Ruins Encounters for D&D with 2024 Monster Manual

A rug lies outside of the buckled wooden door. A large rug. With a suspicious number of bones littered around, mostly from animals

Updated Ruins encounters using D&D 2024 Monster Manual. Also a D&D 2014 version. Tables for Ruins Encounters (levels 1-4, 5-0, 11+), Beasts, Humanoids, Guardians, Monsters, Restless Spirits and Undead

[Photo by Raph Howald on Unsplash]

Ruins Encounters

Ruins can be found anywhere in a fantasy world. A ghost town of inhabited by spirits from recent plagues, an ancient tower used in ancient experiments or the collapsed remains of a water mill built by dwarves . Encounters occur in the shadow of half-standing walls and vine-covered buildings, against scavengers, outcasts, cultists and any other creature that might call the ruins home.

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

MotM = Monsters of the Multiverse

Ruins Levels 1-4

1d8+1d12	Ruins Levels 1-4
2	1 night hag or 1 adult faerie dragon
3	1 lamia or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4
4	1 vine blight and 1d6+2 twig blights or roll on Plants and Fungi
5	2d6 crawling claws or roll on Undead lvl 1-4
6	1 ochre jelly or roll on Scavengers and Oozes
7	1d6+1 goblin warriors led by 1 bugbear warrior or roll on Goblinoids lvl 1-4
8	1d3 mimics or roll on Guardians lvl 1-4
9	1 priest and 1d4 priest acolytes or roll on Humanoids
10	1 ettercap and 1d3 giant spiders or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4
11	2d4 giant centipedes or roll on Beasts
12	2d6 kobold warriors with 1 swarm of bats or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4
13	1 cultist fanatic with 2d4 cultists or roll on Cultists
14	1d4 specters or roll on Restless Spirits
15	2d6 giant fire beetles or roll on Beasts
16	1d4+1 orc toughs led by 1 orc berserker or roll on Orcs lvl 1-4
17	1 minotaur of baphomet or roll on Giants lvl 1-4
18	1d3 gargoyles or roll on Elemental Protectors
19	1 shadow demon or roll on Fiends
20	1 flesh golem or 1 couatl

Ruins Levels 5-10

1d8+1d12	Ruins Levels 5-10
2	1 young black dragon or 1 alkilith* (MotM)*
3	1 drow mage and 1d4 drow tough bosses or 1 mind flayer arcanist
4	1 fomorian or 1 warlock of the fiend (MotM) with 3d6 cultists
5	1d3 violet fungus necrohulks or 1 oni with 1d4 ogres
6	1d4 trolls or roll on Giants lvl 5-10
7	2d6 ghouls and 1d4 ghasts or roll on Undead lvl 5-10
8	1d6+2 hobgoblin warriors with 1d6 bugbear warriors and 1d6 goblin warriors led by 1 hobgoblin captain or roll on Goblinoids lvl 5-10
9	1d3 stone giants or roll on Giants lvl 5-10
10	1 wraith with 2d4 specters or roll on Undead lvl 5-10
11	Roll on Ruins Encounters lvl 1-4 or 1 stone golem
12	1 drider and 2d4 giant spiders or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10
13	1 clay golem or roll on Guardians lvl 5-10
14	1 grick ancient with 1d8 gricks or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10
15	1d3 orc priests, 2d4 orc toughs & 1d3 ogres or roll on Orcs lvl 5-10
16	1 gray slaad or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10
17	1d2 mind flayers with 1d6 quaggoths or 1 warlock of the Great Old One (MotM) with 1d4 nothics
18	1 mage & 1d3 scout captains or 1 blackguard (MotM) & 1d4 wights
19	1d2 assassins or 1 abjurer* (MotM) with 1d3 archers (MotM)*
20	1 behir or 1 efreeti

Ruins Levels 11+

1d8+1d12	Ruins Levels 11+
2	1 planetar or 1 empyrean
3	2 young black dragons or 1 cyclops oracle with 1d2 death cultists
4	1 archmage with 1 shield guardian or 1 ki-rin* (MotM)*
5	1 adult black dragon or 1 questing knight with 1d4 scout captains
6	1 bandit crime lord with 2d6 bandit captains or 1 nagpa* (MotM)*
7	1 rakshasa or 1d6 stone giants* & 1 stone giant dreamwalker (MotM)*
8	1 iron golem or 1d3 mind flayers with 2d6 ogres
9	1d3 stone golems or 1d2 drow shadowblades* (MotM)*
10	1 cultist hierophant, 1d2 fiend cultists and 3d6 cultists or 1 beholder
11	Roll on Ruins Encounters lvl 5-10 or 1 eidolon* (MotM)*
12	1d4 clay golems or 1 drow arachnomancer with 1d3 driders
13	1d4+2 stone giants or 1d3+1 nycaloths
14	1 death tyrant or roll on Undead lvl 11+
15	1d2 sphinxes of lore or 1d2 arcanaloths
16	1 mummy lord or roll on Undead lvl 11+
17	1 sphinx of valor or 1 ultroloth
18	1 death knight or roll on Undead lvl 11+
19	1 dao and 1d4 earth elementals or 1 gulthias blight
20	1 vampire umbral lord or 1 arch-hag

Ruins Beasts (Levels 1-4)

1d8+1d12	Ruins Beasts (Levels 1-4)
2	1d4 riding horsess
3	1d4+1 apes or 1d3 black guard drakes* (MotM)*
4	1d3 swarms of venomous snakes or 1d4 giant vultures
5	1d6 giant bats or 1 swarm of spiders and 1d2 giant spiders
6	1d4+1 giant wasps or 1d3 guard drakes* (MotM)*
7	2d4 giant wolf spiders or 2d4 giant badgers
8	2d4 giant lizards or 1 swarms of centipedes and 1d4 giant centipedes
9	1d4 swarms of insects or 1d6 mules
10	1d4 giant spiders or 2d6 vultures
11	2d4 giant centipedes or roll on Scavengers and Oozes
12	2d6 giant rats or 1d3 swarms of beetles
13	2d6 giant fire beetles
14	2d4 swarms of rats or 1d4 giant owls
15	1d4 death dogs or 1d4 swarms of ravens
16	1d6 swarms of bats or 2d4 giant weasels
17	2d6 stirges or roll on Scavengers and Oozes
18	1d2 giant constrictor snakes or 1 swarm of wasps and 1d2 giant wasps
19	1d2 giant scorpions or 1d4 sphinxes of wonder
20	1d2 saddled warhorses or 1 swarm of cranium rats* (MotM)*

Ruins Humanoids (Levels 1-4)

1d8+1d12	Ruins Humanoids (Levels 1-4)
2	1 cambion or 1d4 ogrillon ogres
4	1 druid with... (roll on Beasts)
5	1d4 yuan-ti infiltrators or 2d4 winged kobolds
6	1d3 hobgoblin warriors mounted on worgs or roll on Goblinoids lvl 1-4
7	1d2 vampire familiars or 1d2 spies
8	1d4 bugbear warriors or roll on Goblinoids lvl 1-4
9	1 cultist fanatic with 2d4 cultists or roll on Cultists
10	2d4 goblin warriors led by 1 goblin bossor roll on Goblinoids lvl 1-4
11	1d6 bandits led by 1 bandit captain or 1 bard* (MotM)*
12	1d3 wererats or 1d6 scouts
13	2d6 kobold warriors with 1d2 giant weasels or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4
14	1d4+1 orc scouts or roll on Orcs lvl 1-4
15	1d2 doppelgangers or 1d3 ogres
16	1 priest and 1d4 priest acolytes or 1 xvart warlock of Raxivort* (MotM) and 2d4 xvarts (MotM)*
17	1d6 performers or 1 darkling elder* (MotM)and 1d3 darklings (MotM)*
18	1d4+1 jackalweres or 1d2 warrior veterans
19	1d2 werewolves or 1d4 gnoll warriors and 1 gnoll pack lord
20	1 half dragon or 1 drow gladiator

Guardians (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Guardians (Levels 1-4)
2	1 spectator or 1 iron cobra* (MotM)*
3	1 flame skull or roll on Undead lvl 1-4
4	2d4 animated flying swords or 1d4 bronze scouts* (MotM)*
5	1 rug of smothering or 1d4 scarecrows
6	1d3 gargoyles or roll on Elemental Protectors
7	1d3 mimics or 1d3 guard drakes* (MotM)*
8	1 helmed horror or 1d4 stone cursed* (MotM)*
9	1 ghost or roll on Restless Spirits
10	1d2 manticores or 1d3 shadow mastiffs* (MotM)*

Guardians (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6	Guardians (Levels 5-10)
2	1d2 sphinxes of secrets or 1 efreeti
3	1d4 flesh golems or 1 deva
4	1 wraith with 2d4 specters or roll on Undead lvl 5-10
5	1 spirit naga or 2d6 gargoyles
6	1 clay golem or 1d4+1 helmed horrors
7	1d3 galeb duhr or 1 nycaloth
8	1 stone golem or 1d3 oaken bolters* (MotM) with 1d2 stone defenders (MotM)*
9	1 guardian naga or 1d2 canoloths* (MotM)*
10	1d4 earth elementals or 1 dao

Restless Spirits (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Restless Spirits (Levels 1-4)
2	1 wraith or 1d4 empyrean iotas
3	1 banshee or 1 will-o'-wisp and 1d2 specters
4	1 poltergeist
5	1d4+1 shadows or 1d2 vampiric mists* (MotM)*
6	1d4 specters or 2d6 wretched sorrowsworn* (MotM)*
7	1d3 will-o'-wisps
8	1 ghost
9	1 flameskull or 1d3 sword wraith warriors* (MotM)*
10	1 revenant or 1 allip* (MotM)*

Ruins Monsters (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Ruins Monsters (Levels 1-4)
2	1d2 displacer beasts or 1d3 meenlocks* (MotM)*
3	1d3 nothics or 1d2 basilisks
4	1 ettercap and 1d3 giant spiders or 1 intellect devourer
5	1d2 phase spiders or 1 chuul
6	1d3 carrion crawlers or roll on Scavengers and Oozes
7	1d2 owlbears or 1d4 harpies
8	1d6 cockatrices or 1d3 perytons
9	1d2 grells or 1 adult kruthik* (MotM) and 2d4 young kruthiks (MotM)*
10	1 gorgon or 1d3 black dragon wyrmlings

Ruins Monsters (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6	Ruins Monsters (Levels 5-10)
2	1d2 tree blights or 1 gray slaad
3	1 brazen gorgon or 1 azer pyromancer with 1d6 azers
4	1 medusa with... (roll on Monsters lvl 1-4)
5	1 grick ancient with 1d8 gricks or 1d2 primeval owlbears
6	1d2 driders and 1d4 giant spiders or 1 cockatrice regent
7	1d2 cloakers or 1 gauth* (MotM)*
8	1d2 chimeras or 1 dire worg
9	1d3 wyverns or 1d2 giant apes
10	1 sphinx of lore or 1 elder oblex* (MotM)*

Undead (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Undead (Levels 1-4)
2	1d2 mummies or 1d2 deathlock wights* (MotM)*
3	1d3 ogre zombies or 1 swarm of crawling claws
4	3d4 zombies or 1d2 minotaur skeletons
5	2d6 crawling claws or 1d2 ghasts
6	1d4+1 ghouls or 1d2 flaming skeletons
7	1d2 wights or 1d3 skeletons mounted on warhorse skeletons
8	2d6 skeletons or 1 deathlock* (MotM)*
9	1 flameskull or roll on Restless Spirits
10	1 vampire spawn or 1 beholder zombie

Undead (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6	Undead (Levels 5-10)
2	1 beholder zombie and 1d6 ogre zombies or 1d4 vampire spawn
3	1 vampire nightbringer with 1d6 vampire familiars or 1 corpse flower (MotM) with 1d8+1 zombies
4	1d4+1 mummies with 2d4 specters or 1 banshee with 2d6 shadows
5	1 wraith with 2d4 specters or 1 necromancer* (MotM) with... (roll on Undead lvl 1-4)*
6	2d6 ghouls led by 1 ghast gravecaller or 1d4 allips* (MotM)*
7	1d3+1 wights with 3d6 zombies or 1 deathlock mastermind* (MotM)*
8	1d2 flameskulls with 2d6 skeletons or 1d3 bodaks* (MotM)*
9	1 haunting revenant or 1 maurezhi (MotM) with 1d8+1 ghouls
10	1 death knight aspirant or 1d2 graveyard revenants

Undead (Levels 11+)

1d4+1d6	Undead (Levels 11+)
2	1 lich or 1 mind flayer lich* (MotM, variant)*
3	1 vampire with 1d4 vampire spawn or 1 devourer* (MotM)*
4	1 death tyrant or 1 death knight aspirant with 1d4 ghast gravecallers
5	1 vampire or 1d2 sword wraith commanders* (MotM) with 2d4 sword wraith warriors (MotM)*
6	1d4 wraiths with 2d4 wights or 1 eidolon* (MotM)*
7	1 mummy lord or 1 boneclaw* (MotM)*
8	1 vampire umbral lord or 1 skull lord (MotM) with 1d6 wights
9	1 death knight or 1d2 vampire nightbringers with 1d4 vampire spawn
10	1 demilich or 1 dracolich

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