You hear barking and catch sight of a sled pulled down a hill by several dogs. The sled has a lone human in animal skins, looking fearfully back over his shoulder.
Updated Arctic encounters using D&D 2024 Monster Manual. Also a D&D 2014 version. Tables for Underdark Encounters (levels 1-4, 5-10, 11+), Beasts, Humanoids and Spirits
All terrains - arctic | coastal | desert | forest | grassland | hill | jungle | mountain | swamp | underdark | underwater | urban | all dnd 2024 encs
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Arctic Encounters
Encounters in the Arctic occur in icy tundra, tall glaciers and snowy peaks. They might occur outside an igloo, on an iced over lake or in a winter blizzard.
Defined by cold weather and how to survive it, this wilderness has few signs of civilisation. Furry beasts such as yetis and white bears are hunted and respected by savage tribes and frost giants.
There is a 5e arctic random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And a separate tool for encounter locations including arctic terrain.
There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Arctic Encounters.
Arctic Encounter Tables - creatures (2014) | creatures (2024) | locations | non-combat | complications
Arctic Encounters Levels 1-4
MotM = Monsters of the Multiverse
| 1d8+1d12 | Artic Levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 young remorhaz or 1d2 white dragon wyrmlings |
| 3 | 1 ghost or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 4 | 1 warrior veteran with 1d4 warrior infantry or roll on Humanoids |
| 5 | 1d2 yetis or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 6 | 1d3 scouts and 2d4 mastiffs with a sled or roll on Humanoids |
| 7 | 1 druid with 1d3 giant owls or 1 warlock of the archfey (MotM) with 3d4 commoners |
| 8 | 1d3 berserkers or 1d2 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 9 | 1d4+1 ice mephits or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 10 | 2d6 warrior infantry or roll on Humanoids |
| 11 | 1d6+1 wolves or roll on Beasts |
| 12 | 1d4+1 orc toughs or roll on Orcs lvl 1-4 |
| 13 | 2d6 reindeer (elk) or roll on Beasts |
| 14 | 1d2 winter wolves or 1d3 guard drakes (white, MotM) |
| 15 | 1d2 polar bears or roll on Beasts |
| 16 | 3d6 kobold warriors or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4 |
| 17 | 1 saber-toothed tiger or roll on Beasts |
| 18 | 1d6 gnoll warriors or roll on Gnolls lvl 1-4 |
| 19 | 2d4 axe beaks or roll on Beasts |
| 20 | 1 winter wolf with 1d3 wolves or 1 werebear |
Arctic Levels 5-10
| 1d8+1d12 | Artic Levels 5-10 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1d2 young white dragons |
| 3 | 1 air elemental and 2d4 ice mephits or 1 warlock of the fiend (MotM) with 1 berserker and 1d3 guard drakes (white, MotM) |
| 4 | 1d4 wraiths or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 5 | 1d4 young remorhazes or 1 bheur hag (MotM) with 1d3 trolls |
| 6 | 1 abominable yeti or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 7 | 1d4 trolls or 1 warlock of the archfey (MotM) with 1d6 berserkers |
| 8 | 1d3 air elementals or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 9 | 1d2 frost giants or 2d4 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 10 | 1d4 mammoths or 1 winter eladrin (MotM) |
| 11 | Roll on Arctic Levels 1-4 table or 1 frost salamander (MotM) |
| 12 | 5d6 warrior infantry lead by 1d4+1 berserkers |
| 13 | 1d6 orc berserkers & 1 orc berserker captain or roll on Orcs lvl 5-10 |
| 14 | 1d4+1 winter wolves or 1 bheur hag (MotM) with 1d6 ogres |
| 15 | 2d4 yetis or 1 necromancer (MotM) with 1d4 ogre zombies |
| 16 | 3d6 gnoll warriors with 1 troll & 1 gnoll fang of Yeenoghu or roll on Gnolls lvl 5-10 |
| 17 | 1d2+1 winter wolves and 2d6 wolves or 1 warlock of the great old one (MotM) with 1 cultist fanatic and 2d4 cultists |
| 18 | 3d6 orc toughs, 1d2 ogres and 1 polar bear; or roll on Orcs lvl 5-10 |
| 19 | 1d3 werebears and 1d3 polar bears or 1 deva |
| 20 | 1 remorhaz or 1 dire worg with 1d6 winter wolves |
Arctic Levels 11+
| 1d8+1d12 | Arctic Levels 11+ |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 ancient white dragon or 1 boneclaw (MotM) bonded to 1 archmage |
| 3 | 1d2 djinni or 1 animal lord |
| 4 | 1 adult white dragon or 1 storm giant quintessent (MotM) |
| 5 | 1d4+2 werebears or a coven of 3 bheur hags (MotM) |
| 6 | 1 abominable yeti & 2d4 yetis or 1 boneclaw (MotM) with 1 mage |
| 7 | 2d4 air elementals or 2d4 winter wolves with 2d6 orc berserkers led by 1 orc warrior commander |
| 8 | 3d6 berserkers mounted on dire wolves or 1 boneclaw (MotM) |
| 9 | 2d4 trolls or 1d3+1 frost salamanders (MotM) |
| 10 | 3d6 mammoths or 1d6 trolls mounted on giant axebeaks |
| 11 | Roll on Arctic Levels 5-10 table or 1d3+1 winter eladrin (MotM) |
| 12 | 1d4+2 frost giants or 1 frost giant everlasting one (MotM) |
| 13 | 1 orc warrior commander on a winter wolf with 2d4 orc tough bosses |
| 14 | 1d2 remorhazes or 1 dire troll (MotM) |
| 15 | 1d3+1 frost giants and 1d4+1 trolls or 4d6 gnoll warriors with 1d3+1 gnoll fangs of Yeenoghu led by 1 flind (MotM) |
| 16 | 1 gnoll pack lord leading 5d6 gnoll warriors and 1d4 trolls or 1 roc |
| 17 | 1d6 frost giants and 1 young white dragon or 1 nightwalker (MotM) |
| 18 | 1 remorhaz with 1d2 young remorhazes or 1d4 frost giants led by 1 frost giant everlasting one (MotM) |
| 19 | 1d4 young white dragons or 1 elemental cataclysm |
| 20 | 1 ice devil or 1 elder tempest (MotM) |
Arctic Beasts (Levels 1-4)
| 1d8+1d12 | Arctic Beasts (Levels 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 young remorhaz |
| 3 | 1 winter wolf with 1d4 wolves |
| 4 | 1d2 griffons |
| 5 | 2d6 blood hawks |
| 6 | 1d2 brown bears |
| 7 | 4d6 deer |
| 8 | 1d2 winter wolves |
| 9 | 1d3 woolly rhinoceroses or 1d3 aurochs (MotM) |
| 10 | 2d4 wolves |
| 11 | 2d6 reindeer (elk) |
| 12 | 1d2 polar bears |
| 13 | 1d2 saber-toothed tiger |
| 14 | 1 snowy owl or 1d2 guard drakes (white, MotM) |
| 15 | 2d4 mastiffs with a sled |
| 16 | 1d4+1 giant owls |
| 17 | 1 manticore |
| 18 | 2d4 axe beaks or 1 giant elk |
| 19 | 1 white dragon wyrmling |
| 20 | 1 mammoth or giant axebeak |
Arctic Humanoids (Levels 1-4)
| 1d8+1d12 | Arctic Humanoids (Levels 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 werebear |
| 3 | 1d2 ogres with 1d2 ogrillon ogre or 1 warlock of the archfey (MotM) with 2d4 warrior infantry |
| 4 | 2d6 warrior infantry mounted on reindeer (elk) |
| 5 | 1d4+1 ogrillon ogres |
| 6 | 2d4 winged kobolds or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4 |
| 7 | 1d3 berserkers or 1 warlock of the archfey (MotM) |
| 8 | 1d2 scout captains or 2d4 guards & 1d2 guard drakes (white, MotM) |
| 9 | 2d6+6 kobold warriors or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4 |
| 10 | 2d6 warrior infantry led by 1 berserker or 1d2 ogres |
| 11 | 2d6 orc toughs or roll on Orcs lvl 1-4 |
| 12 | 1d3 scouts and 2d4 mastiffs with a sled |
| 13 | 1 druid with 1 brown bear (or roll on Beasts for companion) |
| 14 | 2d6 gnoll warriors or roll on Gnolls lvl 1-4 |
| 15 | 2d6 bandits led by 1 bandit captain |
| 16 | 2d6 commoners with 1d4 mastiffs |
| 17 | 1 druid and 1d4 scouts |
| 18 | 1d3+1 orc toughs led by 1 orc bandit captain or roll on Orcs lvl 1-4 |
| 19 | 1 scout guiding.. (roll again on Humanoid Encounters) |
| 20 | 1 troll |
Arctic Spirits (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Arctic Spirits (Levels 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 revenant or 1 air elemental |
| 3 | 1d2 shambling corpses encased in ice (use mummy stats but without causing tomb rot) |
| 4 | 2d4 blink dogs (with resistance to cold damage) or 1d2 poltergeists |
| 5 | 1d2 frost wights (wight stats, replace necrotic damage with cold) |
| 6 | 1d4+1 ice mephits or 1 swarm of crawling claws |
| 7 | 1d2 yetis or 1d3 meenlocks (MotM) |
| 8 | 1d4 snowmen animated by spirits (specters) or 2d4 skeletons |
| 9 | 1 ghost or 1d2 vampiric mists (MotM) |
| 10 | 1 ice elemental (earth elemental stats with vulnerability to fire damage and immunity to cold damage) or 1 night hag |
Arctic Spirits (Levels 5-10))
| 1d4+1d6 | Arctic Spirits (Levels 5-10) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 ice elemental (earth elemental stats with vulnerability to fire damage and immunity to cold damage) with 2d6 ice mephits |
| 3 | 1 banshee with 2d4 specters |
| 4 | 1 abominable yeti or 1d3 invisible stalkers |
| 5 | 1d4 revenants or 1 bheur hag (MotM) with 1 animated broom |
| 6 | 1d4 ice elementals (earth elemental stats with vulnerability to fire damage and immunity to cold damage) |
| 7 | 1d4 wraiths or 1 winter eladrin (MotM) |
| 8 | 1d4 air elementals |
| 9 | 1d4+1 frost wights (wight stats, replace necrotic damage with cold) with 3d6 zombies |
| 10 | A coven of 3 night hags |
More Encounters
There is a 5e arctic random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And a separate tool for encounter locations including arctic.
There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Arctic Encounters.
If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.
