"In a long meadow overgrown with flowers and long grass is a herd of giant goats attacking the foliage. The taller of the two cyclops watching them is covered with amulets and small bells."
Why the bells and amulets? Generated from Hill Locations and tables below.
Hill Encounter Tables - creatures | locations | non-combat | enhancements
[Photo by Fabrizio Conti on Unsplash]. Updated from original article in 2018
Hill Levels 1-4
| 1d8+1d12 | Hill Levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 gorgon or 1 oaken bolter (MToF) |
| 3 | 1d4 giant eagles or 1d3 shadow mastiffs (VGtM) |
| 4 | 1d3 pegasi or 1 iron cobra (MToF) |
| 5 | 1d4 berserkers or 1 yeth hound (VGtM) |
| 6 | 1d3 orcs with 1 ogre or roll on Orcs lvl 1-4 |
| 7 | 1d3 perytons or 1d4 bronze scouts (MToF) |
| 8 | 4d6 kobolds or roll on Kobold Encounters |
| 9 | 2d6 bandits led by 1 bandit captain or 1d4+1 hippogriffs |
| 10 | 1d3 griffons or roll on Hill Monsters lvl 1-4 |
| 11 | Patrol of 3d6 tribal warriors or roll on Humanoid Encounters |
| 12 | 2d6 goats and 1d6 giant goats or roll on Beast Encounters |
| 13 | 2d6 goblins led by a goblin boss or roll on Goblinoids lvl 1-4 |
| 14 | 1d2 brown bears or roll on Beast Encounters |
| 15 | 1d4 hobgoblins with 1 giant vulture or roll on Goblinoids lvl 1-4 |
| 16 | 1 ettin or roll on Giants lvl 1-4 |
| 17 | 2d6 wolves or 2d6 stirges |
| 18 | 1 gnoll fang of Yeenoghu and 1d4+1 hyenas or roll on Gnolls lvl 1-4 |
| 19 | 1d2 harpies or 1d2 phase spiders |
| 20 | 1d3 druids and 1d3 scouts or 1 bulette |
Hill Encounters
Hill terrain covers a range between farmed valleys, rugged moors and mountain foothills. Encounters can occur among mossy rocks, by a stone circle or in an abandoned hill fortress
Often between mountains and plains, civilisation and the wilds, they are the home of vigilant sentries, monstrous raiders and beasts domestic or wild.
There is a 5e Hill random encounter generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Hill Encounters.
All terrains - arctic | coastal | desert | forest | grassland | hill | jungle | mountain | swamp | underdark | underwater | urban
Hill Levels 5-10
| 1d8+1d12 | Hill Levels 5-10 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 young copper dragon |
| 3 | 1d4 gorgons or 2d4 yeth hounds (VGtM) |
| 4 | 1d3 stone giants or roll on Giants lvl 5-10 |
| 5 | 2d6 hippogriffs or 2d6 firenewts (VGtM) on giant striders (VGtM) and 1 firenewt warlock of Imix (VGtM) |
| 6 | 1d4+1 hill giants or roll on Giants lvl 5-10 |
| 7 | 1d3 wyverns or 1d3 stone defenders (MToF) guarding 1 mage |
| 8 | 1 hobgoblin captain and 1d6 hobgoblins mounted on griffons or roll on Goblinoid lvl 5-10 |
| 9 | 4d6 giant goats or 1d3 hill giants and 1 mouth of Grolantor (VGtM) |
| 10 | 4d6 guards led by 1d3 veterans or 1d2 berserkers on wyverns |
| 11 | Roll on Hill Encounters lvl 1-4 or 1 stone giant dreamwalker (VGtM) |
| 12 | 1d4 galeb duhr or roll on Hill Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 13 | 1d4 trolls or 1 warlock of the great old one (VGtM) with 2d4 scouts |
| 14 | 1 bulette or roll on Hill Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 15 | 2d6+2 orcs led by 1d4 orogs or roll on Orcs lvl 5-10 |
| 16 | 1 cyclops with 3d6 goats or 2d4 shadow mastiffs (VGtM) led by 1 shadow mastiff alpha (VGtM) |
| 17 | 1d3 werebears or 1d2 howlers (MToF) |
| 18 | 3d6 pegasi or 2d4 redcaps (VGtM) |
| 19 | 2d4 perytons or 1 chimera |
| 20 | 1 young red dragon or 2d4 neogi (VGtM) and 1 neogi master (VGtM) with 1 charmed cyclops |
Hill Levels 11+
| 1d8+1d12 | Hill Levels 11+ |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2d6 veterans mounted on pegasi or 1 zaratan (MToF) |
| 3 | 2 young red dragons |
| 4 | 1 adult red dragon |
| 5 | 1d4+1 stone giants and 1d6 hill giants or 1d4+1 howlers (MToF) |
| 6 | 6d6 hobgoblins led by 1d4+1 hobgoblins captains and 1 hobgoblin warlord |
| 7 | 2d4+2 hill giants or 1 gray render (MToF) bonded with 1 druid |
| 8 | 2d6 werewolves and 2d6 dire wolves |
| 9 | 2d4 stone giants or 1d6 stone giants led by 1 stone giant dreamwalker (VGtM) |
| 10 | 2d4 wyverns or 2d4 hill giants and 2 mouths of Grolantor (VGtM) |
| 11 | Roll on Hill Encouters lvl 5-10 or 1 dire troll (MToF) |
| 12 | 2d6+3 veterans on patrol |
| 13 | 3d6 galeb duhr or 2d6 ogres and 2d4 ogre bolt launchers (MToF) |
| 14 | 2 cyclops with 4d6 giant goats |
| 15 | 2d4+2 trolls or 2d4 hobgoblins and 1 hobgoblin devastator (MToF) on griffons led by 1 hobgoblin warlord on a chimera |
| 16 | 2d4 werebears or 1d6 trolls with 1 dire troll (MToF) |
| 17 | 2d4 Revenants or 1 gray render (MToF) bonded with 1 mage |
| 18 | 1 roc or a coven of 3 annis hags (VGtM) with 1d4 trolls |
| 19 | 1 adult copper dragon |
| 20 | 2 young copper dragons or 1 elder tempest (MToF) |
Hill Beasts (Levels 1-4)
| 1d8+1d12 | Hill Beasts levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 giant elk or 1d2 quetzacoaltus (VGtM) |
| 3 | 2d4 wolves led by 1 dire wolf or 2d4 giant wolf spiders |
| 4 | 2d6 baboons |
| 5 | 1d8 blood hawks or 1d6 swarms of ravens |
| 6 | 1d4 swarms of insects or 1d4 dire wolves |
| 7 | 1d4 lions |
| 8 | 2d4 axe beaks or 1d4 giant hyenas |
| 9 | 2d6 mastiffs |
| 10 | 4d6 goats |
| 11 | 2d4 giant weasels or 1d3 aurochs (VGtM) |
| 12 | 1d8 boars or 2d6 hyenas |
| 13 | 2d6 wolves or 2d6 elk |
| 14 | 1d3 giant boars or 2d4 giant goats |
| 15 | 1d2 brown bears |
| 16 | 1d3 panthers or 1d4 deinonychuses (VGtM) |
| 17 | 1d6 swarms of bats |
| 18 | 2d4 mules |
| 19 | 1d6 poisonous snakes or 2d6 stirges |
| 20 | 1d4 giant eagles or 2d4 giant owls |
Hill Humanoids (Levels 1-4)
| 1d8+1d12 | Hill Humanoids levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 werebear or 1 troll |
| 3 | 1d4 half-ogres or 1d2 redcaps (VGtM) |
| 4 | 1d2 veterans or 2d6 xvarts (VGtM) led by 1 xvart warlock of Raxivort (VGtM) |
| 5 | 2d4 hobgoblins with 1 dire wolf or roll on Goblinoids Low-level Encounters |
| 6 | 1 druid with... (roll on Beast Encounters) |
| 7 | 1d4+1 orcs led by 1 orog or roll on Orc Low-level Encounters |
| 8 | 2d4 guards led by 1 veteran |
| 9 | 2d6 goblins led by a goblin boss or roll on Goblinoids Low-level Encounters |
| 10 | 2d6 tribal warriors led by 1 berserker |
| 11 | 1d3 ogres or 2d6 guards and 1 Scout |
| 12 | 2d4 commoners with a cart and 1d3 mules |
| 13 | 2d6 kobolds and 1d6 winged kobolds or roll on Kobold Encounters |
| 14 | 2d6 bandits led by 1 bandit captain |
| 15 | 1d6 gnolls with 2d4 hyenas or roll on Gnoll Low-level Encounters |
| 16 | 1d4+1 scouts or 2d6 boggles (VGtM) |
| 17 | 1 ettin or 1d3 firenewts (VGtM) mounted on giant striders (VGtM) |
| 18 | 1d4 berserkers or 1d3 meazels (VGtM) |
| 19 | 1 green hag or 1 werewolf |
| 20 | 1 hill giant or 1d4 firenewts led by 1 firenewt warlock of Imix (VGtM) |
Giant Encounters (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Giant Encounters levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 hill giant |
| 3 | 1 ogre with 1d2 half-ogres or 1 ogre howdah (MToF) carrying 1d4 goblins |
| 4 | 1 ettin with 3d6 goats or 1d2 ogre chain brutes (MToF) |
| 5 | 1d4 half-ogres or 1 ogre howdah (MToF) carrying 1d4 gnome guards |
| 6 | 1d3 ogres or 1 ogre battering ram (MToF) |
| 7 | 1 ettin or 1d2 ogres led by 1 ogre bolt launcher (MToF) |
| 8 | 1 ogre with... (roll on Beast Encounters) |
| 9 | 1d2 half-ogres protecting... (roll on Humanoid Encounters) |
| 10 | 1 troll |
Giant Encounters (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Giant Encounters levels 5-10 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1d4 hill giants served by 1d3 ogres |
| 3 | 1d6+1 ogres led by 1 hill giant or 1d2 mouths of Grolantor (VGtM) with 1d2 hill giants and 1d3 ogres |
| 4 | 1 cyclops with 2d4 giant goats or 2d6 ogres led by 1d2 ogre chain brutes (MToF) |
| 5 | 1d3 stone giants or 1 stone giant dreamwalker (VGtM) |
| 6 | 1d4+1 trolls or 1d4+1 ogres with 1d4 ogre bolt launchers (MToF) led by 1 ogre battering ram (MToF) |
| 7 | 2d4 ogres led by 1d2 frost giants or 1d4 hill giants and 1 mouth of Grolantor (VGtM) |
| 8 | 1d4+1 hill giants or 1 annis hag (VGtM) with 1d2 trolls |
| 9 | 1d6 ogres and 1d4 ettins or 1 mouth of Grolantor (VGtM) and 1d4 trolls |
| 10 | 1d4 hill giants and 1d4+1 half-ogres or 1 annis hag (VGtM) with 1d4 ogres |
Hill Monsters (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Hill Monsters levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 gorgon or 1 oaken bolter (MToF) |
| 3 | 1d4 giant eagles or 2d4 neogi hatchlings (VGtM) with 1 neogi (VGtM) |
| 4 | 1d3 perytons or 1d4 bronze scouts (MToF) |
| 5 | 1d2 phase spiders |
| 6 | 1d6 hippogriffs or 1 ettin |
| 7 | 1d3 ogres or 1d3 shadow mastiffs (VGtM) |
| 8 | 1d3 griffons or 1 iron cobra (MToF) |
| 9 | 2d6 stirges or 1d2 harpies |
| 10 | 1 earth elemental or 1 bulette |
Hill Monsters (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Hill Monster levels 5-10 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2d4 perytons |
| 3 | 1d4 trolls or 2d4 shadow mastiffs (VGtM) led by 1 shadow mastiff alpha (VGtM) |
| 4 | 1d4 hill giants or 1d2 howlers (MToF) |
| 5 | 1 chimera |
| 6 | 1d3 wyverns or 1d2 stone defenders (MToF) and 1d3 oaken bolters (MToF) |
| 7 | 2d4 griffons |
| 8 | 1d4 galeb duhr |
| 9 | 2d6 hippogriffs or 2d4 yeth hounds (VGtM) |
| 10 | 1d4 gorgons |
More Encounters
There is a 5e Hill random encounter generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Hill Encounters.
If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.
