100 Graveyard Encounters for DND 5e

I’ve got another handy random table list for everyone. This time, it’s 100 random graveyard encounters! If you enjoy the list, be sure to bookmark the site and come back often as I’m always adding new fantasy tabletop RPG content to help your campaign. Whether you’re a new or seasoned DM, you’ll love my random encounter tables.

100 Graveyard Encounters for 5e

1. Vultures are circling overhead. The ground is littered with bones. A group of 1d4+3 skeletons are fighting over the remains of a dead warrior. The skeletons are still equipped with their weapons and armor, but there is nothing left of the man’s body.
2. A group of 1d4+3 zombies are staggering around the graveyard. They are searching for food and will attack anything that approaches.
3. A group of 1d4+3 skeletons are searching for food. They will attack anything that approaches.
4. A group of 1d4+3 ghouls are hiding in the shadows of the graveyard. They are hoping to ambush anyone who approaches the grave markers.
5. A group of 1d4+3 wights are searching for a new body to possess. They will attack any living thing that enters their territory.
6. You see a group of 1d4+3 skeletons playing a game of dice. They are gambling for the remains of a dead man. The skeletons will challenge any living thing that approaches to join in on the game.
7. Overhead, you see a group of 1d4+3 dire vultures. They are circling above the graveyard and waiting for the skeletons to leave so they can feast on the remains of the dead bodies.
8. You see a group of 1d4+3 ghouls hiding in the shadows. They are hoping to ambush anyone who approaches the grave markers.
9. You see a man praying at a grave marker. He is begging for mercy from a spirit that is possessing him. The man will attack anyone who approaches him.
10. You see a group of 1d4+3 zombies staggering around in confusion. They will attack anything that approaches them, even if it means attacking each other
11. Roving Band of Cultists: A group of Cultists led by a mid-level magic-user are looking for graves to desecrate.
12. Grave Robbers: A group of bandits who have been robbing graves late at night to sell the items they find. They are looking for a specific grave.
13. Murder Investigation: A group of city watchmen are investigating the murder of a man named John Doe. They want to know what the tombstones say he was named.
14. A Drunken Irishman: A drunk man staggers up to the party and asks for directions to a local tavern.
15. A Couple on a Date: A couple on a date are walking through the graveyard at night. They have seen all the scary movies about graveyards and are scared. They want to get to the other side of the graveyard as quickly as possible.
16. A Local Thief: A local thief wants to know if there are any places in the graveyard that are not well lit at night.
17. A Young Couple Looking for Privacy: A young couple is making out in one of the mausoleums. They don’t want to be disturbed.
18. A Band of Thieves on the Run: A band of thieves is on the run from the city watch. They are hiding in the graveyard until the watch passes them by.
19. An Exorcism Gone Wrong: An old man was possessed by an evil spirit when a group of priests performed an exorcism on him. He died during the ritual and now he haunts the graveyard looking for vengeance against those who killed him.
20. A Cult Leader’s Bodyguard: A Cult Leader is visiting her bodyguard who was wounded in a fight with the local city watch. She is hiding out in the graveyard until she feels safe to leave town again.
21. Foul, black smoke rises from the grave of a recently deceased wizard. If disturbed, 2d6+3 ghouls emerge to attack the party.
22. A group of 2d6 zombies dig their way out of a nearby grave. They will attack any living thing they see.
23. Two necromancers named Erwin and Ernest are arguing over a woman they both loved named Eileen. They will attack any living thing they see. Erwin is a level 9 wizard and Ernest is a level 6 wizard.
24. A vampire named Valerio is trying to convince a group of living humans to allow him to change them into vampires. If the party interferes, Valerio will attack. He is level 10, has 50 hit points, and wields a magic sword +2.
25. A group of 2d6 ghouls are feasting on the remains of a recently deceased priest. If disturbed, they will attack.
26. A group of 2d4 zombies are digging their way out of their graves. They are being commanded by a brain-in-a-jar that is held by a living ghoul who is hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
27. The party comes across a group of 2d4 ghouls who are digging their way out of their graves. They will attack anyone they see and they are being commanded by a brain-in-a-jar that is held by a living ghoul who is hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
28. The party comes across a group of 2d4 ghouls who are digging their way out of their graves. They will attack anyone they see and they are being commanded by a brain-in-a-jar that is held by a living ghoul who is hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
29. The party comes across a group of 2d4 ghouls who are digging their way out of their graves. They will attack anyone they see and they are being commanded by a brain-in-a-jar that is held by a living ghoul who is hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
30. A group of 2d4 zombies are digging their way out of their graves. They will attack anyone they see and they are being commanded by a brain-in-a-jar that is held by a living ghoul who is hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity to strike
31. Nymphs are dancing and celebrating something. If the players approach, they will be attacked by 2d4+4 hobgoblins.
32. A group of 2d4+4 hobgoblins are digging up a grave. If the players approach, they will be attacked.
33. A group of 2d4+2 zombies are lumbering towards the players.
34. A pair of pixies are playing in the graveyard. They will offer to sell the players magical items at high prices, but they are actually just trying to scam them into buying cheap junk.

35. A vampire is hiding in a coffin, pretending to be a dead body. He will attack the players when they open the coffin lid.
36. A vampire is hiding in a coffin, posing as a dead body. He will pretend to be a recently-deceased person, but he will attack the players when they open the coffin lid.
37. Three ghouls are sitting around a campfire singing songs about their adventures as adventurers a long time ago (before they became ghouls). If players approach, they will offer to sell them magic items for high prices, but the items are actually just junk.
38. A group of 2d4+2 skeletons are lying around in various states of disrepair. They will attack when players approach.
39. A group of 2d12+2 armored skeletons attack when players approach.
40. A group of 2d4+4 wights are flying overhead, searching for prey.
41. Hanging from a tree is a man of about 50 years of age. His body is covered in deep cuts and he is barely still alive. If the players approach, he will plead with them to cut him down. If the players cut him down, his name is John and he is a traveling trader who was captured and tortured by a group of orcs. He will tell the players that the orcs are camped in a nearby cave if they are interested in attacking.
42. A group of men wearing black robes are digging up a grave. If the players approach, the men will attack. The men are necromancers who are trying to capture a spirit to use as an undead slave or servant. Their names are Roger, Thomas and Mike and they are all college students who want to be professional necromancers when they graduate. They will fight to the death.
43. A group of 2d6 men wearing black robes are walking through the graveyard carrying a coffin. If the players approach, the men will ask them to help them carry the coffin to a nearby crypt. The men are actually good NPCs who are transporting a recently deceased person to their final resting place.
44. A group of three men wearing black robes are talking to each other in front of a grave. If the players approach, the men will ask them to help them dig up the grave. The three men are actually bad NPCs who are trying to dig up a grave to steal from it.
45. A group of 2d6+3 ghouls attack the party, hoping to feast on some fresh meat.
46. A man dressed in rags sits in front of a grave. If the players approach, he will ask them for some money to buy something to eat. If they give him money, he will say something along the lines of ‘Thank you kindly, kind sirs’ and then walk away towards the local tavern and get drunk and forget about it entirely, leaving them no closer to their goal than they were before they encountered him.
47. A group of 2d6 zombies shamble out of a nearby graveyard, attracted by the sounds of combat nearby.
48. A group of 2d6+4 skeletons rise up out of the nearby graves and attack everyone nearby.
49. A group of 2d6+4 ghouls emerge from a nearby crypt and attack everyone nearby.
50. A group of 2d6+4 ghouls emerge from a nearby crypt and attack everyone nearby. The crypt has a trapped door that leads to an underground cavern system filled with even more ghouls and a vampire that controls them all.
51. Zombified humans are attacking a group of humans. They are fighting over a treasure map. If the players help one side, the other side will attack them!
52. A group of treasure hunters have dug up a coffin and are trying to pry the lid open. If the players help them, they will give them a bag of gold.
53. A group of humans are planning to rob an abandoned house. If the players help them, they will give them a magical item.
54. A group of humans are arguing over a map. They want to find an old graveyard that has a treasure stored inside an old coffin.
55. A group of tabaxi are trying to buy a zombie slave. The seller wants an insane amount of money for it. If the players help them, they will get a discount on the zombie slave. It’s still insane though.
56. A group of dwarves are planning to sell an old book to a fence. They need to get it to him before someone else does. If the players help them, they will get a discount on the book because it’s not as rare as they thought it was.
57. A group of humans are trying to dig up an old grave for its treasure. If the players help them, they will give them part of the treasure as a reward.
58. A group of elves are arguing over who has rights to graveyards in their city.
59. A group of halflings are trying to capture a ghoul for study. They need to get it back alive and unharmed to the city’s mages guild alive and unharmed for their research to be accepted.
60. A group of dark elves are fighting over who has rights to a temple in their city.
61. A group of 3d4+3 skeletons are digging up a corpse.
62. A group of 2d4+4 zombies are staggering towards the party.
63. A group of 2d4+4 skeletons are digging up a grave.
64. A group of 3d4+3 wights are staggering towards the party.

65. Three men in brown robes are digging up a grave. They are looking for items on the body. They will attack if they are disturbed.
66. Two men in dark robes are digging up a grave. They are looking for a specific item on the body. They will attack if they are disturbed.
67. Two men in dark robes are examining a tombstone. They are looking for information about the person buried there. They will attack if they are disturbed.
68. Two elven women in brown robes are examining a tombstone.  
69. A group of 2d4+4 skeletons are staggering towards the party. They are under the control of a wraith that will appear if they are destroyed.
70. A group of 3d4+3 zombies are staggering towards the party.
71. Jugglers and tumblers from a travelling carnival are practicing in a clearing near the graves.
72. A group of children are playing hide-and-seek amongst the graves. They are doppelgangers looking for a meal.
73. A group of men and women are signing up for a tour of a local haunted house.
74. A group of halflings are drunk and singing.
75. A group of children are playing with toy figurines, making believe they are in battle against evil forces.
76. A group of children are playing with toy figurines, making believe they are in battle against evil forces. They will ask the players if they want to join in the game. If the players do, they will be given toy weapons and encouraged to play along. The children will win every time because they cheat by using magic wands that they have smuggled away from home.
77. A man is sitting on a nearby tombstone, reading a book. He is a local scholar who is studying the history of the graveyard and its inhabitants. He will talk about his research for hours if someone does not interrupt him or politely excuse themselves from his company.
78. A man is sitting on a nearby tombstone, reading a book. He is a local scholar who is studying the history of the graveyard and its inhabitants. He will talk about his research for hours if someone does not interrupt him or politely excuse themselves from his company. His name is Dr. Henry Jones, and he is a madman who was thrown out of the local university for his theories about why the corpses keep rising from their graves despite being properly buried and sealed inside their tombs.
79. Two men are arguing about whether or not the dead can truly rise again to terrorize the living. One is convinced that it can happen, and the other is convinced that it cannot happen. The second man is right, but the first man will not listen to reason.
80. A man is praying at the tomb of a loved one who was recently buried here. He is hoping that his prayers will bring his loved one back to life again so that they can be reunited once more even though they know it is impossible because the body has been buried and sealed inside a tomb made from solid granite and then covered with tons of dirt so that it can never be disturbed ever again
81. Ominous cackling. A group of 3d4 ghosts are flying around the area. They are laughing at the players for disturbing their rest.
82. A group of 3d4 skeletons are digging through the graveyard. They are looking for treasure.  
83. A group of 2d4 skeletons are trying to take apart a tombstone to obtain the treasure that is buried beneath it.  
84. Players find a group of 2d4 zombies who are holding a woman as a shield. They are trying to get her to do their bidding. The zombies are telling her that they will kill her if she doesn’t obey them.
85. Players find a group of 3d4 zombies who are talking to each other about their plans to attack the village nearby. They don’t know what the players look like so they’re not worried about them.
86. Players find a group of 2d4 skeletons who are fighting over a femur bone.  .
87. Players come across a group of 2d4 skeletons who are fighting over a skull bone.  
88. A group of 2d4 dwarves are digging through the graveyard looking for treasure.
89. A group of 3d4 skeletons are digging through the graveyard looking for beer.
90. An ancient lich named Xyzor is sitting on top of a tombstone laughing at the players for disturbing his rest. He is wearing an ancient suit of armor and a magical sword that can turn into a snake at will (I named it ‘Ssssnakey’ because I’m awesome at naming swords).
91. Jugglers are performing for a group of children. They are amusing the children, and the adults are watching. A group of ghouls emerge from the nearby graveyard and attack. The players will have to defend the children from the ghouls. The jugglers can do little, but they will fight to the death.
92. A traveling circus has set up in the graveyard. It is a dark and stormy night, but the circus is still open for business. A group of 2d6 bandits attack the circus, hoping to take advantage of the distracted performers and the weather.
93. While walking through the graveyard, the players see a group of 4d4 zombies playing cards and smoking cigars. A cigar explodes in one of the zombies’ face, and he becomes angry. He will attack. If players win, they can get a pack of cheap cigars, but only one per player (they are bad cigars). Players can also trade them for information about a nearby dungeon if they want.
94. The players see a group of 3d4 ghouls playing dominos on a tombstone. One of them knocks over all the dominos, and the others become angry. They will attack.
95. The players see a group of 3d4 ghouls playing poker and smoking cigars. One of them is cheating, and he is about to be caught. The ghouls become angry if players try to stop them from cheating, or they will attack if players try to stop them from fighting amongst themselves.
96. The players see a group of 5d4 ghouls who have just finished eating a dead body on a tombstone. They appear to be drunk and are singing loudly. Their celebrations are interrupted by a group of 2d6 adventurers who are here to kill the ghouls. If players help the ghouls, they will be rewarded with a magical item that one of the ghouls was saving for himself but then decided to split with other ghouls if they were successful in their battle with the adventurers (the ghoul will give this item to the player who does the most to help him in his battle with the adventurers).
97. A group of 3d4 bandits are attacking a traveling circus that is set up in the graveyard for the night. They are hoping to get rich by robbing the circus after most of the performers have gone to sleep for the night.
98. A bush rustler is hiding in a bush not too far from the party. He is hoping to get rich by robbing people who pass by his bush, but he hasn’t had much luck so far (he’s hiding in a bush). He is ready to attack if players get too close (he doesn’t want them to see where he’s hiding).
99. A group of 2d6 adventurers are walking through the graveyard on their way to a nearby dungeon. They are arguing about whether or not they should have attacked that last group of goblins they encountered, or if they should have helped them instead (they’re arguing because they aren’t sure if they were good goblins or bad goblins).
100. A group of 3d4 goblins are celebrating their victory over a group of 2d6 adventurers by drinking and fighting amongst themselves (they are arguing about which one of them is the best at fighting).

Even More Random Graveyard Encounters

Want more random graveyard encounters? Head over to Random Encounters AI or LitRPG Adventures for a Bag of Holding heaping of tabletop content.