Sea Encounter Terrain Details, Treasures and Complications for 5e
Sea

Sea Encounter Terrain Details, Treasures and Complications for 5e

Duncan Thomson
"There is a sea monster which is curious rather than hostile."

Tables for Terrain Details, Minor Treasures and Encounter Complications for Sea Encounters. Result is from Sea Encounter Complications.

Enhancements by terrain - feywild | road  | sea | shadowfell

[Photo by Caitlyn Wilson Webb on Unsplash]

Sea Encounter Enhancements

What makes this sea encounter different?

Maybe the crate of chickens floats in the water or a fishing boat is adrift. Maybe there is a wagon stacked with barrels or stepping stones over a stream. A creature might have a chest of fancy clothes or a feather that turns into a swan boat. There might be singing from below the waves or sahuagin lurking nearby.

There is a 5e random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Sea Encounters.

Sea Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild Unusual Encounters Bundle on DM's Guild Sea Bundle on DM's Guild

Sea Tables - creatures | ships | locations | non-combat | enchanements | generators

Sea Encounter Terrain Details

Terrain items to add to a sea encounter

1d8+1d12Sea Encounter Terrain Details
2 A patch of moving seaweed
3 A sandbank
4 A floating wooden statue of a deity
5 A crate with several chickens
6 A fishing boat
7 A floating marker with the distances to two cities
8 Many bits of driftwood
9 An abandoned raft
10 A floating marker warning of dangerous waters
11 Several barrels tied together
12 A large wooden table or a canoe
13 A mass of seaweed
14 A coracle
15 A piece of ship
16 A dead whale
17 A boat of bloated corpses
18 A floating platform attached to an anchor
19 A permanent major image of a small island
20 An abandoned keelboat

Sea Encounter Minor Treasures

1d20Sea Encounter Minor Treasures
2 A spyglass
3 Bead of Force or Potion of Storm Giant Strength
4 A figurine of a silver dolphin with a rider. It floats in water. Worth 600 gp.
5 Potion of Flying or Dust of Dryness
6 A map with several islands marked on, alongside cryptic notes about buried treasure, guardians and sea monsters.
7 Quaal's Feather Token - Fan or Potion of Gaseous Form
8 An anchor of bronze in perfect condition. It is decorated with images of sea creatures and dwarven runes. Worth 150 gp
9 Scroll of Protection - Elementals or Beasts
10 Artisan's tools (navigator's tools or cartographer's tools) or cast off armor (XGtE)
11 1d4 Potions of Water Breathing or Pole of Angling (XGtE)
12 A flask of alchemist's fire
13 Spell Scroll of water walk (or control water)
14 A cage with 3d6 parrots or Rope of Mending (XGtE)
15 Quaal's Feather Token - Anchor (or Swan Boat) or Oil of Slipperiness
16 A chest of fancy clothes worth 1d6 x 100 gp. or Wand of Pyrotechnics (XGtE)
17 Spell Scroll of conjure water elemental (or tsunami)
18 A crate with a variety of brightly colored children's toys that float.
19 Elemental Gem (air or water)
20 A pouch with an ornate eyepatch and three eyes made of gold, silver and pearl. The patch can hold one fake eye. Worth 1250 gp

Sea Encounter Complications

1d8+1d12Sea Encounter Complications
2 There is a hallucinatory terrain (or mirage arcana) of an island (or concealing an island)
3 There is a sea monster which is curious rather than hostile (roll again on appropriate Sea Monster table)
4 There is a temple to a sea deity here, protected by hallow (or forbiddance)
5 There is a warship in sight (or roll on Ship Encounters)
6 There is a group of sahuagin lurking nearby (or roll on Sahuagin Encounters)
7 There is a permanent major image of a small island or roll on Sea Hazards and Obstacles
8 There is a prisoner in the encounter or a lone traveler nearby. Roll on Quick Sea NPCs
9 There is a dead whale or roll on Sea Location Details
10 There are giant seahorses here (or nearby) as pets (or guards). For alternatives roll on Sea Beasts
11 There is a merchant ship in trouble (or roll on Ship Encounters)
12 There is a capsized rowing boat here
13 There are strong winds (DMG pg 110) or roll on Sea Hazards and Obstacles
14 The creatures are carrying a magic item (or it is stowed nearby). Roll on Magic Items - Sea
15 Singing can be heard from underwater or roll on Sea Hazards & Obstacles
16 There are flyers circling overhead (roll again on appropriate Aerial Encounters table)
17 A thunderstorm is approaching or roll on Sea Hazards and Obstacles
18 Nearby is an empyrean (or pick from Sea Encounters Level 11+) those encountered try not to disturb.
19 There is a hidden item (or cache) here. A potion of flying or roll on Minor Sea Treasures
20 There is an elemental portal here to a plane of water (or air)

More Encounter Tables

There is a 5e random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Sea Encounters.

Sea Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild Unusual Encounters Bundle on DM's Guild Sea Bundle on DM's Guild

If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.