1

3 blink dogs are locked into battle with a displacer beast. If the PCs help the blinks dogs win, they will show them the location of a hidden treasure.

2

A barbarian, delirious with a berserker rage, thinks you are a foul monster to kill

3

A bard is playing beautiful music to a crowd, but all who listen are quickly under her thrall

4

A blind man stumbling along the road with a stick. If the party stop to talk to he will talk about how he was the best bandit in the area in his youth. Problem is he never quit when he lost his sight. His buddies are hiding in the wilderness on the side of the road and have been lining up shots on the party with their slingshots and shortbows.

5

A brutish, inbred Ogre who is part of a tribe inhabitting the hills or mountains nearby, previously they have herded goats and caused little trouble, but a strange blight has killed their herds and now they take to raiding the nearby lowland settlements for food and other items.

6

A carriage lays sideways halfway blocking the road. It appears mostly intact and seems to have been transporting statues that broke when it tumbled. You can find part of a foot and a forearm with a hand attached, the rest is scattered over the road. If you open the carriage, or look through the hole near the bottom, you are looking two basilisks straight in the eyes.

7

A crow starts to follow the party from the sky, sometimes landing and khawing at them. The thing is that to all but one of the players this sounds like a normal bird, but this one player swears he hears it say ‘’I will come for you, I will’’ over and over again. On the third day the crow is gone but that same evening this player will be attacked by this cursed creature in his dreams. The dream involves him slow-running through the current environment in nothing but a loincloth while being attacked by this bird dealing mental damage in the process, wisdoms saves to wake up. Once he wakes up a dark figure falls from the tree in a fury of sounds, beak, and claws as it attacks the player. The creature looks like a bird, but almost humanoid and definitely cursed in some evil twisted way (use kenku stats).

8

A frightened man bolts onto the road towards the party, he is running for his life. Out of breath he begs their protection and to get him away as quickly as possible, if the party hesitates he will hand them a small wooden box. He seems to be a researcher of some sort with a notebook strapped to his chest and a backpack full of tracking gear on his back. A high-pitched noise coming from the side of the road somewhere ahead should be enough of a warning. The box when opened shows a small glass canister which seems to be holding some sort of insect, a knowledge nature check might reveal it to be a bee, a high roll will show it to be a queen bee... At that moment the high-pitched noise turns into angry buzzing and 2d4 +2 swarms of bees come rushing at the party. If they throw the canister away half the swarms will go off and protect their queen while the others attempt to chase of the humanoids. The researcher wants the queen as it is a special one, rare and quite valuable.

9

A furious druid has someone trapped in vines and intends to kill them for desecrating the grove

10

A ghost stands in the middle of the road, wailing

11

A giant blocks your path with a makeshift toll gate, demanding an unusual payment

12

A great beast that has been rampaging through the local area, menacing villages and causing a hazard to travel. The beast is a huge/dire version of a normal animal as appropriate for the terrain type, how the animal got so big and why it is taking out it's agression on the locals is up to the GM.

13

A group of 15 rough looking soldiers have barred the road with two heavy carts. They will roll them aside for a ‘’Duke’s aid’’ fee of 7 gold pieces per person. They can be negotiated with until 4 gold pieces but any lower and they turn sour and rather take some lives. Upon being met with hostilities they will overturn their carts and use the slits they cut in the bottom to shoot crossbows from almost total cover while their foot soldiers use a make-shift towershield to advance on the party. If 5 of them die and they are not clearly winning they will give up and surrender.

14

A group of Roll 3d4 bandits, lying concealed in wait to waylay travelers on the road.

15

A group of Roll 3d4 goblins who are starving, they are looking to scavenge from a local settlement, but are not above attacking an enemy they believe that they can defeat.

16

A group of Roll 3d4 orcs lurking in nearby hills or forest, they are preparing to attack a nearby settlement once the sun goes down.

17

A group of drunk soldiers approach and demand you offer some tribute to the king's men

18

A group of kids follows you from the hamlet you just passed by. They are shooting berries at the party using improvised blowpipes (+7 to hit, 1 bludgeoning damage) and throwing stones (+4 to hit, 1d4 -1 damage). They have set some weird traps in the surrounding forest to get away when followed (sweeping branch dexterity save, which cuts movement for that round on a success and deals 1d4 slashing damage on a fail).

19

A group of racist thugs has an issue with one of your party members because of their appearance

20

A heavy buzzing is in the air and something smells badly somewhere off the road. Investigation leads to a carcass of a pack animal covered in stirges who are feeding off of it. If disturbed in any way a large part Roll 3d4+6 of the stirges attack their new fresh prey, pursuing PCs and horses alike. The carcass belonged to a horse of a messenger, he had some pristine leather saddlebags with him, in them several personal letters one of which bears the crest of a king/council/duke and is magically sealed.

21

A huge (Roll 2d4+2 swarms) murder of crows is collecting over the course of 1d4 + 2 hours, they shadow the party in the trees. Anything mundane short of fire will not scare them away and upon dusk they attack in a cacophony of screams and wings.

22

A huge brown bear lays groaning at the side of the road. When you get closer you see there is a wounded and unconscious man laying under one of its huge paws dressed in lively garb, three other men colour the road with their own entrails. The bear (Pimpel) wears a bright collar now stained red, the bear is gravely wounded but will still protect his master (Pip) until it dies. What transpired basically writes itself, the thing is that Pip remembers 4 soldiers being there.

23

A huge fogbank rolls in consuming the landscape around you. The fog seems to contain humanoid figures that pop up in the corner of your eyes. Sometimes you are attacked (hungry fog or air elemental stats), and the only way to prevent it is by keeping out of the mist. Creative solutions to locally get rid of the mist are essential for survival.

24

A knight in full-plate (paladin) blocks the road, when the party contains anything along the lines of a tiefling or half-orc he (Covric the Cleanser) will demand a trial by combat handing off his cloak and receiving his weapon from his squire (named Jeffry). His creed demands him to rid the civilized world of barbaric and evil beings. If the trial by combat is not respected he will use spirit guardians, otherwise he will fight fairly and will yield as soon as he goes below 10% of his hit points.

25

A loud zealot preaching to a mob accuses you of dark heresy against their god

26

A man hangs from his arms from a large tree, the chains with which he is suspended seem sturdy and a small sign hangs from his neck; ‘’Sentenced to die for his crimes, any that support him will suffer the same fate.’’. Three soldiers are dragging a screaming woman to the same tree, you see she dropped some sort of knife and is pleading for help. She is the daughter of the chained half-dead man and came to finish his suffering but couldn’t, and when the soldiers saw her, they grabbed her and are planning to hang her next to her father for interfering.

27

A mudslide destroyed most of the road ahead and turned it into a slippery mess, crossing it might not be as easy as it seems. Possibly some mud elementals (modified water elementals) around. Some parts have quicksand properties that are difficult to escape alone.

28

A nearly endless line of giant ants crosses the road on three places, they are busy transporting stones, pieces of carcasses, and other organic material. Several giant soldier ants patrol amongst the workers and will attack when their trial is approached within 10 ft. If a fight ensues every round Roll 2d4+2 more soldier ants show up. After 4 rounds the normal ants start to dissolve their lines and will gang up with Roll 2d10 each round.

29

A person is tied to a stake and surrounded by a silent mob holding torches, led by a fierce cleric

30

A petty nobleman accuses you of not showing the proper due respect and demands satisfaction

31

A razor sharp thin wire is tied on neck-height of a medium sized rider/creature across the road. Only a high perception check might result in seeing a glimmer in the air. If not spotted the first person is subject to a coup de grace attack causing 11 slashing damage + 3d4 bleeding damage each turn until healed without a save. The next two get a reflex save to avoid the same fate (11 slashing damage and 1d4 bleed, half damage without any bleed for a save). Directly afterwards they are set upon by three highwaymen.

32

A rowdy mob that must be calmed or evaded before they turn on you or some other victim

33

A screaming horse can be heard up ahead as well as the roaring of something big and wild. A wounded horse is stuck in the harness of its overturned cart kicking and screaming in panic and pain. A man hides under the cart as the owlbear that attacked them is fending off an opportunistic pack (Roll 2d4+2) of worgs, apparently you weren’t the only one attracted by the loud noise. They are currently busy ripping off fur and feathers from each other but sooner rather than later one of the two parties will give up and the winner will finish his price. The peddler was transporting pots of grease from the country side to the city as winter preserve, his product is smeared all over the road and complicates the fight as everything is slippery.

34

A single goblin stands in the road, her name is Bait and she demands 20 gold pieces for passage. A moderate perception check will show the presence of 6 others in the bushes in cover. Upon hostile action one of the goblins in the bushes will cast entangle and all goblins will bolt. Later that night the goblins will return in force with advantage on their stealth checks to approach the camp as they carry a stone with them on which silence is cast. The guard may notice something being tossed in camp; the stone in the fire. The resulting silence will prevent the guard from screaming out and waking the others as 10 goblins jump them. Five will go for all the lose equipment in camp and bail with it, the others will slit PCs throats (coup de grace if they sleep) and attempt to kill them quickly in the silence bubble. Before the players stand up, the caster goblin will cast entangle (disadvantage for prone creatures) and all goblins split up and retreat.

35

A small caravan of peasants and traders pass you by, the oxen of their last cart is being obnoxious, delaying their travel. They greet you and a woman on the second cart will ask if you want to buy some stuff, particularly the wine is good this year. It takes a proper sense motive or perception check to notice something is up, the peasants (8 bandits + 2 warlocks) are wearing leather under their clothes and they seem rather nervous and on edge. A soon as they approach the woman on the cart the first and the third cart will be pulled sideways to block the road and box them in, weapons appear from under bushels and canvas. The woman will demand surrender of their gold and valuables and drop their weapons to the ground (using suggestion to do it as she is a warlock) if they want to live another hour.

36

A stranger on the road, her name is Brigitt and she is a tough cookie and plays a mean flute. She will tell horror stories about monsters that can change into men and ruin their lives, stories of someone she knew that was convicted of murder, something he didn’t do but everyone saw him do it. She is fleeing from her former life and she might let it slip that this man was her brother. Upon departure she will ask the party for a bit of blessing on the road and gives one of the PCs her flute, the PC may make a very difficult perception check to see her eyes have changed colour to match his. The name engraved on the flute is ‘’Lariander’’. She is the doppelganger from her stories and will now attempt to ruin the life of the PC she gave the flute to by assuming his appearance and going on a targeted crime-spree.

37

A succubus disguised as a regular woman is roadside by a broken cart. She gets their help fixing the wagon, and attempts to charm one of the PCs and give him a kiss (draining kiss).

38

A sudden storm breaks up the day and forces any wise creature to stay inside safe and sound. Staying inside will cost them some travelling time however it spares them from the Roll 2d4 wind elementals that will be harassing them on the way (pushing them off the path or their horses, playing with their gear and grabbing cloaks and pulling at them). If met with hostility the storm will locally flair up and every round there will be a chance (10%) of a lightning strike hitting the floor at their feet. Lightning will deal 6d6 damage and half on a dexterity save as well as 6 lightning damage to any creature within 20 feet standing on the ground. The main target is the highest character.

39

A young girl named Amanda sits on the road, she has clearly been crying and looks up hopefully but when she sees the party she will start sobbing again. She lost her mom and her dad who are travelling to the big city. She will follow the most non-cuddly character around, and generally will attempt to join the party. That night she will cuddle up to whomever allows it as she is cold and alone. During the night she will bite and drain her cuddle partner to an inch of his/her life (accepting the cuddling equals failing her charm), she is a 131-year-old vampire and this is her scam. She will disappear before morning, if spotted she will say she needs to pee or something.

40

Ambush by 4 orc berserkers and 2 archers. The orc berserkers work in pairs and are connected by a spiked metal chain, which they use at the start of the encounter to bulrush multiple members of the party in one bulrush (this functions like a normal bulrush but deals 2d4 piercing damage if you do not wear metal armour). They will go for downed creatures first, taking them out. If a creature is flanked by two orcs of the same pair, each orc can attempt a trip attack as a bonus action.

41

An alluring song comes from somewhere up ahead. Coming closer you can see a beautiful woman sitting on a large stone. This is when the first wisdom save needs to be made as this is a harpy. When most of the players move into the small clearing the chaos starts as 4 of her sisters dive-bomb from the sky. Fly-by attacks are their go-to move, attacking only those that are in the open and don’t have cover. When they lose half their hit points they fall from the sky, if two are taken out and they are not winning they will fly away.

42

An old mill stands on the side of the road. The boards creaks, the door only partly opens, and some beams are on the point of collapsing but there are strange lights inside. The whole interior is a hazard and inhabited by a violet fungus as well as two will’o’wisps that lure the PCs in. As soon as the violet fungus attacks the structure of the whole mill starts to tremble, 3 rounds later the mill will collapse or earlier if excessive force is used against the structure. The wisps will attempt to cover the door so they are unable to leave the mill. The collapse deals 8d6 damage, half of which is non-lethal and throws everyone prone, and those that fail a dexterity or strength saving throw are considered pinned.

43

An old woman with a knife and foul breath asks you to pay tribute to her god

44

An overwhelmingly large pack of hungry, wild animals that must be outrun

45

Some highwaymen demand your money or your life

46

Someone fleeing from a dozen pursuers begs you for protection against harm

47

The party may notice they ‘’caught’’ something. An extra shadow on the road, a twisting shape in the firelight. It might not even be hostile at first, it will just need what it takes, and every night it will visit a party member and drains them for 1 strength point. It wants to reach a town or city, only then will it attempt to kill, as it now has a way to flee to others.

48

The party sees a trail of biscuits leading to a huge wooden box propped up with a branch with a pile of biscuits underneath and a rope tied to the branch that leads to a snickering hill giant. The hill giant believes he is invisible, and he’s trying to trap his dinner.

49

The plants in this clearing that the road runs through are not what they seem. The plants produce some sort of volatile chemical that requires a moderate wisdom save or will put targets to sleep for 2 hours. Unconscious creatures are detected and pulled of the road by vines (assassins vine) and are slowly strangled over the course of minutes and are swallowed whole by the shrubbery. If any AoE attacks are used that produce damage the whole shrubbery shrivels up and forms a shambling mound that carries unconscious creatures as humanoid shields.

50

The road ahead is messed up and looks like it has been ploughed through several ways over. There is a nest of ankheg dug under the road, several chambers of which are directly under the road and function like sinkholes to drag creatures in. A creature falling in one of these chambers needs to make a dexterity save and on a fail is stuck under the collapsed earth and needs to free him/herself first, otherwise he/she is just prone on the bottom of a 10ft pit/underground chamber.

51

The road bends off to the left. A trained eye or a detailed map would reveal the overgrown road straight ahead, covered in hastily grown shrubs and small trees. Part of this is forest is craft and part (the larger trees) are illusions. The new road leads to a small grove with three small houses of loggers with a tiny farm. Three families live there, the wives of which are all hags, the husbands are brainwashed commoners, one of the daughters is quite the powerful witch in training. The hags need fresh blood and the trick with the road is their way to get victims.

52

There is roaring and thrashing from somewhere off-road. A wounded griffon (or wyvern) is trapped in some poachers’ device and her left wing is damaged by some sort of bear claw device connected to a chain. The chain is locked and hammered into a tree stump, next to it lays the carcass of a goat that was probably used to lure her here. The creature is very wary and will attack any humanoid on sight if it weren’t for her chain radius of 40 ft. Freeing her is not easy as she distrusts everything around her now. This is reinforced the moment someone tries to remove the chain as arrows fly from the shrubbery and the poachers return for their trophy, this turns the beast hostile again.

53

They encounter an owlbear attacking a small caravan of four wealthy nobles with Roll 2d3+2 guards. If the PCs help defeat the owlbear, the nobles give them a medal worth 50 gp that gives them street cred in any nearby city.

54

They run into a hunting trip of an ogre, they spot him a way off as he is setting up camp. There are 3 humanoids with him, two of which are halflings. The humanoids are bound and gagged and dinner, after the ogre gets the fire going he will make a human barbeque from one of the victims. The ogre has 5 large greyhounds with him that roam the area and might surprise the surprise attackers.

55

Three guards call you to halt, holding a wanted poster that looks a lot like one of your party

56

Three men eating around a campfire offer you some food, but it's not animal meat they're cooking...

57

Three odd looking farmers (highwaymen) pass by with a small herd of goats and a cow. Several minutes later a man comes running along with a black eye, roughed up clothes, and holding a rake pleading the party to tell him where the bandits went with all his livestock and if they can please help him.

58

Two groups of people are brawling near an overturned cart, each blaming the other

59

While walking through town, Roll 2d2+2 children surround the players, admiring their cool armor and weapons. They are actually halfling thieves trying to pickpocket them.

60

You are being stalked by a large pack of wolves, they will keep their distance but will be present. They will follow the party for 1d4 days or until a weaker target makes itself aware. If at some point a party member will seclude him/herself they will attack.

61

You are passed by a huge caged cart accompanied by 8 soldiers and their captain. Captain Rosh is transporting 5 prisoners (commoners) to the city (one of the prisoners might be a NPC the party knows!). About 2 minutes after they pass you a group of 5 riders (bandits) in leather with scarves around their faces pass you, they are loading crossbows and reading swords. They aim to kill one of the prisoners so he is unable to talk or be tortured for information, he is some runner for some criminal organization.

62

You find a set of clothes on the road, next to a masterwork rapier, a small backpack with travelling supplies, a good knife, a skin full of good wine, and silver necklace with the name igwine etched into it. There is no sign of the wearer or what happened to him but the remnants of some arcane sigil in the road. A good 100 meters ahead there is another such sigil hidden below the dust of the road, this one is still active and the first creature in marching order with fey blood (such as elves) needs to make a high wisdom saving throw or be turned into a puff of smoke that vaguely resembles their form. The puff of smoke starts to drift on the wind deep into the wilderness if they cannot somehow prevent it from doing so. After an hour the spell will end, but if they couldn’t stop him/her they will end up in the lair of a very old night hag.

63

You hear the sound of fighting and the whinnying of horses. A heavy cart pulled by two horses appears to have suffered a broken axle, one of the barrels it was transporting has rolled off and broke. A large wriggling mass of goo is spreading through the wreckage. This (black) ooze is currently consuming one of the guards present, three other guards are attempting to control the situation and a fourth is laying on the ground under the wreckage of the barrel with crushed legs afraid for his life as the ooze slowly moves closer. You see a man riding a horse fleeing the scene at high speed, this is the merchant who owns these barrels of ‘’wine’’.

64

You meet a farmer with his daughter on the road, they pull a stubborn donkey on a leash with some trade wares. Disregarding his warnings about staying away from strangers the girl skips over to the party and holds her hand up with a wooden ring in it. She tells them they look like smart ‘’magic knowin folk’’, and she asks them about this ring she found next to the road as her father comes over to whisk her away. The ring actually detects as magic (Magic Aura spell). It is a scam to sell wooden rings as magical to gullible strangers, the girl has some magical talent. She will only part with her ‘’special’’ ring for 2 gold pieces, it is how they keep afloat in hard times.

65

You meet cleric Mindein (level 5-8) and his paladin guard and companion Ornwend (level 7-11). They belong to the church of justice and are travelling magistrates. Mindein dictates the law and Ornwend passes the sentence. When meeting the party Mindein will cast zone of truth and demands each to tell the crimes the others have committed, which he will notarise in his huge Book of Law. Minor offenses they will let slide as this is a harsh world, but capital offenses such as murder of innocent NPCs are not. If the party is significantly lower level they will demand they surrender themselves and throw chains on the dusty road in front of them. If they will be a challenge, Ornwend will be hostile towards them. If they are severely outclassed they will let them pass and later send back a squad to look for them. Murder of a magistrate is met with deadly force and a squad of 5 paladins and 2 clerics to investigate and hunt down the perpetrators, or post wanted posters in bigger cities with a small reward for their arrest if they fled.

66

You pass by three corpses that hang from a nearby tree. A small carving in common in the tree trunk marks them as thieves. Getting any closer will let this possessed tree come alive as a hangmanstree.

67

You stumble across a dead body and a person holding a bloody knife, who says "It wasn't me!"

68

You stumble upon a gruesome sight. An overturned car is wedged between two trees, from the horse that pulled it only guts and bloody reigns are left, the male driver is speared through by a heavy branch a few meters earlier. A huge trail of blood leads into the surrounding environment, eventually leading to an ogre. The whole road is paved with broken containers and other scattered cargo leading back about 150 meters, halfway there is a corpse of a woman. She is all curled up and bloody but she managed to protect a small bundle with a tiny baby in her arms, it is still alive.

1

A 10-man road crew removing a stump from the middle of the road. Four of the crew are armed with bows and complain about a dryad interfering with their job. Two are doing the actual work of removing the stump. The rest are “supervising”.

2

A bard is trying to write a song but is having trouble with the words and asks you for advice

3

A bear wearing a vest and derby hat is selling expertly-crafted Masterwork musical instruments from an ox-drawn cart hitched to a tree by the side of the road. His name is Sir William Bearington III. He does not speak but can understand and scratch out misspelled replies on a chalkboard in Common. Should you attempt to steal from him, he will attack without hesitation, as a Dire Bear. A small collection of bards of various races have formed an impromptu jam session in a clearing nearby. They sound great, and if asked, they attribute the sound to the quality of the instruments. Anyone with a proficiency in a musical instrument and enough gold in their purse must succeed on a DC 10 Will save, or feel compelled to buy one. Prices are high (2x), but the craftsmanship appears to be worth it. A flamboyantly painted sign on the side of the cart in bold calligraphy reads: “Musickyl Innstrumynts of Fynest Make, Experrtly Crafftyd by Sir Wm. Bearington III, Proprytor”

4

A broken bridge across a ravine that must be fixed or overcome to progress

5

A broken wagon blocks the way and must be repaired, overturned, or bypassed

6

A cartographer passes who is willing to sell a copy of his map of the area for 40gp. With this map the party can travel at an additional 1d4 miles per day of travel within the area of the map.

7

A crazy old man who claims to know where a secret forest full of magic is located. You follow him but he is actually just trying to take you back to his home because he has lonely ever since his wife died.

8

A deep creek splits the road in two, the wooden beams that once formed a bridge have been washed away in a recent storm. Several locals on the other side of the creek are also searching for a solution to cross with their cart. The current is strong and it is too deep to cross with a horse but the stream is only 40 ft wide.

9

A dog leashed to a tree. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around, but if the party takes the pup its owner will try to find it.

10

A dying man asks you to help end his pain

11

A farmer returning from his fields with a barrow full of fresh produce (3 rations worth), if the PCs are friendly then he may be willing to barter items for his produce (although he has little use for coin).

12

A farmer's hut and a field groaning with produce, however the cabin seems to have been abandoned and all possessions–save the produce in the field–taken. PCs may freely take a total of 2D6 days worth of rations from the field, however there is a 50% chance that the produce is infected with a blight, consumption of blighted rations causes the PC to vomit for 1D4 damage.

13

A female dwarf walks her own small cart along the road. She is called Buggles and she is an alchemist and ‘’brews a bit of ev’rythin’’. She sells everything liquid from acid to ale, from alchemist fire to potions of healing. She will sell them only in threes, and they have to be different. Actually, what she sells is the only thing she can make; potion of imagination. She developed a method to incorporate a magical potential in a liquid that is released with consumption, the effects are based on what the target believes it is (placebo), for any other it is just coloured water in a bottle. The magic is not perfect and she can only create enough potential for minor potions.

14

A group of 3 giant goats are eating a several corpses lying by the road.

15

A group of farmers (commoners) you meet on the road are relocating to the nearest city as they lost their houses and families in recent orc raids on their hamlets. They will try to sell the party anything they have left for some money so they can survive in the city and not end up in the streets as beggars: livestock, heirlooms, their cart, even their last pack animal. One of them is even so desperate that he will sell his daughters hand in marriage for a handful of gold.

16

A group of four small children, no more than eight or nine years old, proudly stops your group. They are adventuring heroes, and want to join your party. To kill nasty trolls, and slay horrible dragons, and stay up as late as they want.

17

A group of local children mock-fighting each other with sticks, wearing old pans and bits of bark as make-shift armour. If the PCs are friendly to them then they'll be able to point them in the direction of the nearest village.

18

A group of simply dressed peasants are led by a dwarf named Elfric in garb that marks him is a cleric of the god(ess) of travel/cities. They were tasked to start a pilgrimage to a new holy place and start a community out there. The party is welcome to travel with them as long as they like. These pilgrims travel 12 hours a day but do not get exhausted and the same goes for the party if they travel along, this gets them forward at a steady pace. If the party departs Elfric will bless them, making them immune to exhaustion for a day.

19

A guard is training some new recruits and asks you to help demonstrate a few moves

20

A huge cairn of stones carved with strange symbols rises from the nearby landscape, it is either a marker or the burial place of some forgotten hero (equal chance of each).

21

A huge elk (giant elk) struts onto the road, if there is a druid or ranger in the party it will bow. A skilled hunter or opportunist might know a head of such a creature might fetch a really pretty penny. This is however a guardian of the region and will be defended by the forest if threatened (assassin vines, dire bear, entangle growth, a group of vicious squirrels). If spoken to with respect in sylvan it might grant safe passage through this region and a fortuitous road ahead, shaving some travel time off and the forest’s aid in any further encounters in this region.

22

A hungry beggar offers you a secret for some food

23

A hungry beggar, who if helped will come to their aid at a later date, if shunned will do the opposite.

24

A hunter approaches, asking for your aid. He is gaunt, obviously hungry. He says he has tracked an Owlbear to a nearby cave, and if you can help him kill it, it will feed his family for a month.

25

A kobold challenges you to a game of riddles

26

A lizard folk wearing a paladins armor. He poorly impersonates the paladin whose armor he has and pretends to be lawful good. Or maybe he’s had a change of heart after getting the gear. Either way, he’s hungry.

27

A local farmer is taking their sheep, goats or cows (equal chance of either) to a nearby market, they are accompanied by 4 young girls and boys who help them manage the herd. The farmer will not be interested in selling his animals–since he knows he'll get a better price at market–but can supply the PCs with all the rumours from nearby villages (as determined by the GM).

28

A longbowman challenges all takers to a hunting contest. A 100 gold bet. Whosoever can kill the most birds in one hour wins the purse.

29

A magical illusion blocks the way and must be disabled or bypassed to progress

30

A massive herd of Roll 8d6 stench kows is crossing through the area.

31

A noble caravan, it has become stuck in the mud and one of it's wheels has broken. If the PCs are able to repair the wagon or escort the nobles to their destination they will receive a reward of Roll (2d6)*10 gold pieces.

32

A pack of dirt-covered Dwarf miners approach from off the road, offering to trade very valuable gems for some ale and food (“not trail rations, real food!”). They have just struck upon a massive gem deposit and wish to celebrate. Hope you have some with you.

33

A pair of horses, seemingly abandoned. A further inspection reveals they are still wearing riding tack, and seemed to be abandoned in a hurry.

34

A person digging a grave, with a body of some sort in a shroud nearby.

35

A rocky outcropping that vaguely resembles a huge, sleeping humanoid. Local villagers say that it is a giant who once menaced these parts before he was forced into an eternal slumber by a great and powerful sorcerer.

36

A set of relatively fresh graves, a simple message scratched in a stick says ‘’In memory of Elean and Roberd’’. If it is night an encounter will take place with two wraiths attempting to steal their bodies and be together again.

37

A shepherd with a dozen sheep. He keeps insisting that all the sheep are his and keeps looking over his shoulder.

38

A short woman peddling used magical talismans out of a cart. Her assistant, a large deaf giant who is pulling said cart, grins whenever someone comes near. Her name is Tabitha and she’s rather charming in a softspoken way. A bit of prodding into the pair reveals they are both friends who once adventured together.

39

A silent monk offers you some food for a story

40

A single mighty tree rises from the ground here, it is many hundreds of years old and has millenia of carvings covering it's trunk. Some of these carvings may hint at local history or lore.

41

A single, lonely shoe with a busted heel. The shoe is animated, and has a personality, always complaining that “My dogs are tired!”. It may or may not be a wizard pulling a trick on you via enchantment.

42

A small and poor family, all their belongings in tow, moving to a new town.

43

A small carriage stands near a fork in the road, huge curly letters on the side state ‘’Svendor the Magnificent’’ and in smaller letters ‘’Accomplished member of the Travelling Wizard Guild.’’. The backside of the carriage opens up into a counter which is manned by a lanky half elf carefully painting something on a piece of parchment and dusting it with some colourless powder. He can sell the party any number of level 1 and several level 2 magic scrolls which he fetches from the back for the base price minus 5 gold pieces. Hostile actions or attempts at robbery will end badly as the whole carriage vanishes from this plane into a pocket dimension, all creatures caught in the smoke this produces (30 ft radius) will receive a magic mark on their face making them recognisable by any wizard or well-informed citizen.

44

A small group of children fishing in a creek, they have caught 3 rations worth of fish that they maybe willing to share with the PCs if they ingratiate themselves (as determined by the GM).

45

A small group of dodgy, scruffy looking geezers pushing a barely working wheelbarrow piled high with various ramshackle goods and items. There is a 50% chance that the PCs will find any basic equipment they want if they search the cart and they will get it half-price. However there is a 50% chance the first time that the item is used that it breaks due to poor construction or lack of care, there is also a 1-in-6 chance any item purchased is stolen.

46

A small pack of Roll 2d3+2 dogs that escaped from their homes and have gone feral.

47

A small shrine to the goddess of protection and travelers stands at the roadside, a simple grey stone altar with a holy symbol carved into it. On top there are several items, a few silver coins in an ornate bowl, several candles, a ribbon tied to a wooden stick- figure, a bouquet of dried healing herbs and a healing potion hidden near the base. A worthy offering gains them advantage on the next throw, if they are in dire need they can take what they need from the shrine, taking something unnecessarily or desecrating the shrine will gain them 3 times disadvantage.

48

A sudden, terrible storm that requires shelter to be found and constructed fast

49

A tinkerer (commoner) named Himmenwell with a bag full of supplies has stumbled and wrecked his ankle. He will offer a strong piece of hempen rope, a bag of caltrops, and a pouch with Roll 3d12 mysterious seeds if they can get him to the nearest town.

50

A traveling minstrel and his lover approach on a donkey. He offers to play you a tune for a coin. He is the worst singer you have ever heard. He takes your coin and carries on down the road.

51

A tree has fallen over the road and blocks passage. Either you have to find a way around or get it out of the way. The only ambush here is your party moving in on the disgruntled squirrel that had a nest in the dead trunk.

52

A tree with nooses hanging from the branches, local settlements use this tree to execute criminals who have committed capital crimes, when not in use the place has an evil reputation and is avoided.

53

A trio of dirty peasants is riding past on an impossibly fancy carriage. They nervously smile and wave at your group. A DC 18 spot check will notice a smear of blood on the side of the carriage.

54

A troupe of wandering troubadours and bards who are travelling the land performing plays and looking for stories and legends to add to their repertoire. If the PCs make friendly contact with them there is a 50% chance that the troupe will have heard a legend about any noteworthy beast or location (as determined by the GM).

55

A very elderly couple flags you down. They ask you to leave some silver as a remembrance for their son, who was killed on this very spot twenty years ago.

56

A wagon has overturned and the owner needs help

57

A wagon train of Roll 3d4 Dwarves who are hostile to non-Dwarves (seeming merely irritable to their own kind), they have little interest in talking because they are carrying the body of a slain hero home. Attempts to delay or question them will be met with hostility and possibly an attack.

58

A wealthy trade caravan of merchants and exotic spice dealers with an entourage of guards and mercenaries to protect them. There is a 4-in-6 chance that the caravan will have any basic equipment that the PC requests, and a 2-in-6 chance that the caravan has an exotic items they request (final say on this rests with the GM), however any exotic items will cost 25% more than the listed price due to their fine quality of workmanship.

59

A white fox is spotted twice over the course of an hour. An appropriate check might reveal it to be a magical beast of sorts. If followed it will bring the party to a sacred grove filled with clarity, peace and abundant flora. Several bushes with goodberries grow in the shade of a large white willow. Staying for a long rest here will shed them of 2 negative effects they currently experience as well as give them 5 temporary hitpoints. If this grove is desecrated in any way the fox will turn into a giant white dire bear with damage reduction 14/evil and chase them out.

60

A young couple from a nearby village engaged in a secret tryst, if approached by the PCs they are embarrassed and worried about what their parents will say. In return for the PCs silence they will be able to give them the low-down on important NPCs in their home village.

61

An armored retinue of Soldiers and Clerics bearing a King’s/Lord’s/God’s banner have set up an inspection point, requiring all passing through to declare their belongings, allegiances and purpose for passing. Zone of Truth, Detect Evil and Good, and Truesight are in use.

62

An elf and a dwarf on a cart pulled by a couple of oxen. Both wear expensive, gaudy clothes. The dwarf is puffing on a clay pipe and has an ornate repeating crossbow on his lap. They offer the party a chance to buy their wares and show them the collection of arms and armour in the cart; all used, some very obviously, with dented armour, nicked blades and blood stains. There are a few good pieces and at a good price. If there are any magical items, the vendors are unaware of this and sell them as standard. These characters make good money from looting battlefields, most of this haul from a recent clash between two nobles’ armies. At your discretion the elf may have a wand or two up his sleeve in event of trouble.

63

An older halfling and a younger gnome (commoners) sit on the side of the road, they are giggling while they are smoking something from a broad pipe. They seem to be quite out of it and giggle about the PCs that come past. If any of the party have any form of illusionary/glamour magic they will see right through it and comment on it inappropriately. The older halfling will offer the party to buy some while the younger gnome shushes him while giggling, for 5 gold pieces they get a dose of willoweed. Smoking a dose of willoweed (takes two minutes) will get you advantage on seeing through illusions and you don’t need to be aware of any effect to receive a roll for it. It also makes you giggle and feel totally safe regardless of attacks or other hostile actions around you for 10 minutes.

64

Broken axle, whether it is your own or from a family on the road. They are trying to fix it but could use a hand or two. A small skill challenge of 2 successes against 2 failures will help overcome this encounter. If it was not their own cart they receive 2 rations and a wineskin for their troubles.

65

Five huge guard dogs chase the party from a nearby farm. The farmer follows them calling their names to stop them from chasing people on the road. They will not bite but come really close, barking with foam in their mouths. They will attack if attacked. If two dogs bite the same target they can drag this creature prone for free, each turn afterwards they can drag the creature away up to 10 ft. If the dogs are killed the farmer will call the party names and murderers for killing his dogs and he will cry with their corpses.

66

Heavy rain makes it almost impossible to continue, besides, something is out there in the rain. Water elementals are playing outside but they would spook the horses. The next morning the road is covered in giant slugs making it impossible to travel on horseback and treacherous by foot because of the slime. For several days traveling will take longer as the whole road has turned to mud from the heavy downfall, increasing travel time.

67

Just off the road there is a short trail to a small pond. It is the spring of a rather large river downstream, a water spirit (marid/nereid) lives here. She is very picky about who and what may take water from her spring. You must be clean, you must be nice, and you must not stare at her delicate parts. Those that bring her suitable favours she will fill their water skin personally and turn it into a potion of (minor) healing. If any hostilities break out she will curse the perpetrators with thirst, water will turn to dust upon touching their lips, and flee through the spring.

68

Large worn slabs of stone bearing faint markings attest to this area having once been used as a graveyard, however it is long abandoned and extremely overgrown, but their may be underground tombs and grave goods in the area (as determined by the GM).

69

Meet Andreas du Vavier an artisan, a painter. He is painting the local scenery and he seems to do a pretty good job, a scruffy dog lays lazy at his feet. For 35 gold pieces he will make a portrait of a PC, this will take 6 hours and the PC may choose one object to be depicted, a pose, and one fictional thing to change from reality. This painter is talented and supported by The Fates, as a cruel cosmic twist of fate it is now up to the DM to make a reality of this painting 3 times, but in twisted ways.

70

Meet Ewen, a cartographer and explorer. There is a good chance that he has maps of the region to sell, as well as some obscure pieces. One of his maps costs 20 gold pieces, the obscure ones 35. But he will give you one for free if you can rid his backpack of moths that are eating his papers: a map he said to have illegally copied from a library hidden under the streets of a city (your choice), from a book he believes to be written by (in)famous man called Lanne Chaim.

71

Near a small hamlet three kids are playing next to the road. Two are standing under a large oak while the third is climbing it to reach a nest of eggs. It seems dangerous as the nest is quite high up, but the kid is determined. Interference is an option and several scenarios might occur; He climbs too far up in the thin branches and will fall, he climbs up but doesn’t dare to come back down, the couple of crows of whom the nest is come back and will attack him defending the nest. If something bad is prevented their parents will offer free dinner, a place to sleep warm, and a blueberry pie for on the road.

72

Near nightfall a rough and wild looking woman will approach the campsite and asks if she can share the fire. She will offer to share three hunted rabbits with the party in order to secure a place for the night, however, if she sees any holy symbols or signs of people believing in higher powers she will leave without a word and will be swallowed by the darkness. Although she carries a bow and has some trapping gear only a closer eye on the rabbits will give the party a clue that there is a werewolf in their midst, as these rabbits bear no marks of arrows or trapping wire. She has no intention of revealing herself or doing the party any harm and simply seeks some human contact that she has been missing since she wounded up with the curse.

73

Pillars of rock rising from the ground, years ago primitive people carved homes in these huge pillars before some event caused them to abandon their rocky homes.

74

Recent weather has destroyed some notable landmarks and the path must be rediscovered

75

The giant frogs here are obnoxious at night. Their croaking prevents anyone from sleeping that does not make a hard wisdom save, gaining them exhaustion for not sleeping. Killing at least half a dozen will shut them up for a bit and gets you advantage on your save to fall asleep. In the morning 4 will hop into camp in search for food, they are initially not hostile but will rummage through their stuff and are hard to chase away.

76

The horses spook from something (worg smell) and start galloping along the road. They need to be reined in as they flee into the surrounding environment. Each person on a horse needs to complete a skill challenge: 3 successes needed before 5 fails or the horse tosses them and runs, each fail causes some kind of distress/damage to the rider.

77

The main road has been washed out. Crossing the gap would be dangerous and time consuming. There is an alternate route through the woods which are known to harbour a multitude of threats, but it’s faster than dealing with the washout.

78

The party finds a roadside shrine to the god of travel. On it is an offering of food and a few coins. If the PCs take anything from the shrine, they have "bad luck" for the day.

79

The remnants of what must have been an expensive cart lie just off the road here, there are 4 skeletons and the long-dead bodies of the horses scattered nearby. Examination of the cart results in finding 3 gold pieces and a miscellaneous lesser piece of equipment, along with clues that the cart was waylaid–and the occupants murdered–by bandits.

80

The remnants of what must have once been a village cover this area, it seems as though it burnt down some time ago, although there may still be the odd item (or danger) lurking amidst the charred ruins.

81

The ruins of a small fortress lay on a small hill. A history check might reveal it once was an outskirt guard post meant to protect this road. At dusk, a ghost appears but it seems harmless, it is pacing in a small part of the ruins and mumbling to himself, he can not be interacted with in any meaningful sense. An hour before midnight he sinks on his knees and seems to be praying and wailing. At 10 to twelve he will walk into the former courtyard, climb imaginary stairs, and at 12 precisely he seems to drop flailing as he hangs by an invisible noose. All the PCs will make wisdom saves or will feel a noose around their neck that is not there and they will start suffocating where they stand or sleep. PCs can be saved by a wisdom save every round or by dragging themselves out of the ruins. Six rounds later the ghost hangs limp for the remainder of the night and the struggle stops, at dawn he disappears.

82

The sky darkens and it begins to rain heavily. You see a man coming the other way, carrying a heavy umbrella and wearing a heavy coat. It rains for as long as the man is in sight, and then immediately clears.

83

The sound of hooves traveling at great speed comes towards you on the twisting roads. Make some wise decisions because there are over a dozen horses galloping at high speeds along the road in a drag race for some serious price money. They leave you in a huge dust cloud as even more pass. A straggler has fallen of his horse but he is stuck in the stirrups and is dragged along, he will not survive the race.

84

There is a small hamlet along the road, the people living there are nice and although they have no inn they will find a warm dry place to sleep for the night and a good bowl of hot stew for some small compensation. For some work around the hamlet (cutting wood, milking the cow, etc.) and 15 silver pieces total they will provide this service. Work around the hamlet is resolved with a skill challenge that needs three successes before three failures. If someone suffered from an ability drain they may heal 1 point of it during this stay.

85

There is an unfamiliar split in the path and the correct direction must be determined

86

There is smoke coming from somewhere out in the wilderness. When you go near, the smoke stops but with a successful survival check you can locate a still slightly smoking tree trunk. A successful wisdom check however might reveal it to be a hidden chimney. A secret entrance to an underground lair of illegal brewers is hidden nearby under a large rock that can be pivoted sideways. The moonshiners produce something that is nearly toxic called Dova made with some weird herb. It is strong enough to burn a hole in a normal human’s stomach (as if drinking acid) and is specifically made for dwarves. They say one cup can get a dwarf drunker than a halfling in a keg. The three alchemist brothers will protect their turf at all costs.

87

They find a messenger with an arrow through her leg. The message is important and the letter needs to be delivered as soon as possible, and she is unable to. She will ask someone to take that responsibility and deputises them by handing them a small silver feather (the sign of the messenger guild). They get 1d4 +1 day to locate the recipient of the letter (a NPC known by the PCs) and deliver it before they have to deliver it to a corpse as the target will have been murdered without getting that warning letter. They might be stalked by an assassin that wants to take that letter away as to help their partner get away with the murder of the target.

88

They meet Madame Murene, a wildly dressed travelling fortune teller (sorceress), she is generally in a good mood and will give one telling for free, any other telling costs 10 gold pieces. She will grab the hand and the side of the head of the one she is going to tell the future from, magical detection will actually tell you there is divine magic involved and she will say; ‘’I see a Child in your future.’’. If anyone is rude or makes her out to be a charlatan of sorts she will ignore it but halfway through an interaction her eyes will turn back in her head and she will speak in a deep voice addressing the rude PC ‘’I see a fiery death in your future!’’ before snapping back into reality, those that check might make this out to be all a show. However, she will shake his/her hand to apologise for her actions and actually curse the touched person. Upon departure she will bestow inspiration on all of them. Curse: All saves involving fire are made at disadvantage, and somewhere deep in all fires he/she might see the face of Madame Murene.

89

Three dwarves challenge the biggest party member to a drinking competition

90

Three hill giants who have been assigned to sack a nearby civilization. They’re lost and want directions from the party.

91

Two clerics are arguing about who is the best god

92

Two groups of people need your help to settle a bet

93

You come across an older gentleman traveling down the path with a group of 6 small dogs walking behind him. He has them each on a small leash that is attached to his large backpack, filled with dog clothes and toys. Over the last few years, this man has trained these dogs to preform tricks. He is traveling from town to town to try and become a famous performer.

94

You come across two young men, one of which in noble attire and the other is rather clumsily holding a rapier that is too expensive. The noble (duelist) is exercising his right to call a duel, this peasant didn’t look where he walked and spooked his horse. The peasant is clearly out of his debt but does what he is told as he fears for his daughter’s life (who is crying at the side of the road begging them to stop), he will most definitely be killed if this duel takes place. If the party interferes the noble will size them up and offer them a gold piece each to get out of his way and keep their heads when his father hears of their interference, in all senses this guy is a prick, but a noble one. If met with hostility the young noble will bravely fight but upon losing (or dying) he or his father himself will make it a personal mission to ruin this party.

95

You come upon an impossibly elderly dwarf, naked as the day he was born, standing in the middle of the road demanding a 10 gp toll be paid. He wields a quarterstaff and proclaims himself to be the King of the Road. Thankfully, his long white beard shields his wrinkled nethers from your view.

96

You find a small child, lost and alone

97

You find a small toy bear lying in the road in a town. The owner is a small child. If you find the child and return the bear, the child's mother gives you a silver coin reward.

98

You find a wandering disciple of Gond (or any other similar god of crafting) who offers to repair any broken or damaged equipment.

99

You kick a rock, and it appears to grow legs and claws. On close inspection, it is a fist-sized crab disguised as a stone. All rocks in the immediate area reveal themselves to be crabs as well, which begin scattering into the grass. If one is captured, it disappears during the next long rest.

100

You meet an elf on a bridge, he is contemplating and meditating with the calm water. He is a high level monk (+11 on all checks and saves) that perfects his senses (among them tremorsense) and is training to be untouchable. He will offer 10 gold pieces for any person that can ‘’lay a finger on him’’. He will use non-lethal damage to swat away attacks and ready actions to evade attacks and evade teleport tricks (dexterity save in addition to AC). He will use tremorsense against invisible opponents and other sneakiness. Creativity is key.

101

You meet Domp the troll just while he is busy removing a small tree from the road. He is friendly but his common is not very good and he will stereotype all travelers. All with metal armour are knights, all with bows are either hunters if human or elves if not human, everything in robes is a wizard. He is fascinated by magic and will take that as proper toll for his maintenance of this road, otherwise he will ask for something small and useful and he will not take coins.

102

You pass a person draped in flowing red and gold cloth, eyes closed and performing what looks like an incredibly slow dance. Around them are several unconscious bandits.

103

You stumble upon an abandoned camp next to a large boulder, a smothered campfire and a still rolled sleeping bag lay next to it. Those that investigate might find the ashes still slightly warm and wet from a recent drowning and the grass is indented around the place as if someone was present recently. No trails leave the camp though. Detect magic might reveal that there is something off with the boulder but that it is not alive. Patience might be rewarded by a scrawny figure emerging magically from the boulder where he attempted to hide. His name is Munchkin Goldtongue, he is a bard and he is wanted in the next town over by the constable as he slept with the constable’s wife, daughter, and mistress.

104

You will have to cross a small river, the only way over is by a small boat that currently is located on the other side of the river. The gnome (commoner) that owns the boat sits in front of it next to a small shack smoking a pipe and fishing in the river. He is deaf and his sight is not what it used to be, so getting his attention is a small challenge. The fare costs 2 silver pieces each and takes about ten minutes. If more than 4 creatures are in the boat, it will start leaking and the gnome will ask for some help throwing the water overboard while he is rowing. If someone complains that it goes slow, he will bet them a silver piece they can’t do it any faster than he can (they can with a moderate strength check and a minor wisdom save to figure out how to steer properly), if accepted he will go sit on a bench and will smoke his pipe with a smug face letting the person do all his work while he makes money.