A huge bird circles you above the sea, considering whether you are prey, foe or something else. In its talons it clutches an unmoving humanoid form...
Updated Sea encounters using D&D 2024 Monster Manual. Also a D&D 2014 version. Tables for Sea Encounters (levels 1-4, 5-0, 11+), Beasts, Aerial Encounters, Monsters, Spirits and Sahuagin
Encs by terrain - arctic | coastal | desert | feywild | forest | grassland | hill | jungle | mountain | road | ruins | sea | shadowfell | swamp | underdark | underwater | urban | all dnd 2024 encs
[Photo by Caitlyn Wilson Webb on Unsplash]
Sea Encounters
The seas might be calm tropics, storm-churned waters or the edge of an island archipelago. Encounters might be the meeting of a seagoing vessel, something from the sky or from the ocean depths.
A place of sky, sea, wind and storm, it is home to tentacled monstrosities, hungry behemoths, elementals of wind and ships of buccaneers.
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 - encs 2024 | encs 2014 | ships | locs | noncombat | extras | all sea
MotM = Monsters of the Multiverse
Sea Levels 1-4
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Levels 1-4 |
|---|
| 2 | 1 air elemental or 1 kraken priest (MotM) |
| 3 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 1-4) or 1d2 manticores |
| 4 | 1d2 merrow or 1 sea hag with 1d2 sea spawn (MotM) |
| 5 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 1-4) or 1 banshee (sea elf spirit) |
| 6 | 1d3 griffons or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 1-4 |
| 7 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 1-4) or 1d4 giant eagles
|
| 8 | 1d3 giant octopi or 3d6 dolphins (MotM) | |
| 9 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 1-4) or 1d2+1 plesiosauruses |
| 10 | 2d4 steam mephits or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 1-4 |
| 11 | 2d6 merfolk skirmishers or 1d4 sea spawn (MotM) |
| 12 | 2d6 giant seahorses or roll on Beasts |
| 13 | 1 sea hag or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 14 | 1d3 killer whales or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4 |
| 15 | 1d4+1 sahuagin warriors and 1d4 reef sharks or roll on Sahuagin lvl 1-4 |
| 16 | 1d4+1 reef sharks or roll on Beasts |
| 17 | 2d4 merfolk skirmishers with 2d4 giant seahorses or 1 deep scion (MotM) |
| 18 | 1 helmed horror or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4 |
| 19 | 1 sahuagin priest with 1d3 hunter sharks or roll on Sahuagin lvl 1-4 |
| 20 | 1 water elemental or 1 merrenoloth (MotM) with a boat |
Sea Levels 5-10
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Levels 5-10 |
|---|
| 2 | 1 marid or 1 morkoth (MotM) |
| 3 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 5-10) or 2d6 plesiosauruses |
| 4 | 4d6 merfolk skirmishers with 3d6 giant seahorses or 1 young dragon (black, bronze or blue) |
| 5 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 5-10) or 1 kraken priest (MotM) with 1d4+1 deep scions (MotM) |
| 6 | 1d3+1 giant sharks or 1d4+1 deep scions (MotM) |
| 7 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 5-10) or 2d4 dolphin delighters (MotM) |
| 8 | 3d6 sahuagin warriors & 1 sahuagin baron or roll on Sahuagin lvl 5-10 |
| 9 | Ship (roll on Ships lvl 5-10) or 2d6 merrow |
| 10 | 2d6 sahuagin warriors with 1 giant shark and 1d3 sahuagin priests or roll on Sahuagin lvl 5-10 |
| 11 | Roll on Sea Encounters Levels 1-4 or a ship (roll on Ships lvl 5-10) |
| 12 | 1d6 archelons or 1d3 water elementals |
| 13 | 1d4 air elementals or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 14 | 1d4+2 killer whales or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 15 | 1d6+1 scouts on griffons or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 5-10 |
| 16 | 1 sea hag and 1d6+1 merrow or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 17 | 1d2 wyverns or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 5-10 |
| 18 | 1d4+2 ghosts or 1 hydroloth (MotM) |
| 19 | 1 merfolk wavebender with 2d4 merfolk skirmishers or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 20 | 1 djinni or 1 roc |
Sea Levels 11+
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Levels 11+ |
|---|
| 2 | 1 kraken or 1 elder tempest (MotM)
|
| 3 | 1 empyrean or 1 leviathan (MotM) |
| 4 | 4d6 merrow or a coven of 3 night hags mounted on nightmares |
| 5 | 1 adult dragon (black, bronze or blue) or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 11+ |
| 6 | 1d3 storm giants or 1 nagpa (MotM) |
| 7 | 2 young dragons (black, bronze or blue) or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 11+ |
| 8 | 3d6 hunter sharks or 1 storm giant quintessent (MotM) |
| 9 | 1 djinni and 1d4 air elementals or roll on Aerial Encs lvl 11+ |
| 10 | 2d4 giant sharks or 2d4 air elementals |
| 11 | Roll on Sea Encounters Levels 5-10 table or roll on Monsters lvl 11+ |
| 12 | 1 warship with 1 pirate admiral, 1d2 pirate captains and 4d6 pirates or 1 morkoth (MotM) |
| 13 | 2d4 water elementals or roll on Monsters lvl 11+ |
| 14 | 4d6 sahuagin warriors and 1d4+2 sahuagin priests led by a sahuagin baron or 1 Airship with 2d6+3 archers (MotM) and 1 mage |
| 15 | 1d3 marids or 1 archduid (MotM) and 1d4 killer whales |
| 16 | 1 dragon turtle or 1 wastrilith (MotM) |
| 17 | 1 marid and or 1 archduid (MotM) with... (roll on Beasts) |
| 18 | 1 sahuagin baron and 1d4+2 giant sharks or 1 blue abishai (MotM) |
| 19 | 1 storm giant and 1d2 water elementals or 1 empyrean |
| 20 | 1 elemental cataclysm or 1 nightwalker (MotM) |
Sea Beasts (Levels 1-4)
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Beasts (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 giant shark
|
| 3 | 1d4 giant eagles |
| 4 | 1d3 plesiosauruses |
| 5 | 1d4 giant seabirds (giant vulture) |
| 6 | 1d2 hunter sharks and 1d4 reef sharks
|
| 7 | 1d4 pteranodons or 2d6 giant crabs |
| 8 | 1d4+1 reef sharks |
| 9 | 2d4 blood hawks or 1d2 dolphin delighters (MotM) |
| 10 | 1d3 hunter sharks |
| 11 | 2d6 giant seahorses or 3d6 dolphins (MotM) | |
| 12 | 1d2 killer whales |
| 13 | 1d3 giant octopi |
| 14 | 1d4 seabird swarms (swarm of ravens) |
| 15 | 1 patch of awakened seaweed (awakened bush) or 1d2 quetzalcoatluses (MotM) |
| 16 | 1 archelon or 1 manticore |
| 17 | 1d4 swarms of pirahnas or 1d4 pegasi
|
| 18 | 1d2 griffons |
| 19 | 1d2 giant constrictor snakes |
| 20 | 1 aquatic shambling mound |
Aerial Encounters (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Aerial Encounters (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1d2 dragon wyrmlings (black, blue or bronze) or 1 couatl |
| 3 | 1d4 pteranodons or 1 aarakocra aeromancer |
| 4 | 1d3 griffons |
| 5 | 1d4 steam mephits |
| 6 | 1d3 pegasi or 1d2 quetzalcoatluses (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d4+1 ice mephit or 1d4+1 dust mephits |
| 8 | 1d4 giant eagles |
| 9 | 1 manticore or 1 archer (MotM) mounted on a quetzalcoatlus (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 air elemental or 1 pixie wonderbringer |
Aerial Encounters (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Aerial Encounters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 roc or 1d2 vrocks |
| 3 | 1 young dragon (black, blue or bronze) or 1d2 black abishai (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 night hag mounted on a nightmare or 2d4 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 5 | 1d2 aarakocra aeromancers and 2d4 aarakocra aeromancers |
| 6 | 2d4 griffons or 1d2 chimeras |
| 7 | 1d3 air elementals or 1d2 invisible stalkers |
| 8 | 1d2 wyverns or 1 deva |
| 9 | 2d4+2 pegasi or 1d2 air elemental myrmidons (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 djinni or 1 sphinx of secrets |
Aerial Encounters (Levels 11+)
| 1d4+1d6 | Aerial Encounters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 dracolich or 1 elder tempest (MotM) |
| 3 | 1 adult dragon (Black, Blue or Bronze) or 1 planetar |
| 4 | 1d4+2 invisible stalkers or 1d2 githyanki knights mounted on young red dragons |
| 5 | 2d4 air elementals or 1 ki-rin (MotM) |
| 6 | 1 roc or 1 storm giant quintessent (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d2 djinni or 1d2 sphinxes of lore |
| 8 | 2d4+2 manticores or 1d2 devas |
| 9 | 1 djinni and 1d3 air elementals or 1d2 erinyes |
| 10 | 2 young dragons (Black, Blue or Bronze) or 1 blue abishai (MotM) |
Sea Spirits (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Spirits (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 water elemental or 1 air elemental |
| 3 | 1d3 drowned spirits (specter with swim 50 ft.) |
| 4 | 1d4+1 steam mephits or 1d2 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 sea hag or 2d4 animated sea objects (animated flying swords) |
| 6 | 1d4+1 ice mephits or 1 water weird |
| 7 | 1d2 poltergeists or 2d4 mud mephits |
| 8 | 1 shipwrecked ghost |
| 9 | 1d3 pegasi or 1d2 sword wraith warriors (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 helmed horror or 1 sea elf spirit (banshee, swim 30 ft.) |
Sea Spirits (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Spirits (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 djinni or 1 deva |
| 3 | Coven of 3 sea hags or 1 frost salamander (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 air elemental and 1d6 pegasi or 2d4 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 5 | 2d6+3 mephits (any mix of steam, mud, ice and dust) |
| 6 | 1d4 elementals (mix of water elementals and air elementals) |
| 7 | 1 merfolk wavebender with 2d4 merfolk or 1d3 wind spirits (invisible stalkers) |
| 8 | 1 water elemental and 2d6 mud mephits |
| 9 | 1d2 seaweed blights (vine Blight, swim 30 ft) led by 1 shambling seaweed (shambling mound) |
| 10 | 1 marid or 1 spirit troll (MotM) |
Sea Monsters (Levels 1-4)
A lone monster that can come from the depths. Fiends, undead, aquatic and tentacled horrors. Add one or two more if a lone monster is not enough.
If required give it a swim speed equal to its land speed and give it the amphibious trait:
Amphibious. This creature can breathe air and water
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Monsters (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 beholder zombie or 1 otyugh |
| 3 | 1 helmed horror or 1 black pudding |
| 4 | 1 flameskull or 1 sword wraith warrior (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 giant constrictor snake or 1 slithering tracker (MotM) |
| 6 | 1 giant octopus or 1 deep scion (MotM) |
| 7 | 1 killer whale or 1 merrow |
| 8 | 1 grell or 1 wraith |
| 9 | 1 banshee or 1 flail snail (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 giant shark or 1 troll |
Sea Monsters (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Monsters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 remorhaz or 1 morkoth (MotM) |
| 3 | 1 spirit naga or 1 corpse flower (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 hydra or 1 hydroloth (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 chuul or 1 giant crocodile |
| 6 | 1 giant shark or 1 roper |
| 7 | 1 cyclops sentry or 1 medusa |
| 8 | 1 Seaweed monster (treant with swim speed of 30 ft.) |
| 9 | 1 aboleth or 1 frost salamander (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 horned devil or violet fungus necrohulk |
Sea Monsters (Levels 11+)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Monsters (Levels 11+) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 empyrean or 1 nightwalker (MotM) |
| 3 | 1 death tyrant or 1 leviathan (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 purple worm or 1 retriever (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 storm giant or 1 wastrilith (MotM) |
| 6 | 1 marid or 1 horned devil |
| 7 | 1 behir or 1 remorhaz |
| 8 | 1 dragon turtle or 1 ice devil |
| 9 | 1 kraken or 1 iron golem |
| 10 | 1 animal lord or colossus |
Sahuagin (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sahuagin (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 sahuagin priest with 1d3 sahuagin warriors |
| 3 | 1d4 sahuagin warriors with 1d2 swarms of pirahnas |
| 4 | 1d3 sahuagin priests |
| 5 | 1d4+1 sahuagin warriors |
| 6 | 1 sahuagin priest with 1d3 reef sharks |
| 7 | 1d3 sahuagin warriors with 1d3 reef sharks |
| 8 | 1d4 sahuagin warriors with 1 hunter shark |
| 9 | 1 malenti (a sahuagin warriors with appearance of an aquatic elf) |
| 10 | 1 sahuagin warriors with 1 giant shark |
Sahuagin (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sahuagin (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 2d4 sahuagin warriors with 2d4 hunter sharks led by 1 sahuagin priest |
| 3 | 2d4 sahuagin warriors with 2d4 reef sharks and 1d2 giant sharks |
| 4 | 2d4+4 sahuagin warriors with 1d3+1 sahuagin priests |
| 5 | 2d6+6 sahuagin warriors |
| 6 | 2d6 sahuagin warriors led by 1 sahuagin baron |
| 7 | 3d6 sahuagin warriors with 1d3+1 hunter sharks |
| 8 | 1 sahuagin baron with 1d4 giant sharks |
| 9 | 1d3 sahuagin priests with 1d3 hunter sharks led by 1 sahuagin baron |
| 10 | 2d4 sahuagin warriors with 1d2 sahuagin priests led by 1 sahuagin baron |
More Encounters
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.
If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.
