My players (lv7) may end up scaling a freezing snow covered mountain, bombarded by blizzards and in the near future to kill a white dragon that lives at the summit in the ruinsof an abandoned temple to kord. But I'm not a fan of the Arctic random encounters table in xanathars, its a little drull and too combat based. I'd like any and all ideas in the comments for me to make my own table from, hopefully with a good presence of interesting non-combat based events (not that they couldn't turn that way, can't always predict PC choices afterall). For context, the mountain will be unlikely to harbor civilised civilisations beneath it and a mostly elven settlement lives at the base.I have planned events for the trek up but I'd like some random options in between. Comment away! And thank you.
An abandoned sleigh along with the remains of 8 reindeer that were pulling it. Strewn about the sled are pieces of toys. There is no sign of the driver of the sleigh.
Environment: Cold, Cold Cold!, high winds, light snow, heavy snow, snow drifts, frozen lakes, snow domes (dangerous), avalanche, freezing rain
Monsters: Big white monstrous predators, giants, Tundra Ogre, Hobgoblins/Goblins/Bugbears, Mountain Orcs, ...
Competing Party, Scouts, Hunters/Poachers, Caravan that got caught in the mountains (Donner Pass), crazy blue wizard, Pilgrims, dummies
Mysterious dropped gear: An empty pouch, a pouch containing something, a discarded weapon, a broken and abandoned wagon, a campfire that went out in the last few hours, a dead mule, a container with some food still inside like a barrel of dried salted fish, a portal, a magic mouth, a burning bush
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
A wall of ice blocks the party’s path up the mountain. A DC 15 perception check reveals that there are two square shaped holes within the ice wall, which contain disguised, a frozen gelatinous cube each within. If the party tries to melt the ice with fire spells the cubes do not take damage, however they are unfrozen and attack. If the party tries to climb over the wall, the cubes notice it and one of them tries to use engulf on a party member. Another cube tries to attack with pseudopod. The wall itself requires a DC 15 dex save to get over or slip and fall off if players do not use proper climbing gear to try and get over.
A pilgrimage of kobolds are scaling up the mountain to worship the white dragon atop. They ask the players for directions after approaching them in a friendly manner to the dragon and be oddly friendly about it. The kobolds will thank the players and believe whatever nonsense in terms of location the players say. Then the kobolds will try to pick up the players and carry the players with them for directions. The kobolds do this because they believe the players are also there for a pilgrimage to the dragon and so pick the player up to carry them to the dragon for worship. The kobolds see it as a favor that they are doing by carrying a player. The kobolds will chatter a lot among themselves while carrying the players so they will not hear complaints they make.
Edit: Some of the kobolds should be winged and those kobolds are the ones to grab at least one player to give an extra challenge hehehehehe.
If you've got Rime of the Frostmaiden, there's a wilderness encounter table in chapter 2 geared to snowy climes. Along with some snow/ice based monster stat blocks.
I did one where a cloud giant is being attacked by a number of buelettes. It should be something far beyond what the players can handle, but this is mid-fight and both parties are all heavily injured. The giant (who i named Gar) *can* be befriended if the fight goes well and the players save Gar, but if they try to convince him of their good intentions during the fight, he'll need convincing. Gar is naturally gentle, but backed into a corner and fighting for his life, so who knows?
CharlesThePlantLove this, but a cloud giant in this section of the mountain range would provide too many continuity errors for things I have planned. Although i may save this for another location in my campaign
““Looters of tombs find riches, but wise hunters of power seek… ice.””
— Deadhouse Gates: Book Two of The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
The party finds A sword made of flint, bone and sinew. From a Stone Age, it’s enchanted to not break and remain sharp. Greatsword with whatever other characteristics you like, but make it wieldable only by 18 or greater str.
An abandoned campsite. Food, firewood, and tents are set up in a cave and may have been there for years. Let them find a journal written in a language they don’t know but get some quotes from the Norwegian Arctic explorers about their time on the ice for when they do translate it.
A ship. A fully rigged, fully masted vessel. Not a soul on board and it’s frozen to the mountainside. Maybe have everything belowdecks be a solid block of ice. If they thaw it, it collapses into wood, but if they leave it frozen, at night the dead sailors crew it again. Silently. They are ghosts but they take no notice of the party.
A battlefield. Imagine the bodies of men, orcs, elves, goblins and Minotaurs frozen in the act of killing each other. Possibly some sort of battlefield magic gone horribly wrong.
a chapel to the God of Death made from exquisitely carved ice. The bones of the last priest lie in the doorway.
that’s just a few ideas that I hope help your campaign :)
““Looters of tombs find riches, but wise hunters of power seek… ice.””
— Deadhouse Gates: Book Two of The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
The party finds A sword made of flint, bone and sinew. From a Stone Age, it’s enchanted to not break and remain sharp. Greatsword with whatever other characteristics you like, but make it wieldable only by 18 or greater str.
An abandoned campsite. Food, firewood, and tents are set up in a cave and may have been there for years. Let them find a journal written in a language they don’t know but get some quotes from the Norwegian Arctic explorers about their time on the ice for when they do translate it.
A ship. A fully rigged, fully masted vessel. Not a soul on board and it’s frozen to the mountainside. Maybe have everything belowdecks be a solid block of ice. If they thaw it, it collapses into wood, but if they leave it frozen, at night the dead sailors crew it again. Silently. They are ghosts but they take no notice of the party.
A battlefield. Imagine the bodies of men, orcs, elves, goblins and Minotaurs frozen in the act of killing each other. Possibly some sort of battlefield magic gone horribly wrong.
a chapel to the God of Death made from exquisitely carved ice. The bones of the last priest lie in the doorway.
that’s just a few ideas that I hope help your campaign :)
Probably wont give them a magic sword as this Quest already has a few magic items they can potentially find, but ill definitely add the journal entries using Norwegian explorer entries and the ghost ship.
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My players (lv7) may end up scaling a freezing snow covered mountain, bombarded by blizzards and in the near future to kill a white dragon that lives at the summit in the ruinsof an abandoned temple to kord. But I'm not a fan of the Arctic random encounters table in xanathars, its a little drull and too combat based. I'd like any and all ideas in the comments for me to make my own table from, hopefully with a good presence of interesting non-combat based events (not that they couldn't turn that way, can't always predict PC choices afterall). For context, the mountain will be unlikely to harbor civilised civilisations beneath it and a mostly elven settlement lives at the base.I have planned events for the trek up but I'd like some random options in between. Comment away! And thank you.
Frozen dead body
avalanche
yeti
snowstorm
cave (abandoned or hibernating bear)
mysterious section prepped with ladders/rungs
yes. Or XGE
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Sabertooth? Maybe a spooked herd of reindeer? Winter wolves?
An area filled with weird little snowmen; dozens and dozens. Hiding inside several of the snowmen are ice mephits.
An abandoned sleigh along with the remains of 8 reindeer that were pulling it. Strewn about the sled are pieces of toys. There is no sign of the driver of the sleigh.
Critters: Snow bunnies, snow fox, reindeer, bear, small birds, wolves, ...
Environment: Cold, Cold Cold!, high winds, light snow, heavy snow, snow drifts, frozen lakes, snow domes (dangerous), avalanche, freezing rain
Monsters: Big white monstrous predators, giants, Tundra Ogre, Hobgoblins/Goblins/Bugbears, Mountain Orcs, ...
Competing Party, Scouts, Hunters/Poachers, Caravan that got caught in the mountains (Donner Pass), crazy blue wizard, Pilgrims, dummies
Mysterious dropped gear: An empty pouch, a pouch containing something, a discarded weapon, a broken and abandoned wagon, a campfire that went out in the last few hours, a dead mule, a container with some food still inside like a barrel of dried salted fish, a portal, a magic mouth, a burning bush
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
A wall of ice blocks the party’s path up the mountain. A DC 15 perception check reveals that there are two square shaped holes within the ice wall, which contain disguised, a frozen gelatinous cube each within. If the party tries to melt the ice with fire spells the cubes do not take damage, however they are unfrozen and attack. If the party tries to climb over the wall, the cubes notice it and one of them tries to use engulf on a party member. Another cube tries to attack with pseudopod. The wall itself requires a DC 15 dex save to get over or slip and fall off if players do not use proper climbing gear to try and get over.
A pilgrimage of kobolds are scaling up the mountain to worship the white dragon atop. They ask the players for directions after approaching them in a friendly manner to the dragon and be oddly friendly about it. The kobolds will thank the players and believe whatever nonsense in terms of location the players say. Then the kobolds will try to pick up the players and carry the players with them for directions. The kobolds do this because they believe the players are also there for a pilgrimage to the dragon and so pick the player up to carry them to the dragon for worship. The kobolds see it as a favor that they are doing by carrying a player. The kobolds will chatter a lot among themselves while carrying the players so they will not hear complaints they make.
Edit: Some of the kobolds should be winged and those kobolds are the ones to grab at least one player to give an extra challenge hehehehehe.
A relatively easy puzzle that can be placed anywhere.
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If you've got Rime of the Frostmaiden, there's a wilderness encounter table in chapter 2 geared to snowy climes. Along with some snow/ice based monster stat blocks.
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I did one where a cloud giant is being attacked by a number of buelettes. It should be something far beyond what the players can handle, but this is mid-fight and both parties are all heavily injured. The giant (who i named Gar) *can* be befriended if the fight goes well and the players save Gar, but if they try to convince him of their good intentions during the fight, he'll need convincing. Gar is naturally gentle, but backed into a corner and fighting for his life, so who knows?
Here's a couple
A human frozen in ice that was frozen by the dragon (if broken free could become potential NPC)
A group of kobolds bringing offerings to the white dragon
Another rival party trying to slay the dragon.
Avalanche, whiteout, blizzard.
"Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced"- Soren Kierkgaard
CharlesThePlantLove this, but a cloud giant in this section of the mountain range would provide too many continuity errors for things I have planned. Although i may save this for another location in my campaign
HailRoboni Snowman and the sleigh thing will be going in the table, thank you
Cool puzzle too much of a distraction and unrelated to the theme however. Although I may use it for something else.
_NanoGGelatinous Ice cube is a Great Idea, going on the table.
““Looters of tombs find riches, but wise hunters of power seek… ice.””
— Deadhouse Gates: Book Two of The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
The party finds A sword made of flint, bone and sinew. From a Stone Age, it’s enchanted to not break and remain sharp. Greatsword with whatever other characteristics you like, but make it wieldable only by 18 or greater str.
An abandoned campsite. Food, firewood, and tents are set up in a cave and may have been there for years. Let them find a journal written in a language they don’t know but get some quotes from the Norwegian Arctic explorers about their time on the ice for when they do translate it.
A ship. A fully rigged, fully masted vessel. Not a soul on board and it’s frozen to the mountainside. Maybe have everything belowdecks be a solid block of ice. If they thaw it, it collapses into wood, but if they leave it frozen, at night the dead sailors crew it again. Silently. They are ghosts but they take no notice of the party.
A battlefield. Imagine the bodies of men, orcs, elves, goblins and Minotaurs frozen in the act of killing each other. Possibly some sort of battlefield magic gone horribly wrong.
a chapel to the God of Death made from exquisitely carved ice. The bones of the last priest lie in the doorway.
that’s just a few ideas that I hope help your campaign :)
Probably wont give them a magic sword as this Quest already has a few magic items they can potentially find, but ill definitely add the journal entries using Norwegian explorer entries and the ghost ship.