Swamp Locations for Dungeons and Dragons 5e Encounters
Swamp Encounter Locations

Swamp Locations for Dungeons and Dragons 5e Encounters

Duncan Thomson
"A swamp of mangroves which are home to fey spirits. Each is carved with a Sylvan rune and many canoes have been left here.  "

Tables for Wilderness, Semi-Civilised and Unusual Swamp locations. Result is from Swamp Unusual Locations.

Locations by terrain - arctic | coastal | desert | forest | grassland | hill |  mountain | swamp | underdark | underwater | urban

[Photo by James Haw on Unsplash]

Swamp Encounter Locations

Swamps include gloomy temperate wetlands, jungle marshes, areas of mangroves and treacherous bogs.  Buildings are often old ruins or raised from the waters. Quicksand and swamp gas are found here, alongside stagnant pools teeming with insects and a rickety jetty with a coracle or boat tied to it.

There is a 5e Swamp random encounter generator at ChaosGen.  And a separate tool for encounter locations including Swamp.

There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Swamp Encounters.

Ruins Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild Ruins Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild

Swamp Encounter Tables - creatures | locations | non-combat | enhancements

Swamp Wilderness Locations

d8+d12 Swamp Wilderness Locations
2 A group of overgrown fallen trees (a storm is approaching)
3 An area of bubbling mud (there are a few bushes)
4 A meadow of edible flowers (nearby are hot springs)
5 A reed-choked pool surrounded by leaves (near a stream flowing into a tainted river)
6 A muddy depression and a pool covered with lily pads (nearby is a small island)
7 A fish-filled stream with an island of exposed rock (rain is falling)
8 A few cave entrances by a lake (someone has left a muddy boot)
9 A few twisted trees surrounded by shallow water (close by is a shrine to a power of death)
10 A patch of discoloured water-lilies (there is a wrecked rowboat)
11 An area of shallow water with patches of yellow sedge (there is a strange stench in the air)
12 A patch of quicksand and a shallow pool (there is a pile of bones)
13 An area of reeds (the birds and animals have gone quiet)
14 A patch of yellow flowers and a foul stream (hail is falling)
15 An area of larch saplings (it is associated with a powerful druid)
16 A covered hollow surrounded by short grass (there is the remains of a giant boar)
17 A pile of logs and a patch of quicksand (close by is an area of reeds)
18 An area of insect-covered bracken and a bubbling pool (there is a programmed illusion here)
19 A discoloured waterfall in front of a cave-mouth (there is writing here in Draconic)
20 A mossy island and a bush of purple berrie (there is the skull of a hippo)

Swamp Semi-Civilised Locations

1d8+1d12Swamp Semi-Civilised Locations
2 A misty circle of standing stones (close by is a winding trail)
3 A flooded bridge (near a loud waterfall in front of a cave-mouth)
4 A haunted dyke with scattered flowers (by a ruined burial ground)
5 A brightly-painted mill surrounded by marshy ground (close by is a patch of quicksand)
6 A gigantic half-built statue and an overgrown jetty (close by is a beast pen)
7 An orchard of dead trees and a crumbling shrine to a forgotten power (nearby is a field of mud)
8 A spring near an vine-covered tree house (there is a panoramic view)
9 A wooden walkway and a patch of purple berries (it is misty)
10 A narrow gorge with a stone bench (nearby is a tunnel entrance)
11 A tainted stream near a small monument (heavy rain is falling)
12 A fading fire surrounded by muddy grass (close by is a mushroom ring)
13 A hut raised from the water near a few twisted saplings (there are recent tracks of a plant-monster)
14 A muddy stream near a newly-built tomb (there is a damaged canoe)
15 A beast pen surrounded by mud (nearby is the fresh corpse of a humanoid)
16 A ferry over a narrow river and a patch of strange moss (there is a rainbow)
17 A wooden walkway leading up a hill (there are howling winds)
18 A large frog statue by a muddy pool (nearby is a flooded hut)
19 An abandoned campsite surrounded by reeds (there is an acrid smell in the air)
20 A flooded remnant of another civilisation (close by is a cairn)

Swamp Unusual Locations

1d8+1d12Swamp Unusual Locations
2 Steps lead out of the murk up to a strange distillery on a rocky outcrop. Steam comes from a chimney and pipes enter the water.
3 An ancient trail leads through a salt marsh to a crystal tomb, ringed by upright bones. The bones whisper to any who enter the area.
4 Warlock's Lament. On an island of yellow grasses, a few trees entwine into the form of a woman, who curses any who meet her gaze. A rare plant with magical properties grows here.
5 A barren island is full of charred bones. Vents of marsh gas come from the bog around it. Flickering lights float around the area.
6 The rotting hulk of a boat is vibrant with purple flowers. Fiendish runes carved nearby warn of an insidious sentience.
7 A lake of shifting mud roils, forming into monstrous shapes that then collapse. Glowing sludge emerges from a cliff into the mud.
8 Mirror Mire. A clear pool sits amidst patches of quicksand. A Feywild crossing, it has spirits who show secrets to any gazing in the water.
9 A mist-shrouded isle has growths of blue rock. A treehouse sits above a garden of fungi and spores, which cover isle and trees. ,
10 Snakes roam among the ruins of a sunken fort. Bright flowers grow around the area and a warnings on poles are left by a local tribe.
11 The skull of a giant crocodile bridges two trees and has many nests in it. In the reeds below are remains of many swamp predators.
12 Wyrmlife Falls. Waters flow down an obsidian cliff, changing color along the way. There is a verdant mass of plants at the bottom. Pictures of a dragon are carved into the cliff.
13 Large leeches stick to an invisible bridge over a brackish lake. Magic items glow near the bridge. A hamlet of hermits is sat at the shore.
14 A river flows up a slope of ruins, into an entrance to underground caves. At night it reverses direction. Many dragonflies flit about.
15 A croaking of toads and frogs fills the air. A hut raised from the water on carved metal legs. The roof appears to be made of gold.
16 Beacon of Eternity. From a crumbling castle comes a pillar of light seen for far around. A pallor of dread covers the area, keeping many creatures away. A song tells of creatures reincarnated in the light.
17 A swamp of mangroves which are home to fey spirits. Each is carved with a Sylvan rune and many canoes have been left here .
18 A marker describes a museum but only crumbled stones remain. Insects cover a shrine to a power of decay and poisons fill the air.
19 A pillar of green stone emerges from the water, seaweed clinging to its base. . Giant lilies float around it and a briny smell lingers.
20 Tavern of the Titan. A wall of tall thorns circles the area. Three archways allow people through to a stone giant, crouched and holding a wooden tavern. locally it is neutral ground.

More Encounters and Locations

There is a 5e Swamp random encounter generator at ChaosGen.  And a separate tool for encounter locations including Swamp.

There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Swamp Encounters.

Ruins Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild Ruins Encounters Random Tables 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.