D100 Random Arctic Encounters for RPG

Need some random arctic encounters? I’ve got you covered, my fellow gamer! I’ve got 100 unique encounters for an arctic setting. At the end of the list, I’ve got a way for you to get even more random tables for your tabletop campaign. Let’s get started!

1. Wintry Weather: A ferocious storm has been raging for a few days. The snow is waist-deep and is too deep to walk through. It seems to be getting worse. If the players don’t find shelter soon, they will be forced to seek shelter in a nearby cave system.
2. Yeti: A yeti is wandering around a nearby cave. It will attack if it sees the players.
3. Blizzard: A blizzard is raging. The visibility is low, and it’s difficult to see more than 10 feet ahead of you. This will make it difficult for the players to continue their journey.
4. Snow Tracks: The players find a track in the snow. It looks like a small, human-sized boot print. If the players follow the tracks, they will lead them to a nearby cave system inhabited by a group of kobolds.
5. Skard: A group of skard are traveling across the tundra on their way to the next village. They are transporting guns and gunpowder to sell to the humans in the human town of Delgar. If the players approach them, they will attack them on sight.
6. Blizzard: The players come across a group of three merchants who have been stranded by the blizzard for a few days now. The merchants are willing to trade with the players, but they only have enough food and supplies for themselves.
7. Snow Tracks: The players find a trail of dozens of human-sized boot prints in the snow. The boot prints lead to a nearby cave system that is inhabited by a group of kobolds and humans who are collaborating together to raid caravans and trade caravans passing along the King’s Road that runs through the region.
8. A pack of wolves are hunting in the region. If they see the players, they will attack without hesitation.
9. A pack of wolves are hunting in the region. If they see the players, they will run away from them in fear.
10. A group of wandering minstrels are traveling across the tundra on their way to the next village where they will perform for money for the local residents there.
11. Fierce blizzard has caused a group of 5d10 lumberjacks to become lost in the woods. They are freezing and starving.
12. The players come across a group of woodsmen who have lost their way and need directions out of the forest. They’ll trade the players a sack of flour, two chickens, and two rabbits for some basic directions.
13. A roaming group of 2d20 hunters are on the hunt for a rare white stag. They will ask the players to help them find it. If players refuse, they will become targets of their anger since they need a white stag hide to complete a task.
14. A wandering bard has been hired by a local lord to write a song about him and his family. He’s doing research and needs information about the local area, but he’s not very good at asking politely as he has been drinking.
15. A group of 3d4 elven rangers have been hired to put an end to an unusual threat in the area. They’ve been tracking a pack of dire wolves who are hunting in this area and need to be put down before they cause more trouble.
16. An elderly couple named Samuel and Sarah have been lost in the woods for three days and need help finding their way home.
17. The players come across a group of 1d20 guards who have been stationed in this area to keep an eye on the local wildlife and make sure it doesn’t get too out of hand.
18. A local ranger named John has been hired by a noble to help protect the area from bandits and other threats. He’s looking for help and is willing to pay the players to help him clear out any nearby caves, ruins, or other locations where bandits might be hiding out in wait for travelers.
19. The players come across a group of travelling merchants who are lost in the woods and need some directions to get out of the woods alive. They will offer to trade their goods for help getting out alive.
20. A party of 3d4 dwarves are on a quest to find an ancient dwarven tomb in the area. They are looking for clues that will lead them to the tomb, but they could use some help with their quest if players stumble upon them in the woods.
21. Lava squid attack a party traveling through the Arctic. The squid are 4d8 HD and are purple in color. They have tentacles that reach up to 60 ft. long and can grapple and attack at range. The squid have a level of intelligence, have a Tentacle Pounce attack and a Constrict attack.
22. The party is attacked by a giant polar bear with a level of intelligence. The bear is 8 HD and has a Claw attack, a Claw Slam attack and a Bite attack.
23. A blizzard turns into a snowstorm, which turns into an avalanche.
24. A polar bear attacks the party in the night. It is 7 HD and has a Claw attack, a Claw Slam attack and a Bite attack.
25. A party of 6d6 goblins attacks the party, who are traveling through the tundra.
26. A group of 6d6 orcs attacks the party, who are traveling through the tundra.
27. The party is attacked by a group of 6d6 orcs, who wear wolf skins as battle cloaks. They wield spears, bows and axes and are led by a shaman who wields a spear and wears wolf pelt armour.
28. A group of 6d6 orcs attacks the party, who are traveling through the tundra. They wield spears, bows and axes and are led by a shaman who wields a spear and wears wolf pelt armour.
29. The party is attacked by a group of six polar bears, each wielding an axe and wearing wolf skins as battle cloaks. They each have an AC of 9, have 11 HD, have an Axe attack that does 1d10+9 damage and each has a vorpal 1 in 20 chance to decapitate a character outright when they hit them in combat.
30. Attack of the northern lights! Elemental creatures manifest and attack the party!
31. The party can hire a pair of half-giants to transport the party to a dungeon…for a price. They are honest, but not trustworthy.
32. A hungry dragon attacks. The players can bribe it with 1d8+3 chickens. The dragon will agree to be their ally if they continue to feed it chicken, though it will never help them in any way after they stop doing so.
33. A group of big, burly men claim they were robbed by the party and demand reparations. If the players pout out any money at all, the men will act as though they were tricked into being paid and will become very angry.
34. A group of three old women are selling lucky charms. If the party buys one, they will win the lottery and become rich.
35. A group of three old women are selling magical rings that allow players to cast spells without using spell slots for a day. If the party buys one, the rings turn out to be duds.
36. A flock of 1d4+2 birds attack. They are ravens that have been magically enchanted to attack anyone not wearing a certain color hat or cloak. If players buy some hats or cloaks from the local clothing store, they can get rid of the ravens and make some money at the same time by selling the hats and cloaks to the local farmers and townsfolk for about twice what they paid for them.
37. A group of seven young men approach saying they have escaped from a nearby prison and need help getting to their families in a nearby village. If players help them, they’ll find that each man has different families in different villages and all of the men are con artists trying to fleece the party out of their gold.
38. A man appears with a box full of potions and offers them to the party for half price. If players buy any, they will find that they are actually potions of inflict serious wounds sold at a discount price. The man is actually a powerful rogue who is trying to con people out of their money.
39. An old woman approaches and says that she has lost her pet dog in the woods. She offers to pay players 1 gp if they find it for her and bring it back to her alive. If players find the dog, it turns out that it’s an intelligent red dragon who has been spying on the party and has been disguised as a dog for quite some time. It will try to attack them, breathing fire on them if necessary to get away from them if possible as it is afraid of encountering other dragons for some reason or another…
40. A man with a large pack on his back walks up to you and offers you whatever you want from his pack for free. If the players accept, they find out that he is a con artist trying to fleece them out of their money by selling them useless things like trash, rocks, rat’s tails, old bones, broken glass etc… He’s very convincing, so don’t feel bad if your players fall for it!
41. Worgs smell carrion in the air. They hunt for food. They are 2d6+2 orcs. They find the party’s treasure and take it. They will be back.
42. The party finds a frozen lake with a frozen troll on it. It is a shield troll. It is 2d6+2 feet tall, white, and evil!
43. A flock of crows circle over a nearby hill. The party sees a group of hungry wolves. The wolves are 2d6+2.
44. Two trolls fight over a dead deer. They are 2d6+2 trolls and they are fighting each other.
45. The party finds a small valley with two trolls fighting over a human female named Delia Delight. Delia Delight is a witch who was cursed and turned into a werewolf. She was on her way to her witch home when the two trolls found her and fought over her and killed the rest of her party. She is a level 1-1 witch with +2d4+4 HP and she will give the party a scroll of Cure Light Wounds if they save her from the two trolls.
46. A group of 2d6+2 harpies fight over food. They feed on the carrion of animals that have been killed by wolves and other wild monsters. The harpies are ineffectual fighters and will run away if attacked by anyone with more than 3 hit dice.
47. A group of 2d4+4 hungry wolves find an old deer carcass and fight over it, ripping it apart and eating their fill.
48. The party finds a small valley with three wolves fighting over a deer carcass. The wolves are 2d4+2 wolves, but they will run if attacked by anyone with more than 3 hit dice.
49. A group of 2d6+2 werewolves attack! They are hungry and on the prowl for food.
50. A flock of crows circle overhead, then land on the ground nearby. The crows are 2d4+2 crows that peck at the dead body of a deer lying on the ground nearby.
51. Nasty smell. A dead wolf with its stomach burst. 1d4+2 werewolves are nearby.
52. In a snowdrift, the party finds a dead dwarf with a small bag of silver coins.
53. In a snowdrift, the party finds a live dwarf with a small bag of silver coins.
54. A wooden signpost points toward two different directions: ‘To the Village’ and ‘To the Castle’.
55. A wounded bear attacks the party.
56. A large black bear attacks the party.
57. The party finds an old abandoned cabin. Inside they find three wolves and a bear who haven’t eaten in a while. They will join up with the party if they can be convinced that they won’t be eaten by them later on.
58. The floor is covered by a blanket of fresh snow, except for one spot where there is blood and a bloody boot print. The blood continues in a trail that leads off into the distance.
59. The party sees a saddle on the ground. Beside it are the tracks of a man on horseback, leading to an abandoned well.
60. The party finds a dead horse with saddlebags on it. Inside are two gold coins, three silver coins, and one copper coin.
61. WILD HORSES – A herd of wild horses stampede through the party’s camp.
62. FOOTPRINTS – When the party is resting for the night, a group of 1d4+4 goblins come running through the camp, startling everyone awake. The goblins were on their way to a nearby camp of 1d8+8 ogres.
63. WALKING MOUNTAIN – A large walking mountain stomps through the party’s camp. The walking mountain is a giant 200′ tall walking tree that can speak Common. If the party attacks the walking tree, it will crush them.
64. HUGE FOOTPRINTS – The party comes across the huge footprints of a giant in the snow. The footprints appear to be fresh. The footprints lead to a nearby cave entrance.
65. FLOODED STREAM – A stream nearby is flooded with snowmelt. The party must spend 2d4 hours building a raft to cross the stream. The raft will float for 2d20 rounds before it sinks.
66. ICE BEAR – An ice bear attacks the party from across a nearby canyon. The canyon is 20′ wide and 150′ deep. The ice bear has a +10′ attack bonus and a +5′ damage bonus against anyone in metal armor.
67. WHAT IS THAT? – A party member sees something moving in the distance. It looks like an animal of some kind, but it’s too big to be an animal! The party must determine what it is, or fight it. It’s an owlbear!
68. ABANDONED CAMP – The party comes across an abandoned camp in the snow. Inside the camp is 1d10 silver pieces and 1d20 copper pieces.
69. SNOWBALL FIGHT! – A group of 1d24 gnomes approach the party with snowballs in hand. The gnomes will challenge the party to a snowball fight! If the party refuses, the gnomes will attack! If the party wins, the gnomes will give them a bottle of fine wine as a reward. If you feel like being nice, you can give the players an actual snow globe as their reward..
70. STALKING WEREWOLF – A lone werewolf stalks the party from a distance. If anyone in the party makes eye contact with it, it will attack!
71. Yawning chasm filled with dangerous, hungry dire wolves.
72. An old man is walking along, minding his own business. If the party stops and asks him for directions, he will answer them. If they give him money, he will say that he doesn’t need it and walk away. He is actually a vampire and will follow them until they give him more money or attack him.
73. The party sees a group of gnomes playing a game. If the party joins in, the gnomes will give them a prize if they win. If the party refuses to join in, one of the gnomes will yell at them and tell them to ‘go play with their own kind’. The prize is actually a cursed ring of animal control which will turn the wearer into an animal if they lose.
74. A cave which is home to a family of cave bears.
75. A polar bear is standing in the path. It is hungry and will attack the party if they look like they have some meat on them.
76. A group of men are standing around a campfire. They are talking about how they killed a polar bear and how much meat it had on it. One of the men is a werewolf in disguise and will try to get the others to attack the party after they have fallen asleep.
77. A group of 1d4+1 polar bears are fighting over food. One of them is a werebear.
78. The party sees a group of 1d4+2 men sitting around a campfire. They are talking about how many deaths there have been at the hands of werebears in the area recently.
79. The party sees a group of men standing around a campfire. They are talking about how many deaths there have been at the hands of dragons in the area recently.
80. A group of 1d4+2 men are standing around a campfire. They are talking about how many deaths there have been at the hands of giants in the area recently.
81. Questers come across a strange creature – a water elemental that has been summoned by a wizard. The elemental uses the water around it to transform into a dragon.
82. A group of orcs are running from the dragon instead of fighting.
83. An eccentric wizard named Witherby has set up camp in the snow. he has a fawn for a pet. He is trying to summon a demon using his wand.
84. A druid is trying to help an injured wolf back to health. This wolf is a rare breed of wolf. The druid is trying to help this wolf breed with some of his other wolves.
85. A group of men are searching for a cave. The entrance to this cave is covered in snow. The men are trying to find the cave so they can kill a creature that lives inside it.
86. Two warring tribes of humans are fighting each other with spears and bows and arrows.
87. A group of men are trying to dig out an animal from underneath the snow. This animal is a rare breed of animal that only exists in the arctic. These men are trying to kill the animal so they can eat it later.
88. A group of men are fishing in the ocean. There is no ocean in the arctic, but there is an ocean nearby this region of the arctic.
89. A group of men are trying to make a snowman. They keep making mistakes and the snowman keeps melting every time they make it.
90. A group of men are trying to dig into a dungeon underneath the snow. They are trying to find treasure inside a dungeon that doesn’t exist.
91. Zebulon the wizard is in need of help. He is a powerful necromancer and has just raised a dozen dead horses. He needs the party to go out and get him some horses. He will reward the party handsomely if they can bring him 10 horses. The horses are in a place called Tangled Wood. It is very dangerous.
92. A woman named Lakota is trying to sell snowballs to passing travelers. She has 10 snowballs for sale. She will sell them for 1 copper piece each.
93. A group of 1d4+6 gnomes are searching for their lost pet. They are willing to pay 1d4 gold pieces for its return.
94. A group of 5d6 men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for an equal amount of gold pieces.
95. A group of men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for a payment of 1 gold piece.
96. A group of men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for a payment of 2 gold pieces.
97. A group of men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for a payment of 5 gold pieces.
98. A group of 2d6 men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for an equal amount of gold pieces and food and water for 2 months’ time.
99. A group of 2d6 men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for an equal amount of gold pieces and food and water for 1 month’s time.
100. A group of 2d6 men are looking for work. They are willing to do anything the party asks of them for an equal amount of gold pieces and food and water for 3 months’ time.

More Random Arctic Encounters

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