearby field and is painting some wildflowers. For 5 copper pieces, he will make a charcoal drawing on paper for the party. For 5 gold pieces, he will stop his flower painting and spend time following the party painting a portrait of the party until he is finished. If prompted about his work, he will get excited and show off his sketchbook. It's full of various drawings and portraits of people he's passed on the road. He says he never forgets a face and will even draw someone according to details given by the party for 10 copper pieces. |
| 18 | The party comes across a band of highwaymen posing as religious ascetics on a pilgrimage to a nearby temple. They plan to rob the holy site and kill everyone inside its walls. |
| 19 | A society of astrologists are traveling from a nearby city to a rural area to witness a meteor shower that has been predicted. There are two dozen of them or so. Most of them are amateur astrologists who are minor nobles or upper middle class, but there are a few scholars and even a wizard. |
| 20 | There is roaring and thrashing from somewhere off the road. A wounded griffon (or wyvern) is trapped in some poachers’ device and her left wing is damaged by some sort of bear claw device connected to a chain. The chain is locked and hammered into a tree stump, next to it lays the carcass of a goat that was probably used to lure her here. The creature is very wary and will attack any humanoid on sight if it weren’t for her chain radius of 40 ft. Freeing her is not easy as she distrusts everything around her now. This is reinforced the moment someone tries to remove the chain as arrows fly from the shrubbery and the poachers return for their trophy, this turns the beast hostile again. |
| 21 | The party comes across a freshly slain deer in a small clearing alongside the road. A pack of crows feed on the corpse. One of the crows is much larger than the others, nearly twice the size. |
| 22 | An old lady sits atop a large flat stone at the side of the road, strumming softly on a dulcimer sat upon her lap. As the party approaches, she asks them if they can spare her three days worth of rations and water in order for her to reach the nearest town. If they do, she can cast one high level bard spell for the party as payment. |
| 23 | A line of travelers and merchants are being searched by a half dozen road wardens. On a nearby cart, a merchant can be seen fidgeting nervously. He offers the party 5 gold pieces to cause a distraction. |
| 24 | The party comes across a group of acrobats. They are practicing one of their climbing routines on a tall tree off the side of the road. If asked, they are traveling to a nearby city to perform for a party hosted by an important noble. |
| 25 | The players come across a flyer nailed to a tree regarding recent attacks on a logging settlement by a band of wood elves. The logging settlement is recruiting people to drive off the elves. |
| 26 | The party comes across a lost, overgrown village. At first it appears abandoned, and quickly abandoned at that; there is no sign of evacuation or resistance. Inside the church the townsfolk are gathered, appearing almost as they did in life, frozen in some sort of bark form in a kneeling prayer position. |
| 27 | There is a roadblock manned by three road wardens. A mile up the road there is a small town infected with the yellow plague. It has been quarantined. The road wardens will explain a circuitous route that will only add a day or so to their travel. |
| 28 | A tremendously large oak tree looms over a crossroads. The tree is crowded with crows and the corpses of seven big green orcs hang from its branches. |
| 29 | The party comes across a woman peddling used magical talismans out of a cart. Her assistant, a large deaf giant who is pulling said cart, grins whenever someone comes near. She's rather charming in a soft spoken way. A bit of prodding into the pair reveals they are both friends who once adventured together. |
| 30 | The party comes across the corpse of a dwarf on the roadside. The dwarf was apparently stabbed in the back and robbed. In his hand, he clutches a small open book. The book contains a list of names and most of them have been crossed out. However, there is one last name written in blood by the dwarf’s finger, apparently in his dying moments... |
| 31 | The party spots some strange hills in the distance. An intelligence test will reveal that they are burial mounds from a long dead tribe. Perhaps there is wealth hidden in those tombs? |
| 32 | An overturned carriage can be found in a ditch on the roadside. The exterior is intact, but the inside has been ripped apart, and is stained with blood. |
| 33 | A raven can be seen following a single member of the party. If they move one way, the raven follows. The raven will fly away if anyone gets close to it. That night, the one who was followed has horrible dreams. |
| 34 | A group of locals are selling a traditional fruit wine made from apples and various berries that is famous in the region. They are pouring it from a barrel and are charging a few silver pieces to fill your cup or wineskin. |
| 35 | The road cuts through an open field with a hill and a lone tree on top as a prominent landmark. There appears to be something leaning against the trunk. If investigated, the players will find a well-made +1 two-handed sword. |
| 36 | An old dwarf with a bit of a limp is leading a donkey that is overladen with various junk and knick knacks. He will try to sell the players all sorts of strange items. |
| 37 | A high ranking paladin is traveling down the road with 1d10 initiates. They make camp a short distance from the party's camp. During the night, one of the initiates sneaks over to the party and asks all manner of questions about the adventuring lifestyle. In the morning, the questioning initiate is nowhere to be found. The party may see him again in another part of the region. |
| 38 | A group of refugees from a neighboring war approach you on the road. They are desperate for food and shelter. |
| 39 | The party comes across a crossroads. At one of the corners of the road, a broken sign lays in the weeds. This sign tells which direction each road leads, but they aren't certain on the correct orientation of the sign. |
| 40 | A knight and his squire are passing on the road. He's a gallant Knight looking to prove himself and challenges your best fighter to a duel. |
| 41 | The wonderful night sky is filled with glowing moths. They spin in the sky above the party, and small clouds of dust drift down from them, leaving everyone with a peaceful feeling as they flit away. |
| 42 | The party finds a large tree off the side of the road covered in at least a dozen giant centipedes. Inside of the tree is a tunnel that leads down to a nursery of centipede larva. |
| 43 | In the distance, a small tower stands over the horizon. It is the ruins of an old watch tower that has long since been abandoned. If the players climb to the top, they can get a great view of the surrounding area. |
| 44 | A group of mercenaries, led by an intimidating captain, marches down the road. They are searching for a large orc party that is reported to be camping in the area. |
| 45 | The party comes across a wandering hill giant. He has lost his 'lucky shiny' and is desperate to get it back. If any of the players are wearing heavy, shining armor, the hill giant will think THEY are the one who stole the 'lucky shiny' armor, and will try and get it back! |
| 46 | The player's path brings them to a raging river. The river, normally calm and slowly moving, is currently a fierce torrent. It has destroyed the bridge the players need to cross. How will they continue their journey? |
| 47 | As the party is walking down a heavily forested part of the road, they hear the loud creaking of branches. All of a sudden, a random party member is hoisted into the air by the hand of an ancient treant. The treant, gripping the player tightly, says they look exactly like the one who started a forest fire a couple months back. |
| 48 | A traveling prison wagon filled with prisoners crosses the party's path. One of the party members recognises one of the prisoners as a childhood friend. |
| 49 | The party comes across a procession of mourners who are transporting the body of a local folk hero to his final resting place. |
| 50 | A pair of wood elves are seen setting traps for poachers. If the party proves to be friends of the forest, the elves will take them to an extradimensional nature preserve full of extinct and oversized creatures. |
| 51 | A wounded bounty hunter stumbles out of the bushes. He has taken an arrow through the arm, which now hangs limp. He tells the players that he and his partner tracked three infamous bandits to a wooded hill nearby, but they were ambushed. His partner was killed. He needs to retrieve a locket from his partner for the man’s widow. He will give the players half of the 200 gold coin bounty if they help him capture the bandits. |
| 52 | Two knights, one with a loon on his shield and one with a white star on an azure field, are observed, locked in battle. They are settling a feud between their two houses, even if it means death. |
| 53 | The party sees a crowd of townsfolk equipped with makeshift weapons and torches marching towards a nearby city. They proclaim that they are going to do battle with a minor local lord because his taxes are too high. If there is a fight, they will certainly be slaughtered. |
| 54 | The party comes across a townsman who is arguing with a traveling salesman. He claims that he paid for 50 miracle cures, but the crate the salesman gave him only contained 46. The salesman claims that the customer must have drunk four of the doses of the cure because he “has a system”. The dispute is over 8 gold pieces. |
| 55 | A religious procession of many people in dark gray robes and hoods with large rounded points on the sides reminiscent of an owl's head. They are carrying owl feathers, live dormice in a clay and gilt glirarium (container habitat for fattening dormice for eating) large enough that it takes six people to carry it, and several hundred dead rats and mice strung up by their tails on poles carried between the processionals. If inspected closely, the rodents have a small gem hidden inside worth 10x1d10 gp each. They offer you little cakes made of millet, dried fruit, and honey, that are shaped suspiciously like owl pellets. |
| 56 | A massive green dragon flies right over the party, headed east. Maybe they can travel in that direction and find its lair? If they do decide to follow the trail of the dragon, they will find a massive cave entrance on the side of a rocky outcropping. |
| 57 | You come across an older gentleman traveling down the path with a group of 6 small dogs walking behind him. He has them each on a small leash that is attached to his large backpack, filled with dog clothes and toys. Over the last few years, this man has trained these dogs to perform tricks. He is traveling from town to town to try and become a famous performer. |
| 58 | The party comes across a group of guardsmen transporting the corpse of their beloved countess back to her homeland. Upon conversation, the guardsmen believe foul play was involved and ask the adventurers if they could help investigate. |
| 59 | A young boy is found on the roadside intent on running away to a far away city. He is small and would surely lose a fight to just about anything. He begs and pleads to come with the party and join them on their quest. |
| 60 | The players see a group of guards burning a field of crops to make an example of a farmer for not paying his taxes. The farmer is begging to a scarecrow-like effigy next to the field to not harm the guards or the noble who ordered it. |
| 61 | A hill in the distance is crowned with ruins. War may have laid it to waste, but no one is quite sure. On the top of the hill is a stone altar dedicated to a chaotic evil deity. Any good character here will feel an oppressive sense of unease, fear and doom. |
| 62 | Road wardens are dragging a poacher out of the woods. He is manacled, and sobbing that he only did it to feed his family. He begs them to be merciful. One of the road wardens carries the two pheasants that the man killed. |
| 63 | A woman and six small children approach in an ox-drawn wagon. They appear dirty, tired and apprehensive, but if the party is friendly the mother will share her story: the father has run out on his family, and they could no longer afford to live in their previous home. The mother offers the party a single gold coin if they would accompany them to the next village. Rumor has it there are wolves in the area, and they are scared they won't make it to town before nightfall. |
| 64 | The party comes across a graveyard stretching to both sides of the road. The names have been carefully and precisely chipped off of all the headstones. |
| 65 | An old windmill can be seen in the distance. If the party approaches, they find a strange old lady in the doorway inviting the players inside to camp for the night. The players may think she is a witch or a hag, but she is completely harmless and only has good intentions. |
| 66 | The party sees a trio of dirty peasants riding past them on an impossibly fancy carriage. They nervously smile and wave at your group. A keen eye will notice a smear of blood on the side of the carriage. |
| 67 | The party comes across a cartographer who is willing to sell a copy of his map of the area for 40gp. With this map, the party can travel at an additional 1d4 miles per day of travel within the area of the map. |
| 68 | A recent storm has ravaged the woods, and the road is covered with broken branches of varying sizes. Thankfully the trees themselves are still upright, but the normally clean paved road has become difficult terrain. |
| 69 | Off to the side of the road is an obelisk of carved white marble. It stands tall and overlooks the area. Those who can speak elvish or have elven ancestry will recognize this as an elven weather stone. Every day, the elven ruins on the face of the obelisk change shapes and reveal to the reader what the weather will be like tomorrow. |
| 70 | A group of dangerous criminals are being transported by a group of guards when one of the guards (disguised criminal) starts killing the other guards and lets the criminals loose. |
| 71 | The party is caught up in a butterfly migration. For a solid hour, they are continuously covered and then uncovered by hundreds of butterflies taking small rests on their long journey. |
| 72 | A mudslide has destroyed most of the road ahead and turned it into a complete slippery mess. The party will need to attempt to cross it themselves, or find a way around. |
| 73 | An abandoned campsite is discovered, with belongings left behind as if the occupants vanished in a hurry. The fire is still warm, yet no one can be found. Within the belongings, the party finds a featureless clay mask inside of the tent. Those who look upon it begin to feel a low dread beginning to boil within them. |
| 74 | In the morning, the party finds giant frogs rummaging through their stuff, searching for food. They're not hostile, for now. |
| 75 | A poet of some renown is traveling the same direction as the players. The poet begins asking the party random questions about their adventures. The next time the players enter a tavern, they hear the poet reciting a ballad about the party. |
| 76 | One of the players, selected at random, catches the glint of something shiny coming out of a tree stump on the roadside. If investigated, they find a hidden cache of gems that someone may have hidden for whatever reason. |
| 77 | A great elk is seen watching the party from a distance. It almost looks as if the elk is wearing a crown made of twigs and vines. |
| 78 | The side of the road is marked with piles of dirt and freshly dug holes. If the party investigates, they will find a grizzly graverobber still actively digging in one of the holes. If confronted, the man will claim to be in possession of a map showing the unmarked grave of a noble warrior who fell in battle and was buried somewhere in this area. |
| 79 | A group of bandits have strategically placed a broken down cart in the middle of the road the players are traveling on. If they get out to explore, the bandits jump out of hiding and demand they empty their pockets. |
| 80 | The party comes across a wooden sign that says “Danjur ahed. Folo othur rod” with an arrow pointing down a conjoining road. |
| 81 | The party comes across an elven scout traveling the same road. He is very friendly, well-armed, and his clothing and weathered face show that he is a warrior of many years. He invites the party to rest a while, enjoy some of his elven rations, and share news and rumors they might have for him to report back to his hold and king. He is perfectly willing to share some of news and rumors he’s already collected in his journey in exchange, such as other passersby, nearby points of interest, or perhaps other plot hooks. |
| 82 | A weathered stone cairn lies at a crossroads, the stones arranged with deliberate care. A recent offering of flowers and fruit sits atop it, yet no one is in sight. |
| 83 | You hear moaning coming from the trees. As you approach you see a wounded man-at-arms slumped against a stump. He seems to have taken an aggressive wound to the chest, but yet lives. If he is healed or brought to town in time, he will be forever in the party's debt. |
| 84 | A random member of the party discovers a ferret in their pack. The ornery creature has consumed 1d3 of the character’s rations or food before it was discovered. |
| 85 | A beautiful warhorse with an expensive saddle and tack grazes near the road, but no rider can be seen anywhere. The rider can be found knocked out from a fallen tree branch a few feet away. |
| 86 | The players come across a seemingly abandoned chapel off the side of a long road. The windows have long since been boarded up and the door is laying on the ground off its hinges. If the players investigate inside, they will find an ex-bandit has made a small camp inside. He is kind to the players and asks if they can help him. In a nearby kingdom, his brother is being held captive and is on trial for his life. He asks the players if they could break his brother out of prison. |
| 87 | Seven blind beggars pass the party. Each holds on to the rope belt of the man in front of him. The lead beggar feels with a cane. The last man in the chain shakes a wooden mug with a few brass pennies in it. "Alms for the blind!" He shouts. They are on a pilgrimage to the nearest capital city. |
| 88 | A pack of dirt-covered Dwarf miners approach the party from off the road, offering to trade very valuable gems for some ale and food ('not trail rations, real food!'). They have just struck upon a massive gem deposit and wish to celebrate. |
| 89 | In the forest there is a clearing, though clearly not of natural origin. Trees are burnt, thick magical residue clings to the surface of the charred wood and even lingers in the air itself. At the center is a shack that appears to be the site of a terrible alchemical explosion. There are burnt corpses in the shack, shattered vials everywhere and puddles of mixed potions on the floor, and evidence of animals visiting the site. |
| 90 | As the party travels through a heavily wooded area, they notice that the trees above them are filled with dense spider webs. Hidden amongst the webs are dozens of giant spiders, chittering and watching the party silently in the treetops. |
| 91 | A massive herd of livestock covers the road ahead resembling a sea of braying fur and horns. In the distance a few shepherds can be seen ushering the animals along, but such is the amount of the creatures, it will take several minutes for them to all pass. The party can attempt to wade through the herd, but must take dexterity checks to make any progress in walking against the tide of them. |
| 92 | Your party encounters a trampled banner of size and quality suggesting a great house, yet you cannot identify the sigil. If brought to a historian, it will be identified as a great house whose bloodline ended long ago. |
| 93 | A party member trips on a hidden rock. As they are falling, they feel as though they are being "caught" before hitting the ground. A nearby ent uses its vines to catch the player before they hurt themselves. |
| 94 | The party comes across a mob of armed citizens. A massive spider, more than ten feet across has been spotted in the area. It has been dragging small and medium-sized livestock back to its web. The group has gathered together to hunt it down. |
| 95 | An assortment of multi-colored mushrooms, ranging in size from an inch to a few feet tall, can be found in a clearing on the roadside. Long ago, a traveler dropped a magic potion in the area and over time, the contents of the potion leaked into the ground, causing the mushrooms to change and grow. The air is thick with spores, some of which have psychedelic properties. |
| 96 | The party comes across a woman collecting mushrooms on the side of the road. She is looking for a specific kind of mushroom that, when handled properly, can act as a lethal poison. If she feels comfortable talking with the players, she reveals that she plans to kill her cheating husband. |
| 97 | Three farmers pass by with a small herd of goats and a cow. Several minutes later, a man comes running along with a black eye, roughed up clothes, and holding a rake. He pleads with the party to tell him where the bandits went with all his livestock. |
| 98 | A dwarven merchant caravan is moving through the area. Three heavy wagons and a dozen armored dwarf guards. They are interested in purchasing any art objects that the players may have, and will pay double price for them. |
| 99 | The party comes across a group of soldiers preparing to hang another for treason against the kingdom. The 'traitor' was caught fleeing his battalion after he disagreed with his commander's orders. He pleads with the players for help. |
| 100 | The party comes across an astoundingly deep ravine passable only by a rope bridge. While the rope bridge may look treacherous, it is completely safe for the party to pass, but don't let them know that. |
