Adventuring in the wilds can be fun, but sometimes your campaign remains within the borders of a town, village, or city. Our Dungeon Tables are here to make crafting urban encounters a snap. The table below provides foes in a wide spread of difficulties, so the results may be trivial, or they may be deadly, though not all will necessarily result in combat. Feel free to use as inspiration or tweak, modify, and supplement to your hearts content. Whether your adventurers find themselves in the back alleys, tucked away in a tavern, or knee-deep in the sewers, you’ll find a suitable encounter below.
Cities
2d20 | Encounter |
2 | A servant of the vine elf (see Creature Codex) drinking at the local tavern, night after night. He isn’t a problem immediately, but the longer he is there, the more unhappy the townsfolk become. |
3 | 2d4 bandits (75%) or 2d4 bandits and a bandit captain, emerging from the shadows to shake down the party. |
4 | A bouda (see Tome of Beasts) stalking a home on the outskirts of town. |
5 | A karakura (see Creature Codex) that lives within the basement of a local tavern during the day. By night, it is a well-known and well-loved patron who drinks and carouses in the room above. |
6 | 3d4 shadow boxers (see Tome of Beasts 2) prowling the alleyways and rooftops. |
7 | An alehouse drake (see Tome of Beasts) in the rafters of a tavern, causing problems for the tavern keeper. |
8 | A faceless wanderer (see Tome of Beasts 2), lurking in the darkened alleyways behind a busy tavern or market. The first hints that the creature is about may be the patrons inside suffering the effects of its memory drain ability. |
9 | 2d4 rum gremlins (75%, see Tome of Beasts), or 3d4 rum gremlins and a rum gremlin lord (25%, see Tome of Beasts 2), lairing beneath the docks or in the attic of a bar or tavern. |
10 | A swarm of 3d6 zoog (see Creature Codex) being pursued down the street and into an alley by a leonino (see Creature Codex). |
11 | A quoreq (see Tome of Beasts 2) tormenting the beggars and homeless folk in the poor areas of the city. |
12 | A greed swarm (see Tome of Beasts 2) rising from a wishing well. |
13 | A spirit lamp (see Creature Codex), walking the streets at night. |
14 | A silenal (see Tome of Beasts 2), loitering in the local bar and dispensing terrible advice. |
15 | 2d4 thugs, harassing helpless citizens. |
16 | A hulking welp (see Tome of Beasts), in small form, hiding behind a stack of barrels or under a porch. |
17 | A morko (see Creature Codex) causing trouble. |
18 | A secluded well inhabited by a crinaea (see Tome of Beasts 2). |
19 | 4d4 doppelrats (see Tome of Beasts),feasting on a pile of refuse. |
20 | An orphan of the black (see Tome of Beasts 2), lurking in the shadows around the marketplace, inciting violence in those it dislikes. It will target those of authority—city guards, local bigwigs, nobles, and so on. |
21 | A group of kids hold a dirty ginger cat by the tail, tormenting it. As the party watches, the cat shifts and grows into a catscratch (see Tome of Beasts 2). The kids flee; the catscratch, in a rage, attacks everything around it. |
22 | A lady in white (see Creature Codex) who wanders a lonely alleyway when the moon is dark. |
23 | A shadow stalking an unsuspecting townsfolk. |
24 | A bleakheart (see Tome of Beasts 2), watching a performing minstrel from the shadows of a tavern booth or lingering outside a lively theater on the night of a performance. |
25 | A dream wraith (see Creature Codex), prowling the city in search of a victim. Several deaths may occur before the party comes into contact with the creature. |
26 | Clouds fill the sky and thunder rumbles as a silent call brings out the cats of Ulthar (see Creature Codex). |
27 | A cambium (see Tome of Beasts), shrouded and hunched, skulks through the crowds searching for its next victim. |
28 | A moon nymph (see Creature Codex), haunting the dreams of the townsfolk. |
29 | A wicked skull (see Tome of Beasts 2), taking the shape of a golden skull, a delicate porcelain vase, or a golden lamp. It hides itself along a quiet street, away from the crowds, and then calls out to the adventurers when they pass. It claims to be a mage, cursed (or accidentally transformed) and in need of help. It then leads the party on a wild goose chase across the city for useless objects or ingredients for a ritual that doesn’t exist. |
30 | A cabal of 2d4 rattok demons (see Creature Codex), gathering in the sewers or an abandoned house, creeping out to find victims by night. |
31 | A valkruung (see Tome of Beasts 2), snatching a purse from a passer-by before escaping to the rooftops. If the party pursues the creature, it returns to its lair—the roof of a nearby temple—where the rest of its family waits amidst their treasures. |
32 | 4d4 swarms of rats (75%) or a rat king (25%, see Tome of Beasts) plaguing the slums of the city. |
33 | A snake with a hundred mage hands (see Tome of Beasts 2), fresh off a heist and slithering out a window. |
34 | An unbound and mischievous living shade (see Creature Codex), hopping from person to person in a crowded marketplace. |
35 | A thunderstorm rolls through the town, bringing with it 2d6 spire walkers (see Tome of Beasts) that frolic across the rooftops and torment any townsfolk foolish enough to be out in such a storm. |
36 | A pair of ash drakes (see Tome of Beasts), building a nest in a chimney and choking the streets and air with soot. |
37 | A somberweave (see Tome of Beasts 2), lairing within the remnants of a burned-out and abandoned house. |
38 | A scream erupts from a nearby alley. If the party investigates the sound, they find a slain citizen and an astral snapper (see Creature Codex), emerging from the ruined corpse. |
39 | 2d4 roachlings (75%, see Tome of Beasts)or 2d4 roachling scouts (see Creature Codex), trying to steal a fresh shipment of sugar from a local baker. |
40 | An ostinato (see Tome of Beasts), lurking outside a concert hall or trailing after a minstrel, searching for a host. |
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