Ravens swirl about a pair of withered trees, interested in a pair of skeletons tying a rope around the smaller tree.
Updated Shadowfell encounters using D&D 2024 Monster Manual. Also a D&D 2014 version. Tables for Shadowfell Encounters (levels 1-4, 5-0, 11+), Beasts, Planar Visitors, Monsters, Spirits and Undead
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 Sergio Ibannez on Unsplash]
Shadowfell Encounters
The Shadowfell is a place of black, grey and white, dismal shadow of the Material Plane. It brings visions skull-like rocks, dark forests with snaring branches and castles long crumbled to ruin. Encounters might occur at a circle of tombstones, a grove of grasping bracken or a haunted quarry where the dead work.
Home of the colourless reflections of the mortal world, the unlucky might also find the Domains of Dread, where "darklords" are imprisoned. They are home to cursed spirits, alien creatures that prefer darkness, cunning unseelie satyrs, scheming hags, drow warbands from the Underdark and servants of the Raven Queen.
A pdf of these and other Shadowfell tables is at the DM's Guild as Shadowfell Encounters
Shadowfell - encs (2024) | encs (2014) | locs | noncombat | extras | all shadowfell
MotM = Monsters of the Multiverse
Shadowfell Levels 1-4
| 1d8+1d12 | Shadowfell Levels 1-4 |
|---|
| 2 | 1 revenant or 1 banderhobb (MotM) |
| 3 | 1 scout possessed by a ghost or 1d2 carrion crawlers |
| 4 | 1d2 phase spiders or roll on Planar Visitors lvl 1-4 |
| 5 | 1d2 nothics or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4 |
| 6 | 1d6 giant bats or roll on Beasts |
| 7 | A wagon with 1d4+1 warhorse skeletons or 1d4 meazels (MotM) | |
| 8 | 1d4 swarms of ravens or roll on Beasts |
| 9 | 1d6 death dogs or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4
|
| 10 | 1d4+1 darkmantles or roll on Beasts |
| 11 | 1d6 shadows or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 12 | 2d4 grimlocks or roll on Humanoids |
| 13 | 1d4 ghouls or roll on Undead lvl 1-4 |
| 14 | 1 ettercap and 1d2 giant spiders or 1d4+1 skulks (MotM) |
| 15 | 1 shadow demon or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 16 | 1d2 vampire familiars or roll on Humanoids |
| 17 | 2d6 skeletons or roll on Undead lvl 1-4 |
| 18 | 1d4 dire wolves or 1 darkling elder (MotM) and 1d3 darklings (MotM) |
| 19 | 1d3 gargoyles or 1d2 nightmares |
| 20 | 1 wraith or 1 night hag |
Shadowfell Levels 5-10
| 1d8+1d12 | Shadowfell Levels 5-10 |
|---|
| 2 | 1 death knight aspirant or 1 balhannoth (MotM) |
| 3 | 1d3 driders or 1 warlock of the Great Old One (MotM) with 1d6 nothics |
| 4 | 1 death cultist with 1d6 cultis fantatics or 1 maurezhi (MotM) with 2d4 ghouls |
| 5 | 1 fomorian or 1 necromancer (MotM) with 2d4 shadows |
| 6 | 1 spirit naga and 2d4 ghouls or 2d6 shadow mastiffs (MotM) led by 1 shadow mastiff alpha (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d3+1 wights with 3d6 zombies or roll on Undead lvl 5-10 |
| 8 | 1d4 flesh golems or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 9 | 1d3 violet fungus necrohulks or 1d2 shadow dancers (MotM) |
| 10 | 1d2 cloakers or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 11 | 1 vampire nightbringer & 1d2 vampire spawn or roll on Undead 5-10 |
| 12 | 1 haunting revenant or 1 gloomweaver (MotM) |
| 13 | 1d4 shadow demons and 1d4+1 shadows or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 14 | 1 night hag on a nightmare or roll on Planar Visitors lvl 5-10 |
| 15 | 1 gray slaad or 1d2 choldriths (MotM) and 2d6 chitines (MotM) |
| 16 | 1d4 wraiths or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 17 | 1 assassin and 1d4 vampire familiars or 1 drow shadowblade (MotM) |
| 18 | 1 mage with 1 flesh golem and 2d4 specters or 1 neogi master (MotM) with 1d4+1 neogi (MotM) |
| 19 | 1d4 wraiths or 1 blackguard (MotM) with 1d4 wights |
| 20 | A coven of 3 night hags or 1 soul monger (MotM) |
Shadowfell Levels 11+
| 1d8+1d12 | Shadowfell Levels 11+ |
|---|
| 2 | 1 death knight or roll on Undead lvl 11+ |
| 3 | 1 archmage with 1d4 wraiths or 1d3 hungry sorrowsworn (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 fell purple worm (fly 40 ft, can cast gaseous form at will) or 1d4+1 drow gladiators led by 1 drow house captain (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 gulthias blight or 1 drow arachnomancer (MotM) |
| 6 | 1 vampire umbral lord or roll on Undead lvl 11+ |
| 7 | 1 beholder or 1 soul monger (MotM) & 1d3 shadow dancers (MotM) |
| 8 | 1 shadow behir (deals necrotic damage, immune to necrotic damage) or 1d2 angry sorrowsworn (MotM) |
| 9 | 1d6 violet fungus necrohulks and 1d3 tree blights or 1 nagpa (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 cultist hierophant with 1d2 death cultists and 2d6 wights or 1 balhannoth (MotM) |
| 11 | 1 vampire or roll on Undead lvl 11+ |
| 12 | 1d4+1 gray slaads or roll on Planar Visitors lvl 11+ |
| 13 | 1 death tyrant or 1 gloom weaver (MotM) with 1d4 shadow dancers (MotM) |
| 14 | 1 githyanki dracomancer or roll on Planar Visitors lvl 11+ |
| 15 | 1 adult shadow dragon or 1 mind flayer lich (MotM) |
| 16 | Coven of 3 night hags on nightmares or roll on Planar Visitors lvl 11+ |
| 17 | 1 drow arch priest with 1 drow mage and 1d4 drow scout captains |
| 18 | 1 death slaad riding a flying chariot pulled by 2d4 nightmares |
| 19 | 1 arcanaloth and 1d2 nycoloths or 1d4+2 cloakers |
| 20 | 1 arch-hag or 1 lich |
Shadowfell Beasts (Levels 1-4)
| 1d8+1d12 | Shadowfell Beasts (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1d3 gray oozes |
| 3 | 1d3 carrion crawlers |
| 4 | 1d6 vine blights or 2d4 giant centipedes |
| 5 | 1d4 skeletal warhorses or 2d6 giant fire beetles |
| 6 | 1d4+1 swarms of beetles |
| 7 | 1d4 death dogs or 1 slithering tracker (MotM) |
| 8 | 1 swarms of spiders and 1d2 giant spiders |
| 9 | 1d4 giant ravens (giant vulture) |
| 10 | 1d6 darkmantles or 1d2 swarms of crawling claws |
| 11 | 1d4 swarms of ravens |
| 12 | 1d2 phase spiders or 2d4 swarms of bats |
| 13 | 1d6 twig blights and 1d4 needle blights |
| 14 | 1 raven familiar of an undead or spellcaster |
| 15 | 1d6 giant bats or 1 psychic gray ooze |
| 16 | 1 swarm of rats and 2d4 giant rats |
| 17 | 1d4 dire wolves or 1d4 giant vultures |
| 18 | 1d3 twisted animated trees or 1d4 giant spiders |
| 19 | 2d4 swarms of bats or 1d2 shadow mastiffs |
| 20 | 1 black pudding or 1 swarm of cranium rats (MotM) |
Planar Visitors (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Planar Visitors (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 night hag |
| 3 | 1d4 nomadic scouts with a wagon traveling via secret paths or 1 wight mounted on a nightmare |
| 4 | Adventurers who passed through a Shadowfell crossing - 1 noble, 1 berserker, 1 priest and 1d3 scouts |
| 5 | 1d2 githyanki warriors |
| 6 | 1d2 phase spiders or 1 berbalang (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d3 githzerai monks or 1 shadow demon |
| 8 | 1 cultist fanatic mounted on a nightmare or 1d2 giff (MotM) |
| 9 | 1 knight banished by a hostile plane shift spell |
| 10 | 1 cambion |
Planar Visitors (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Planar Visitors (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 gray slaad or 1 morkoth (MotM) |
| 3 | 1 stone giant banished by plane shift spell or 1 ulitharid (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 githyanki knight or 1 githzerai enlightened (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 mind flayer with 1d4 troglodytes or adventurers - 1 cambion, 1 blackguard (MotM), 1d2 master thieves (MotM) and 1 mage |
| 6 | 1 night hag mounted on a nightmare or 1 warlock of the Great Old One (MotM) with 1d6 cultist fanatics |
| 7 | 1d3 githzerai zerths or 1 mind flayer arcanist |
| 8 | 1 death slaad or 1 diviner (MotM, has plane shift instead of teleport) |
| 9 | 1 performer legend, arrived via a Shadowfell crossing or 1 githyanki gish (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 genie (dao, marid, efreet or djinni) or 1 stone giant dreamwalker (MotM) |
Planar Visitors (Levels 11+)
| 1d4+1d6 | Planar Visitors (Levels 11+) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 empyrean or 1d3 githyanki gish (MotM) with 2d4 githyanki warriors |
| 3 | 1 arcanaloth (can use plane shift 1/day) or 1 githzerai psion |
| 4 | Coven of 3 night hags all mounted on nightmares or 1 alhoon (MotM) |
| 5 | 1 archmage with 1d3 wights using astral projection or 1 drow arachnomancer (MotM, has plane shift instead of etherealness) |
| 6 | 1 githyanki knight mounted on a shadow dragon or 1 githzerai anarch (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d4+1 gray slaads or 1 nagpa (MotM) |
| 8 | Adventurers with a cubic gate - 1 mage , 1 assassin, 1d2 githzerai zerths and 1 drow priestess of Lolth |
| 9 | 1 rakshasa or 1 archdruid (MotM, has plane shift prepared instead of fire storm) |
| 10 | 1 arch-hag or 1 skull lord (MotM) |
Shadowfell Monsters (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Shadowfell Monsters (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 flesh golem or 1 banderhobb (MotM) |
| 3 | 1d3 ettercaps or 1 adult kruthik (MotM) and 2d4 young kruthiks (MotM) |
| 4 | 1d2 nightmares or 1d4 stone cursed (MotM) |
| 5 | 1d2 phase spiders or 2d6 wretched sorrowsworn (MotM) |
| 6 | 1d6 darkmantles or 1d3 meenlocks (MotM) |
| 7 | 1 shadow demon or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 8 | 1d6 death dogs or 1 basilisk |
| 9 | 1d2 nothics or 1d2 grells |
| 10 | 1 roper or 1 catoblepas (MotM) |
Shadowfell Monsters (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Shadowfell Monsters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 cyclops oracle or 1 hungry sorrowsworn (MotM) |
| 3 | 1d4 flesh golems or 2d4 adult kruthiks (MotM) and 2d6 young kruthiks (MotM) |
| 4 | 1 spirit naga or 1d2 lonely sorrowsworn (MotM) |
| 5 | 1d3 violet fungus necrohulks or 1d2 rot trolls (MotM) |
| 6 | 1d2 cloakers or 1d3 lost sorrowsworn (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d4 wraiths or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 8 | 1d2 driders and 1d2 phase spiders or 1 froghemoth (MotM) |
| 9 | 1d3 tree blights or 1 elder oblex (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 dire worg or 1 balhannoth (MotM) |
Shadowfell Spirits (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Shadowfell Spirits (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 wraith or 1 night hag |
| 3 | 1 ghost or 1d2 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 4 | 1d2 poltergeists or 1 banshee |
| 5 | 1d4 specters or 1d3 shadow mastiffs (MotM) |
| 6 | 1d6 shadows or 1d2 sword wraith warriors (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d3 will-o'-wisps or 1d4+1 skulks (MotM) |
| 8 | 1 shadow demon or 1d4 animated armors |
| 9 | 2d4 animated flying swords or 1 flameskull |
| 10 | 1 shadow elemental (air elemental but deals necrotic damage and has Stealth +8) or 1 allip (MotM) |
Shadowfell Spirits (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Shadowfell Spirits (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1d4 revenants or a coven of 3 night hags |
| 3 | 1d4 wraiths or 1 annis hag (MotM) with 1d2 ogre zombies |
| 4 | 1d6 shadow demons or 2d6 specters |
| 5 | 1 haunting revenant or 2d6 shadow mastiffs (MotM) led by 1 shadow mastiff alpha (MotM) |
| 6 | 1 wraith with 1d6 specters or 2d4 sword wraith warriors (MotM) |
| 7 | 2d6 shadows or 1 sword wraith commander (MotM) with 1d3 sword wraith warriors (MotM) |
| 8 | 1d4 shadow elemental (air elemental but deals necrotic damage and has Stealth +8) |
| 9 | 1d2 banshees with 2d4 specters or 1d4 allips (MotM) |
| 10 | 1d3 murderous spirits (invisible stalker) or 1 spirit troll (MotM) |
Undead (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Undead (Levels 1-4) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 vampire spawn or 1d2 deathlock wights (MotM) |
| 3 | 1 bone naga or 1d2 swarms of crawling claws |
| 4 | 1 flameskull or 1d3 ogre zombies |
| 5 | 3d4 zombies or 1d3+1 ghouls led by 1 ghast |
| 6 | 1d4+1 ghouls or 1d6 shadows |
| 7 | 2d6 skeletons or 1 deathlock (MotM) |
| 8 | 1d2 wights or 1d3 minotaur skeletons |
| 9 | 1d flaming skeleton and 1d3 warhorse skeletons or 1d2 mummies |
| 10 | 1 revenant or 1 beholder zombie |
Undead (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Undead (Levels 5-10) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 haunting revenant or 1 beholder zombie with 2d4 minotaur skeletons |
| 3 | 1d4+2 mummies or 4d6 skeletons with 1d4+1 shadows |
| 4 | 1d2 vampire nightbringers or 1d4 spawn of Kyuss (MotM) |
| 5 | 1d2 flameskulls with 1d3 wights and 1d6+6 zombies or 1 necromancer (MotM) with 1d4 wights |
| 6 | 2d4 ghasts led by 1d2 ghast gravecallers or 1d3 bodaks (MotM) |
| 7 | 1d3+1 wights with 3d6 zombies or 1 deathlock mastermind (MotM) |
| 8 | 1d3 graveyard revenants or 1 maurezhi (MotM) with 1d10 ghouls |
| 9 | 2d4 wights or 1 corpse flower (MotM) with 1d8+1 zombies |
| 10 | 1 death knight aspirant or 1d2 bone nagas with 2d4 ogre zombies |
Undead (Levels 11+)
| 1d4+1d6 | Undead (Levels 11+) |
|---|
| 2 | 1 dracolich or 1 mind flayer lich (MotM, variant) |
| 3 | 1 haunting revenant and 1d4 revenants |
| 4 | 1 death tyrant or 1 vampire nightbringer with 2d4 vampire spawn |
| 5 | 1 death knight aspirant and 2d6 flaming skeletons or 1 boneclaw (MotM) |
| 6 | 2d4 wraiths or 1 nightwalker (MotM) |
| 7 | 1 vampire or 1 skull lord (MotM) with 1d6 wights |
| 8 | 1 mummy lord or 1 devourer (MotM) |
| 9 | 1 vampire umbral lord or 1d2 sword wraith commanders (MotM) with 2d4 sword wraith warriors (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 death Knight or 1 lich |
More Encounters
A pdf of these and other Shadowfell tables is at the DM's Guild as Shadowfell Encounters
If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.
