"As skies darken and the winds pick up, three riders on winged creatures with approach, trying to shout down to you"
Options for D&D sea adventures with tables for Sea Encounters (levels 1-4, 5-10 and 11+), Sea Beasts, Aerial Encounters, Sahuagin, Sea Monsters and Sea Spirits.
Sea Tables - creatures | ships | locations | non-combat | enchanements | generators
[Photo by Caitlyn Wilson Webb on Unsplash]
Sea Encounters Levels 1-4
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Encounters Levels 1-4 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 air elemental or 1 kraken priest (VGtM) |
| 3 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 1-4) or 1d2 manticores |
| 4 | 1d2 merrow or 1 sea hag with 1d2 sea spawn (VGtM) |
| 5 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 1-4) or 1 banshee (sea elf spirit) |
| 6 | 1d3 griffons or roll on Aerial Encounters lvl 1-4 |
| 7 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 1-4) or 1d4 giant eagles |
| 8 | 1d3 giant octopi or 3d6 dolphins (VGtM) |
| 9 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 1-4) or 1d2+1 plesiosauruses |
| 10 | 2d4 steam mephits or roll on Aerial Encounters lvl 1-4 |
| 11 | 2d6 merfolk or 1d4 sea spawn (VGtM) |
| 12 | 2d6 giant seahorses or roll on Beast Encounters |
| 13 | 1 sea hag or roll on Sea Spirits lvl 1-4 |
| 14 | 1d3 killer whales or roll on Sea Monsters lvl 1-4 |
| 15 | 1d4+1 sahuagin and 1d4 reef sharks or roll on Sahuagin lvl 1-4 |
| 16 | 1d4+1 reef sharks or roll on Sea Beast Encounters |
| 17 | 2d4 merfolk with 2d4 giant seahorses or 1 deep scion (VGtM) |
| 18 | 1 helmed horror or roll on Sea Monsters lvl 1-4 |
| 19 | 1 sahuagin priestess with 1d3 hunter sharks or roll on Sahuagin lvl 1-4 |
| 20 | 1 water elemental or 1 merrenoloth (MToF) with a boat |
Sea Encounters
The seas might be calm tropics, storm-churned waters or the edge of an island archipelago. Encounters might be the meeting of a seagoing vessel, something from the sky or from the ocean depths.
A place of sky, sea, wind and storm, it is home to tentacled monstrosities, hungry behemoths, elementals of wind and ships of buccaneers.
There is a 5e random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Sea Encounters.
Unusual terrains - feywild | shadowfell | lower planes | elemental | jungle | roads | ruins | sea
Sea Encounters Levels 5-10
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Encounters Levels 5-10 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 marid or 1 morkoth (VGtM) |
| 3 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 5-10) or 1d2 chimeras |
| 4 | 4d6 merfolk with 3d6 giant seahorses or 1 young dragon (black, bronze or blue) |
| 5 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 5-10) or 1 kraken priest (VGtM) with 1d4+1 deep scions (VGtM) |
| 6 | 1d3+1 giant sharks or 1d4+1 deep scions (VGtM) |
| 7 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 5-10) |
| 8 | 2d6+2 sahuagin led by 1 sahuagin baron or roll on Sahuagin lvl 5-10 |
| 9 | Ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 5-10) or 2d6 merrow |
| 10 | 2d6 sahuagin with 1 giant shark and 1d3 sahuagin priestesses or roll on Sahuagin lvl 5-10 |
| 11 | Roll on Sea Encounters Levels 1-4 table or a ship (roll on Ship Encounters lvl 5-10) |
| 12 | 1d4+2 killer whales or 1d3 water elementals |
| 13 | 1d4 air elementals or roll on Sea Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 14 | 2d4 hunter sharks or roll on Sea Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 15 | 1d6+1 scouts on griffons or roll on Aerial Encounters lvl 5-10 |
| 16 | 1 sea hag and 1d6+1 merrow or roll on Sea Monsters lvl 5-10 |
| 17 | 2d6 plesiosauruses or roll on Aerial Encounters lvl 5-10 |
| 18 | 1d4+2 ghosts or 1 hydroloth (MToF) |
| 19 | A coven of 3 sea hags or roll on Sea Spirits lvl 5-10 |
| 20 | 1 djinni or 1 roc |
Sea Encounters Levels 11+
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Encounters Levels 11+ |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 solar or 1 elder tempest (MToF) |
| 3 | 1 empyrean or 1 leviathan (MToF) |
| 4 | 4d6 merrow or a coven of 3 night hags mounted on nightmares |
| 5 | 1 adult dragon (black, bronze or blue) or roll on Aerial High-level Encounters |
| 6 | 1d3 storm giants or 1 nagpa (MToF) |
| 7 | 2 young dragons (black, bronze or blue) or roll on Aerial High-level Encounters |
| 8 | 3d6 hunter sharks or 1 storm giant quintessent (VGtM) |
| 9 | 1 djinni and 1d4 air elementals or roll on Aerial High-level Encounters |
| 10 | 2d4 giant sharks or 2d4 air elementals |
| 11 | Roll on Sea Encounters Levels 5-10 table or roll on Sea Monster High-level Encounters |
| 12 | 1 storm giant with 1d6 giant eagles or 1 morkoth (VGtM) |
| 13 | 2d4 water elementals or roll on Sea Monster High-level Encounters |
| 14 | 4d6 sahuagin and 1d4+2 sahuagin priestesses led by a sahuagin baron or 1 Airship with 2d6+3 archers (VGtM) and 1 Mage |
| 15 | 1d3 marids or 1 archduid (VGtM) and 1d4 killer whales |
| 16 | 1 dragon turtle or 1 wastrilith (MToF) |
| 17 | 1 marid and or 1 archduid (VGtM) with... (roll on Beast Encounters) |
| 18 | 1 sahuagin baron and 1d4+2 giant sharks or 1 blue Abishai (MToF) |
| 19 | 1 storm giant and 1d2 water elementals or 1 empyrean |
| 20 | 1 kraken or 1 nightwalker (MToF) |
Beast Encounters (Level 1-4)
A mix of aquatic and aerial beasts
| 1d8+1d12 | Sea Beasts (Level 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 giant shark |
| 3 | 1d4 giant eagles |
| 4 | 1d3 plesiosauruses |
| 5 | 1d4 giant seabirds (giant vulture stats) |
| 6 | 1d2 hunter sharks and 1d4 reef sharks |
| 7 | 1d4 pteranodons or 2d6 giant crabs |
| 8 | 1d4+1 reef sharks |
| 9 | 2d4 blood hawks |
| 10 | 1d3 hunter sharks |
| 11 | 2d6 giant seahorses or 3d6 dolphins (VGtM) |
| 12 | 1d2 killer whales |
| 13 | 1d3 giant octopi |
| 14 | 1d4 seabird swarms (swarm of ravens stats) |
| 15 | 1 patch of awakened seaweed (awakened bush stats) or 1d2 quetzalcoatluses (VGtM) |
| 16 | 1d2 manticores |
| 17 | 1d4 swarms of quippers or 1d4 pegasi |
| 18 | 1d2 griffons |
| 19 | 1d2 giant constrictor snakes |
| 20 | 1 aquatic shambling mound |
Aerial Encounters (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Aerial Encounters (Levels 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1d2 dragon wyrmlings (black, blue or bronze) |
| 3 | 1d4 pteranodons |
| 4 | 1d3 griffons |
| 5 | 1d4 steam mephits |
| 6 | 1d3 pegasi or 1d2 quetzalcoatluses (VGtM) |
| 7 | 1d4+1 ice mephit or 1d4+1 dust mephits |
| 8 | 1d4 giant eagles |
| 9 | 1 manticore or 1 archer (VGtM) mounted on a quetzalcoatlus (VGtM) |
| 10 | 1 air elemental or 1 couatl |
Aerial Encounters (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Aerial Encounters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 roc or 1d2 vrocks |
| 3 | 1 young dragon (black, blue or bronze) or 1d2 black abishai (MToF) |
| 4 | 1 night hag mounted on a nightmare or 2d4 vampiric mists (MToF) |
| 5 | 1d2 invisible stalkers |
| 6 | 2d4 griffons |
| 7 | 1d3 air elementals |
| 8 | 1d2 wyverns or 1 deva |
| 9 | 2d4+2 pegasi or 1d2 air elemental myrmidons (MToF) |
| 10 | 1 djinni |
Aerial Encounters (Levels 11+)
| 1d4+1d6 | Aerial Encounters (Levels 11+) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 adult blue dracolich or 1 elder tempest (MToF) |
| 3 | 1 adult dragon (Black, Blue or Bronze) or 1 planetar |
| 4 | 1d4+2 invisible stalkers or 1d2 githyanki knights mounted on young red dragons |
| 5 | 2d4 air elementals or 1 ki-rin (VGtM) |
| 6 | 1 roc or 1 storm giant quintessent (VGtM) |
| 7 | 1d2 djinni or 1d2 gynosphinxes |
| 8 | 2d4+2 manticores or 1d2 devas |
| 9 | 1 djinni and 1d3 air elementals or 1d2 erinyes |
| 10 | 2 young dragons (Black, Blue or Bronze) or 1 blue abishai (MToF) |
Sahuagin (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sahuagin Encounters (Levels 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 sahuagin priestess with 1d3 sahuagin |
| 3 | 1d4 sahuagin with 1d2 swarms of quippers |
| 4 | 1d3 sahuagin priestesses |
| 5 | 1d4+1 sahuagin |
| 6 | 1 sahuagin priestess with 1d3 reef sharks |
| 7 | 1d3 sahuagin with 1d3 reef sharks |
| 8 | 1d4 sahuagin with 1 hunter shark |
| 9 | 1 malenti (a sahuagin with appearance of an aquatic elf) |
| 10 | 1 sahuagin with 1 giant shark |
Sahuagin (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sahuagin Encounters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2d4 sahuagin with 2d4 hunter sharks led by 1 sahuagin priestess |
| 3 | 2d4 sahuagin with 2d4 reef sharks and 1d2 giant sharks |
| 4 | 2d4+4 sahuagin with 1d3+1 sahuagin priestesses |
| 5 | 2d6+6 sahuagin |
| 6 | 2d6 sahuagin led by 1 sahuagin baron |
| 7 | 3d6 sahuagin with 1d3+1 hunter sharks |
| 8 | 1 sahuagin baron with 1d4 giant sharks |
| 9 | 1d3 sahuagin priestesses with 1d3 hunter sharks led by 1 sahuagin baron |
| 10 | 2d6 with 1d2 sahuagin priestesses led by 1 sahuagin baron |
Sea Monster (Levels 1-4)
A lone monster that can come from the depths. Fiends, undead, aquatic and tentacled horrors. Add one or two more if a lone monster is not enough.
If required give it a swim speed equal to its land speed and give it the amphibious trait:
Amphibious. This creature can breathe air and water
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Monster |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 beholder zombie or 1 otyugh |
| 3 | 1 helmed horror or 1 black pudding |
| 4 | 1 flameskull or 1 sword wraith warrior (MToF) |
| 5 | 1 giant constrictor snake or 1 slithering tracker (VGtM) |
| 6 | 1 giant octopus or 1 deep scion (VGtM) |
| 7 | 1 killer whale or 1 merrow |
| 8 | 1 grell or 1 wraith |
| 9 | 1 banshee or 1 flail snail (VGtM) |
| 10 | 1 giant shark or 1 troll |
Sea Monster (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Monster Encounters (Levels 5-10) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 remorhaz or 1 morkoth (VGtM) |
| 3 | 1 spirit naga or 1 corpse flower (MToF) |
| 4 | 1 hydra or 1 hydroloth (MToF) |
| 5 | 1 chuul or 1 giant crocodile |
| 6 | 1 giant shark or 1 roper |
| 7 | 1 cyclops or 1 medusa |
| 8 | 1 Seaweed monster (treant stats with swim speed of 30 ft.) |
| 9 | 1 aboleth or 1 frost salamander (MToF) |
| 10 | 1 horned devil |
Sea Monster (Levels 11+)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Monster (Levels 11+) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 empyrean or 1 nightwalker (MToF) |
| 3 | 1 death tyrant or 1 leviathan (MToF) |
| 4 | 1 purple worm or 1 retriever (MToF) |
| 5 | 1 storm giant or 1 wastrilith (MToF) |
| 6 | 1 marid or 1 horned devil |
| 7 | 1 behir or 1 remorhaz |
| 8 | 1 dragon turtle or 1 marilith |
| 9 | 1 kraken or 1 iron golem |
| 10 | 1 ice devil or 1 leviathan (MToF) |
Sea Spirits (Levels 1-4)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Spirits (Levels 1-4) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 water elemental or 1 air elemental |
| 3 | 1d3 drowned spirits (specter stats with swim 50 ft.) |
| 4 | 1d4+1 steam mephits or 1d2 vampiric mists (MToF) |
| 5 | 1 sea hag |
| 6 | 1d4+1 ice mephits or 1 water weird |
| 7 | 1d2 poltergeists or 2d4 mud mephits |
| 8 | 1 shipwrecked ghost or 2d4 animated sea objects (flying sword stats) |
| 9 | 1d3 pegasi or 1d2 sword wraith warriors (MToF) |
| 10 | 1 helmed horror or 1 sea elf spirit (banshee stats, swim 30 ft.) |
Sea Spirits (Levels 5-10)
| 1d4+1d6 | Sea Spirits (Levels 5-10) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 djinni or 1 deva |
| 3 | Coven of 3 sea hags or 1 frost salamander (MToF) |
| 4 | 1 air elemental and 1d6 pegasi or 2d4 vampiric mists (MToF) |
| 5 | 2d6+3 mephits (any mix of steam, mud, ice and dust) |
| 6 | 1d4 elementals (mix of water elementals and air elementals) |
| 7 | 1d3 wind spirits (invisible stalker stats) |
| 8 | 1 water elemental and 2d6 mud mephits |
| 9 | 1d2 seaweed blights (vine Blight stats, swim 30 ft) led by 1 shambling seaweed (shambling mound stats) |
| 10 | 1 marid or 1 spirit troll (MToF) |
More Encounters
There is a 5e random encounter generator at ChaosGen. And also a pdf of these and more tables at the DM's Guild as Sea Encounters.
If you liked these there are D&D Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.
