Forgotten Realms Dungeon Master's Screen
Encounters in Faerûn

Dungeon Encounters

Since creatures common to all D&D campaigns make up the bulk of the monsters inhabiting Faerûn, most random encounters will involve creatures described in the Monster Manual. The tables provided in this booklet simply add the possibility of encountering monsters from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting [FRCS] or Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn [MCMF].

How to Generate a Random Dungeon Encounter

To generate a random dungeon encounter, follow the steps described below. The process is essentially identical to that given in Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, but the encounter tables here take precedence over the tables in the Dungeon Master's Guide.

1. Determine the base dungeon level. Generally, this is determined by the location the heroes are exploring.

2. Roll d% and consult Table 1: Random Encounter Master Table, using the base dungeon level to enter the chart. This table makes less challenging and more challenging encounters a possibility, changing the encounter table you consult for the exact encounter. [This table also appears on page 120 of the Dungeon Master Guide.]

3. Roll on the appropriate Dungeon Encounters table (Table 2: 1st-Level Dungeon Encounters through Table 21: 20th-Level Dungeon Encounters).

4. If the result is a dragon, roll on Table 22: Random Dragons.

5. When applicable, roll the indicated die to see how many creatures are in the encounter. If your initial roll on Table 1: Random Encounter Master Table directed you to roll on an encounter table that is lower or higher than the base dungeon level, increase or decrease the number of creatures encountered by the amount indicated on Table 1.

Reading the Dungeon Tables

Each dungeon encounter table includes the following pieces of information:

d%: The result on percentile dice that will generate a given random encounter.

Role: A general guide to how the creature might act and how it interacts with other dungeon denizens. Refer to Role in Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Number of Creatures and Kind: The number and type of creatures encountered. If your roll on Table 1: Random Encounter Master Table calls for you to roll on a table for a dungeon level higher or lower than the base level, modify the number of creatures encountered as indicated. (Instead of doing the arithmetic, you can use Table 4-14 in the Dungeon Master's Guide, which enables you to change the die roll rather than changing the result.)

Treasure: The chance that the encounter includes treasure appropriate to the dungeon level (not the Encounter Level of the monsters). Roll on Table 7-4 in the Dungeon Master's Guide if a treasure is indicated, using the base dungeon level as the level on the treasure table. A note such as "80% +3" means there is an 80% chance of finding a treasure of three levels higher than the base dungeon level.

Example: Steve is using random encounters to stock the 4th level of a dungeon he's designed. He begins by rolling on Table 1: Random Encounter Master Table, using a base dungeon level of 4th. He rolls a 72, which indicates that he should use the 5th-level Dungeon Encounters chart. This one will be a little tougher than normal, but Table 1 also indicates that he should reduce the number of monsters encountered to two-thirds the normal amount for the 5th-level table.

On the 5th-level Dungeon Encounters table, he rolls a 52. This result is 1d3 gricks. He rolls 1d3 and gets a 2. Since the master table indicated that he should decrease the number of creatures encountered by one-third, Steve changes the number of gricks encountered to one. (Two-thirds of 2 is 1 1/3, rounded down to 1.)

Table 6: 5th-Level Dungeon Encounters

Wilderness Encounters

Travelers abroad in the wild areas of Faerûn may encounter all kinds of creatures, ranging from harmless fellow-travelers to terrifying monsters. Tables 23 through 60 list encounters by fourteen terrain types (hills, low mountains, high mountains, clear, grasslands, forest, marsh, swamp, moor, barren/badlands, glacier, desert, river/lake, ocean) and three climate ranges (northern, temperate, southern). Table 61 is a special table for the Underdark. The large map of Faerûn from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting indicates changes in terrain in some detail -- clearly, if the heroes are crossing the Shaar to travel from the Great Rift to the Lake of Steam, they're in grasslands.

Climate zones are not indicated on the poster map, but here is a general set of guidelines:

Northern: Anything north of a line beginning at the mouth of the River Delimbiyr and continuing upstream to the Graypeak Mountains, along the lower reach of Anauroch and then up along the Desertsmouth Mountains to the Border Forest, east along the River Tesh to the Moonsea, then southeast to the Rawlinswood, Lake Mulsantir, and the Sunrise Mountains to the Mountains of Copper and the Great Wild Wood.

Temperate: Most land in the middle third of the map, as bounded by the northern and southern lines.

Southern: Anything south of a line beginning at the Starspire Mountains in Tethyr and continuing due east to the Lake of Steam, the Firesteap Mountains, the Uthangol Mountains, the Lake of Salt, and then to the Giant's Belt mountains in Durpar.

How to Generate a Random Wilderness Encounter

As a party of characters travels across Faerûn, there is a chance per hour of travel that they may run into a wilderness encounter, as shown below.

Parties that are camping in the open or moving with unusual caution (half their best possible speed or lower) may use the Cautious Travel encounter chance. Parties that are camping in secret or otherwise laying low may use the Hiding encounter chance. A party camping with a fire is never considered to be hiding.

Each wilderness encounter table includes the following pieces of information:

d%: The result on percentile dice that will generate a given encounter. Use the Day or Night column, as appropriate.

Encounter: The type of creatures encountered. Some of these may be groups, such as an orc patrol or pilgrims.

Number Encountered: The number of creatures encountered. If the term "see Groups" appears here, refer to the section following the tables for the exact composition of the encounter.

Local Creature or NPCs

This result indicates that the party may have encountered creatures known to reside in the area in large numbers. Local creatures for specific regions in Faerûn follow most of the wilderness encounter tables. NPC parties may be found in this same table entry.

When a wilderness encounter roll produces the "Local creature or NPCs" result, roll d% again. On a result of 01-50, continue to the Local Creatures subtable following the main encounter table. On a result of 51-100, treat this result as an encounter with a group of NPCs. To generate the members of an NPC group, consult the NPC Generation section of this booklet.

Table 27: Temperate Low Mountains (EL 6-12)

Table 38: Northern Forest (EL 5-12)

Groups

Groups mentioned in the preceding wilderness encounter tables are described here.

Aarakocra Patrol: 1d4+4 aarakocras and 1d2 aarakocra rangers (lvl 1d4+1). See Tables 27, 28, 28B, 30, 31.

Bugbear Band: 1d10+10 bugbears, 1d3 bugbear fighters (lvl 1d3), and 1 bugbear fighter (lvl 1d4+2). See Tables 26, 27, 28, 29B, 46.

Drow Squad: 1d6+6 1st-level drow warriors, 1 drow wizard (lvl 1d3+1), 1 drow cleric (lvl 1d4+1), and 1 leader (lvl 1d4+3). For the leader's class, roll d%: Clr 01-40, Ftr 41-50, Rgr 51-55, Rog 56-65, Wiz 66-100. See Tables 29B, 38, 39, 39B.

Ghast Pack: 1d3+1 ghasts and 1d6+6 ghouls. See Tables 23, 24, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 46, 46B, 47, 52, 53, 54.

Goblin War Party: 1d10+5 goblins, 1d2+1 worgs, 1d2+1 goblin fighters (lvl 1d3), 1d2+1 goblin adepts (lvl 1d3+1), and 1 leader (lvl 1d4+2). For the leader's class, roll d%: Clr 01-20, Ftr 21-80, Sor 81-100. See Tables 27, 28, 29B, 30.

Hill Giant Raiders: 1d6+5 hill giants and 1d3+1 dire wolves. See Tables 26, 27, 28, 29, 29B, 30, 31.

Hobgoblin War Party: 1d10+5 hobgoblins, 1d3+1 dire apes, 1d2 hobgoblin fighters (lvl 1d3), and 1 leader (lvl 1d6+2). For the leader's class, roll d%: Clr 01-15, Ftr 16-80, Rgr 81-90, Wiz 91-100. See Tables 27, 28, 29B, 40, 49, 49B, 50.

Kobold Warband: 1d4+8 kobolds, 1d2 dire weasels, and 1 leader (lvl 1d4). For the leader's class, roll d%: Clr 01-25, Ftr 26-60, Rog 61-90, Wiz 91-100. See Tables 38, 39, 40, 44, 45.

Ogre Mage Raiders: 1d2 ogre mages and 1d3+1 ogres. See Tables 38, 39, 40.

Orc Patrol: 1d4+4 orcs, 1d2 orc barbarians (lvl 1d3), and 1 leader (lvl 1d4+2). For the leader's class, roll d%: Bbn 01-30, Clr 31-45, Ftr 46-80, Rgr 81-85, Rog 86-90, Sor 91-100. See Tables 23, 26, 26B, 35, 36, 37, 38, 38B, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49B, 50, 52, 53, 54.

Orc Raiders: 1d10+5 orcs and 1d3+1 orc barbarians (lvl 1d3). See Tables 27, 27B, 28, 29B, 31, 38B, 46B, 49, 49B.

Werebear Troupe: 1d3+1 werebears and 1d4 brown bears. See Tables 38, 38B, 39.

Wererat Troupe: 1d4+1 wererats and 1d4+4 dire rats. See Tables 38, 38B, 39, 40.

Werewolf Troupe: 1d4+1 werewolves and 1d4+4 wolves. See Tables 23, 38, 38B, 39, 40, 46, 47.

Wood Elf Squad: 1d6+6 1st-level wood elf warriors, 1d3 wood elf wizards (lvl 1d3+1), and 1 leader (lvl 1d4+1). For the leader's class, roll d%: Clr 01-10, Drd 11-20, Ftr 21-50, Rgr 51-75, Rog 76-80, Wiz 81-100. See Tables 38, 38B, 39, 39B.