Desert Encounters for D&D 2024
D&D Encounters (2024) Desert D&D Wilderness

Desert Encounters for D&D 2024

Duncan Thomson
Among the sand dunes are a few confused camels, clearly in distress. Nearby is a stone altar among five dead camels, but no immediate sign of what killed them...

Updated Desert encounters using D&D 2024 Monster Manual. Also a D&D 2014 version. Tables for Desert Encounters (levels 1-45-1011+), BeastsHumanoids, Monsters and Spirits

All terrains - arcticcoastal | desert | forest | grassland | hill | jungle | mountain | swamp | underdark | underwater | urban | all dnd 2024 encs

[Photo by Cody Doherty on Unsplash]

Desert Encounters

The desert conjures images of sun-blasted wastes, stark canyons and sandy ridges. Encounters may take place at a well-guarded oasis, a lonely mesa, among half buried ruins or in the bed of a dried up river.

A place of death and daily struggle against the elements, it is the home of nomadic herders, desperate outcasts and the souls and remains of many who have perished.

There is a 5e desert random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Desert Encounters.

Ruins Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild 2024 Encounters Bundle on DM's Guild

Desert Encounter Tables - creatures (2014) | creatures (2024) | locations | non-combat | enhancements

Desert Encounters Levels 1-4

MotM = Monsters of the Multiverse

1d8+1d12Desert Levels 1-4
2 1 blue dragon wyrmling or 1 revenant
3 3d6 warrior infantry and 1 berserker with 5d6 camels or 1 couatl
4 1d2 giant scorpions or 1d4 stone cursed (MotM)
5 1d4+1 kobold warriors and 1d2 giant toads or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4
6 1d4+1 thri-kreen marauders or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4
7 1d4 gnoll warriors and 2d4 hyenas or roll on Gnolls lvl 1-4
8 1d6+1 jackalweres or 1d2 leucrotta (MotM)
9 1 giant hyenas and 2d6 hyenas or roll on Beasts
10 1d4+1 death dogs or roll on Monsters lvl 1-4
11 3d6 camels or roll on Beasts
12 2d6 bandits led by 1 bandit captain or roll on Humanoids
13 1d6+1 dust mephits or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4
14 2d6 warrior infantry on camels or roll on Humanoids
15 1d4 giant vultures or 1 dybbuk (MotM) possessing a giant hyena
16 1 lamia or 1d3 guard drakes (blue, MotM)
17 1 yuan-ti malison and 1d2 yuan-ti infiltrators or roll on Yuan-ti lvl 1-4
18 1d4 lions or 1d4 vargouilles (MotM)
19 1d4+1 scouts or 2d4 firenewts (MotM)
20 1d2 mummies or 1 fire elemental

Desert Levels 5-10

1d8+1d12Desert Levels 5-10
2 1 efreet or 1 roc
3 1 young blue dragon or 1d2 lonely sorrowsworn (MotM)
4 1 fire giant with 2d4 death dogs or 1 kruthi hive lord (MotM) and 1d8 adult kruthiks (MotM)
5 1d4 were-tigers or 1 githyanki gish (MotM)
6 1d2 medusas or 1 warlock of the fiend (MotM) with 1d6 berserkers
7 1d2 yuan-ti abominations or roll on Yuan-ti lvl 5-10
8 1 guardian naga or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10
9 3d6 gnoll warriors with 1 gnoll pack lord or roll on Gnolls lvl 5-10
10 1d2 lamias and 2d4 jackalweres or roll on Monsters lvl 5-10
11 Roll on Desert Levels 1-4 table or 2d6+2 thri-kreen marauders
12 1d4 fire elementals or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10
13 2d4+1 berserkers on camels or 1d4+1 tlincalli (MotM)
14 2d6 giant hyenas and 2d6 hyenas and 1 gnoll fang of Yeenoghu or 1 champion (MotM) with 4d6 guards
15 1d6+2 mummies or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10
16 2d6 hobgoblin warriors & 1 hobgoblin captain on camels or 1 necromancer (MotM) and 1d2 spawn of kyuss (MotM)
17 2d4 giant scorpions or 1d2 howlers (MotM)
18 2d6 yuan-ti malisons or 1 war priest (MotM) with 1d4 scouts and 2d6 warrior infantry
19 1 cyclops sentry with 3d6 camels or 1 githzerai enlightened (MotM)
20 1 young brass dragon or 1 sphinx of lore

Desert Levels 11+

1d8+1d12Desert Levels 11+
2 1 adult brass dragon or 1 zaratan (MotM)
3 1 djinn and 1d4 air elementals or 1 animal lord
4 2 young brass dragons or 1 retriever (MotM)
5 1 efreet and 1d4 fire elementals or 1d3 orthons (MotM)
6 1 sphinx of valor or 1 yuan-ti anathema (MotM), 1 yuan-ti pit master (MotM) and 2d4 yuan-ti broodguards (MotM)
7 1 salamander inferno master and 1d2 salamanders or 1 ki-rin (MotM)
8 2d4+2 were-tigers or 1 oinoloth (MotM)
9 1d2 sphinxes of lore or 1d2 eidolons (MotM)
10 1d4 fire elementals and 1d4 air elementals or 2d6 berserkers with 1 champion (MotM) and 1 war priest (MotM)
11 Roll on Desert Levels 5-10 table or 1 yuan-ti anathema (MotM) with 2d4 yuan-ti malisons
12 2d6 yuan-ti malisons and 1d3 yuan-ti abominations or 1 necromancer (MotM) with 2d6 mummies
13 3d6 wights or 1d4+1 howlers (MotM)
14 1 purple worm or 1 githaynki kith'rak (MotM) & 1d3 githyanki knights
15 1 bandit crime lord with 1 bandit deceiver and 2d6 bandit captains or 1 skull lord (MotM)
16 2 young blue dragons or 1 phoenix (MotM)
17 1 archpriest with 2d4 warrior veterans or 1d2 boneclaws (MotM)
18 1 adult blue dragon or 1 githyani supreme commander (MotM) with 2d4 githyanki warriors (MotM)
19 1 mummy lord and 1d3+1 mummies or 1 nagpa (MotM)
20 1 dracolich or 1 elemental cataclysm

Desert Beasts (Levels 1-4)

1d8+1d12Desert Beasts (Levels 1-4)
2 1d4+1 death dogs
3 1d6 flying snakes or 1d2 phase spiders
4 2d4 giant wolf spiders
5 2d6 giant fire beetles or 1d6 giant venomous snakes
6 3d6 hyenas led by 1 giant hyena
7 1 giant constrictor snake or 1 swarm of stirges
8 1d4+1 giant hyenas
9 1d2 giant scorpions
10 4d6 hyenas
11 3d6 camels
12 2d4 giant lizards
13 1d4 giant vultures
14 1d4 swarms of insects
15 1d4 lions or 1 giant vulture and 2d4 vultures
16 2d4 mules with pack saddles
17 1d4 giant toads
18 1d4 giant spiders or 1d4 sphinxes of wonder
19 2d6 stirges
20 1 pseudodragon

Desert Humanoids (Levels 1-4)

1d8+1d12Desert Humanoids (Levels 1-4)
2 1 weretiger or 1 tlincalli (MotM)
3 3d6 warrior infantry and 1 berserker
4 1d3 ogres
5 1 druid with ... 1d2 giant hyenas (or roll on Beasts)
6 3d6 commoners with 1d4 camels
7 1d4+1 hobgobin warriors
8 1d4+1 gnoll warriors led by 1 gnoll pack lord or roll on Gnolls lvl 1-4
9 1d4+1 thri-kreen marauders or 1d2 maezels (MotM)
10 2d6 warrior infantry
11 1d4+1 scouts with 2d6 camels
12 1d6+1 jackalweres
13 2d4 bandits and 1 bandit captain mounted on camels
14 1d3 yuan-ti infiltrators with 1d4 cultists or roll on Yuan-ti lvl 1-4
15 1d3 gnoll warriors mounted on giant hyenas or roll on Gnolls lvl 1-4
16 1 lamia or 1d4 firenewts (MotM) & 1 firenew warlock of Imix (MotM)
17 2d4 kobold warriors with 1d4 winged kobolds or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4
18 2d6 guards with 1d6 mules led by 1 scout
19 1d3 yuan-ti malisons or roll on Yuan-ti lvl 1-4
20 1d4 ogrillon ogres

Desert Monsters (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6Desert Monsters (Levels 1-4)
2 1d4 sphinxes of wonder or 1 blue dragon wyrmling
3 1d3 ogres or 1 adult kruthik (MotM) with 2d4 young kruthiks (MotM)
4 1 lamia or 1d2 berbalangs (MotM)
5 1d4+1 death dogs
6 1d6 jackalweres or 1 swarm of stirges
7 1d6+1 dust mephits or roll on Spirits lvl 1-4
8 1d2 phase spiders or 1d4+1 giant vultures
9 1d4+1 thri-kreen marauders
10 1 weretiger or 1 spawn of Kyuss (MotM)

Desert Monsters (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6Desert Monsters (Levels 1-4)
2 1 roc or 1 kruthik hive lord (MotM) & 1d8 adult kruthiks (MotM)
3 2d4 phase spiders or 1d2 stone golems
4 1d3 cyclops sentries or 1 orthon (MotM)
5 1d2 lamias with 2d4 jackalweres or 1 sphinx of secrets
6 1 guardian naga or 1d4+1 tlincalli (MotM)
7 1d4 fire elementals or roll on Spirits lvl 5-10
8 1d2 fire giants or 1d4 spawn of Kyuss (MotM)
9 1d2 medusas or 1 cyclops oracle
10 1 sphinx of lore or 1 rot troll (MotM)

Desert Spirits (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6Desert Spirits (Levels 1-4)
2 1 fire elemental or 1 revenant
3 1d2 flaming skeletons
4 1d4 mud mephits or 1 ghost
5 1d2 wights or 1d4 stone cursed (MotM)
6 1d6+1 dust mephits or 2d4 skeletons
7 1d4 salamander fire snakes or 1d4 vargouilles (MotM)
8 1d2 mummies or 1d3 azer sentinels
9 1 couatl or 1 dybbuk (MotM)
10 1 air elemental or 1 salamander

Desert Spirits (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6Desert Spirits (Levels 5-10)
2 1 efreet or 1d3 lost sorrowsworn (MotM)
3 1 couatl with 2d6 flying snakes or 1d2 howlers (MotM)
4 1d4 revenants or 1d6+2 mummies
5 1d4 fire elementals or 1d4+1 dybbuks (MotM)
6 1d4 salamanders or 1 air elemental and 2d6 dust mephits
7 2d4 wights or 1 summer eladrin (MotM)
8 1d4 air elementals or 1d2 graveyard revenants
9 1 azer pyromancer with 1d8 azer sentinels or 2d6 vargouilles (MotM)
10 1 djinn or 1 ki-rin (MotM)

More Encounters

There is a 5e desert random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Desert Encounters.

Ruins Encounters Random Tables on DM's Guild 2024 Encounters Bundle on DM's Guild

If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.