Hey,

I want to create a big encounter table for travelling and resting. For example, if players set up a camp, they have to select 1 or 2 PCs that stay awake and guard the camp.
One of them then rolls a D100 (or any other dice) and the result will happen during their watch.

I thought about what if everyone here can add an encounter? Would create a nice collection, I think and you can pick whatever you find interesting for your own session.

Here is an idea I came up with:

"A thick fog starts to come up. It is strongly limiting your vision and it seems like it also mutes all the sounds the night brings with it. After a few moments, you start hearing something like singing. It slowly becomes louder until you see a few men and women walking through the mist towards the camp. Propably 20 to 30 of them - all singing. They are completely ignoring you and if you try to reach out for them, you realize, that your touch does not connect. They are ghosts. A whole procession. With a closer look, you realize that they all look like bandits and are hand cuffed. They march towards a city. "

It could be the anniversary day of their execution, where their souls have to travel to the town again. It could be a gang of bandits that could get caught in the past. The players can protect the camp with magic maybe (not really sure which spell would fit) but if they just stand there and watch it, they will miss some of their valuables after the procession is gone.

do you want roleplay encounters of Encounter Encounters?

ive got both

can I interest you in....

2 Shadows(night only) 1 Hermit(day only)

or....

you hear a shrill howl coming from (mysterious place nearby), followed by clicking sounds, like innumerable bones of twigs sanpping

(this one can be any situation you want, its not meant to be any specific monster, but some mercurial boogeything in the dark that they never find(unless you want them to), especially if they roll this often)

I like to add dungeons to travel encounter tables, like from Tales of the Yawning Portal and such. That way there's a random chance players can discover something new, even something they might not be ready for so they can escape and come back when they're ready. 

In my experience, big encounter tables look cool, but they are more trouble than they are worth. The large possibilities means that it is difficult to sufficiently prep unless you have a large # of minis that you have very diligently organized before hand or you are playing only with Theater of the Mind. It's more time-effective for you as the DM to just prep 3 or 4 possible encounters, roll a d6 (three possible) or a d4 (four possible) instead of a d20 or a "d100."

Quote from Bomooo >>

 

"A thick fog starts to come up. It is strongly limiting your vision and it seems like it also mutes all the sounds the night brings with it. After a few moments, you start hearing something like singing. It slowly becomes louder until you see a few men and women walking through the mist towards the camp. Propably 20 to 30 of them - all singing. They are completely ignoring you and if you try to reach out for them, you realize, that your touch does not connect. They are ghosts. A whole procession. With a closer look, you realize that they all look like bandits and are hand cuffed. They march towards a city. "

It could be the anniversary day of their execution, where their souls have to travel to the town again. It could be a gang of bandits that could get caught in the past. The players can protect the camp with magic maybe (not really sure which spell would fit) but if they just stand there and watch it, they will miss some of their valuables after the procession is gone.

 
This is spooky and I love it ... great idea.  I especially like that the party could their stuff stolen by the ghosts.  lol 

Here is an encounter table I came up with for the Dragon of Icespire Peak  campaign... 

D12 Roll .... when the party is resting in the wilds or travelling for 8+ hours or whenever you want ... 
1 - The party comes across a broken down and ransacked carriage in the road.  This is Broni’s carriage.  There is a journal inside detailing his journey and 1 unbroken bottle of Broni’s Brew.  There are human and wolf footprints (DC 12) leading into a nearby cave with a an evil human druid (Kasrin) and his pet dire wolf. Broni is in a cage bruised up.  Kasrin is drunk on Broni’s Brew (Poisoned).  Rewards: 30 gp, Broni’s brew x3,  Lesser restoration scroll from Kasrin.

2 - *Have party explain where they are sleeping relative to each other*  One of the party members has a nightmare where they see a female half orc druid being taken hostage by a band of thugs.  She offers herself to the thugs in exchange for sparing the rest of the village. In the dream, the thugs torture the druid as they take her up a mountain.  She is chained to an anvil. A dragon attacks a fortress breathing freezing cold breath down stone hallways, freezing the thugs and the half-orc.  She screams as she feels the ice crawling up her body, freezing her in place.  The party member wakes up in uncontrollable Frenzied rage for 1 min.  If any PC comes within 10 ft of them, the frenzied party member will make an attack with disadvantage.   Stunning, charming, or dealing them 15 damage will wake them up.  When they wake up they have 1 level of exhaustion.  The party might be able to ascertain the general vicinity of Icespire Hold from the description of the dream. (DC 17 Int Check)

3 - Four wolves are circling a small halfling woman (Froni Lightbrace).  She is a commoner.  Her brother Broni is a brewer in Neverwinter.  He was traveling through the wood looking for special peat along the river created by the warm waters from Mount Hotenow.  Froni was concerned when it had been more than a ten-day since he had returned, so she went looking for him. Froni will give the party the Lightbrace Heirloom if they reunite her with Broni.  Otherwise, she will give the party 10 GP (all that she has on her) for helping her.  She will stay in Phandalin for the time being or she will travel with the party.

4 - The party comes across an abandoned shack with strange old stains all over the floor, and a hidden locked chest (DC 15).  Contains 15 gp, Hide armor, a bundle of 10 preserved red berries (White Thistle Plant berries), and a note.  The note says, “I finally found them!  The Nighteye Thistle Berries.  Plant wasn’t glowing, but it was broad daylight, so … My master will be so impressed when he sees me.  IF he can see me that is!  Haha!”  Berries from the White Thistle plant cause excessive dangerous diarrhea (DC nature check 15 to identify them). 

5 - (Survival 16 to find) The party happens upon a small stream with an island in the middle.  On the island is a glowing plant with 2d4 dark purple berries.  Eating a berry grants invisibility for 1 hour or until the player casts a spell or attacks.  Picked berries lose their magic after 48 hours.  The plant regrows 1d3 berries at midnight.  If all the berries are removed the plant withers and dies.  If the plant is uprooted the plant and the berries shrivel and die.  (Nighteye Thistle Plant) (DC 22 Nature Check to identify).  (DC 15 Nature/Medicine to know the berries aren’t poisonous)

6 - The party encounters a female Treant named Limberly.  She feels “triggered” if anyone in the party has open fire or if the party is predominantly men.  She is friendly if anyone in the party is female, or an elf or fey.  If friendly, she will tell the party about a nearby group of 6 orcs that are oppressing their 3 orc women.  Kill the male orcs, spare the females, and extinguish any flames they have and she will reward the party with a wand of detect magic that has been stuck in her trunk for some years now.

7 - While traveling along a road or near a town three Shadow Thieves (Bandits) and 1 Shadow Thief Assassin ambush the party at night.  The Thieves are new recruits trying to prove themselves.  Treasure: “Oil of Taggit”, 20 gp pouch.

8 - The party has slept atop an ancient battle site, 5 zombies rise up during the night.  DC 15 to notice a zombie hand coming up out of the ground to grapple a random party member and bite them.   2 Infectious zombies, 2 Infectious Soldier zombies, 1 Infectious Zombie Mage.

9 - 11 -  The party comes upon a Traveling Female Dwarven Artificer Merchant named Cordelia Copperfield.  She has a magical pet mechanical dragon named Sparky.  Cordelia sells masterwork weapons that can be silvered for an additional 50 gold.  The weapons all have a steampunk asthetic.  She can also repair weapons and items and cast identify.

12 - Began's Road ... The Party encounters a half-hidden trail with heads of goblins and wolves on spikes.  [Clarify if it’s night or day]. There is a sign written in blood that says in very misspelled common - “Dis rowd beelong to Began”.  If the party travels the road they will find a small clearing with a camp fire and goblin tents.  There are 3 animal cages.  There are two wolves in cages.  There are 2 Goblins (Dwigt and Gene) and one Hobgoblin Warlord named Began.  Began has a sewn together black leather armor with a blood soaked scarf around his neck.  He carries a large wooden mace wrapped in barbed wire.  Began only has 60 HP and only makes two attacks for his multiattack, instead of three.  During the day, Began will be threatening the Goblins who want to eat a wolf because they are hungry.  Began is saving the wolves to make them his pets.  “Wolves are a resource”, he says.   At night the wolves, Began and one goblin will be sleeping.  One goblin is on watch.   The wolves can be spoken with and will aid in the fight and not attack the party.  Otherwise, they have a 50% chance of running away if freed or attacking the closest creature.   Treasure: Began’s Bat (a two-handed wooden mace wrapped in barbed wire), Began’s Jacket: Studded leather fitted for a Hobgoblin.  (Would take 20gp and one day’s work to fit it to regular human, elf or smaller creature).   Treasure in a small half-broken chest: A small smelly fur bag with 5 gp.  A Winter Wolf fur (worth 5 gp).

The party encounters 1d4+1 owlbears that are ridden by goblins who demand the party give them something.

Quote from Akaalius >>

The party encounters 1d4+1 owlbears that are ridden by goblins who demand the party give them something.

 Love it!  You just know that at least one player is going to think to themselves ... "I can ride those thigns?!"