Mountainous realms hold caves, treasures, and fearsome beasts that use the peaks as hunting grounds. They’re ripe for adventuring- these tables can provide you with inspiration or random encounters to drop on your players and add some more life to the mountainous environments in your worlds!
Sources
Each encounter focuses on a monster from throughout the D&D 5e library; to see what book or source they come from, you can consult the Book column. The sources unabbreviated sources are Basic Rules (BR), Monster Manual (MM), Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (MPMM), Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (RoF), Out of the Abyss (OoA), Volo’s Guide to Monsters (VGM), and Storm King’s Thunder (SKT).
Mountain Random Encounters
The following table provides random encounters for parties playing in various “tiers” of gameplay; they generally reflect encounters you can sculpt to work for tables within a level range. The Low-tier can work for levels 1-4, Mid-tier for levels 5-11, and the Upper-tier for levels 12+.
Low-Tier Adventuering Random Encounter Table
| d20 | Book | Encounter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BR | A nest of 1d4+2 eagles annoyed by larger creatures approaching |
| 2 | BR | Three runaway goats fleeing their dwarf commoner goat herder |
| 3 | BR | 1d6+3 red kobolds gathering resources for an intricate sculpture |
| 4 | MM | 1d4+2 aarakocra on a routine patrol to defend their village |
| 5 | MPMM | 1d4+2 derro breaching the surface in pursuit of a runaway captive |
| 6 | MPMM | A red kobold inventor and their 1d4+1 winged kobold allies setting a trap |
| 7 | BR | A pair of pteranodon carrying a screaming orc back to their roost |
| 8 | MPMM | 1d4+3 firenewt warriors on a pilgrimage to a volcano with a giant strider |
| 9 | BR | A halfling commoner merchant riding a giant goat mount with two scout escorts |
| 10 | OoA | A young basilisk lounging in its garden of petrified victims |
| 11 | BR | A mating pair of giant eagles on the hunt for large game |
| 12 | BR | 1d4+2 harpies settled in an abandoned watchtower |
| 13 | BR | A hippogriff struggling against three chokers who ambushed it from above |
| 14 | MPMM | A red kobold dragonshield, kobold scale sorcerer, and red guard drake |
| 15 | MPMM | 1d4+1 grazing aurochs |
| 16 | RoF | A druid with their giant elk companion seeking an apothecary friend |
| 17 | MPMM | A griffon and its two young griffon children devouring a dead giant goat |
| 18 | BR | A pair of ogres carrying a stolen cow for dinner |
| 19 | MM | One peryton lording over its slain giant eagle prey |
| 20 | MM | 1d4+1 orcs following their orog hunt leader |
Mid-Tier Adventuring Random Encounter Table
| d20 | Book | Encounter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MPMM | Two ogre howdahs with two goblins in each howdah heading back to their fort |
| 2 | MPMM | 1d4+1 duergar stone guard escorting a mind master and hammerer to safety |
| 3 | BR | A pair of basilisks fighting over the remains of a petrified aurorch in a nearby cave |
| 4 | BR | Two hellhounds ridden by a pair of traveling imps out to raise hell |
| 5 | BR | A manticore followed by a nest of symbiotic stirge that scavenge what’s left |
| 6 | MPMM | A disguised barghest leading 1d6+3 goblin bandits lying in wait |
| 7 | MPMM | A clockwork iron cobra and stone defender guarding an ancient workshop |
| 8 | BR | 1d4 ogres and their ettin boss using felled trees to block and claim a pass |
| 9 | BR | An air elemental attacking 1d6+2 aaracockra in their homes in the cliffs above |
| 10 | BR | Two bulettes prowling below the surface, listinging for unsuspecting large prey |
| 11 | MPMM | An unstable clockwork oaken bolter firing at its hiding gnome creator |
| 12 | MPMM | An annis hag and her ogre and troll lackeys roughing up a caravan |
| 13 | MPMM | 1d6+3 orcs, two orogs, and their tanarukk overlord preparing an assault |
| 14 | BR | A cyclops and its pet chimera who’ve claimed the surrounding region |
| 15 | BR | A pair of wyverns patrolling for its adult red dragon overlord |
| 16 | SKT | A pair of stone giants praying at an ancient beautiful stone shrine |
| 17 | SKT | A frost giant and its two white wolf companions from the cold peaks |
| 18 | SKT | A cloud giant issuing commands to 1d4+1 ogres |
| 19 | BR | An injured young silver dragon hiding from the fire giant hunting it |
| 20 | BR | A young red dragon eager to hunt down any potential rivals in the region |
Upper-Tier Adventuring Random Encounter Table
| d12 | Book | Encounter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MPMM | A cloud giant smiling one and cloud giant returning to their cloud palace |
| 2 | MPMM | A ki-rin mercilessly perusing hostile evil creatures that threaten its village |
| 3 | MPMM | 1d4 trolls and a dire troll ruling over the bridges that cross the peaks |
| 4 | MPMM | A bonded pheonix and an archdruid reshaping woodlands with controlled burns |
| 5 | MPMM | An adult red dragon dueling an adult blue dragon for control over the region |
| 6 | MPMM | 1d6+2 tanarukks and their 2d6+3 orc followers seeking a shrine to their evil god |
| 7 | BR | A mating pair of rocs who’ve hunted out most wildlife for miles around their peaks |
| 8 | MPMM | A annis hag nature coven who’ve united trolls, goblins, and orgres into an army |
| 9 | MPMM | A red abishai leading a cult of mixed 3d6+6 red kobolds and two guard drakes |
| 10 | MPMM | A lone zaratan having awoken from centuries of slumber with a village on its shell |
| 11 | MPMM | A rampaging elder tempest on the peaks that killed the cultists that summoned it |
| 12 | BR | An ancient red dragon commanding over their domain |
