Coastal Encounters for DnD Sea and Island Adventures

"This rocky beach has several small piles of dead fish. Several manticores wheel above the waves and stand in the shallows. A particularly large one watches the others from the high-tide mark."

Generated from the Coastal Locations and encounter tables below. Tables for Coastal Creatures (levels 1-4, 5-10, 11+), Beasts, Beaches and Spirits.

Coastal Encounter Tables - creatures | locations | non-combat | enhancements

[Photo by Luke Smyth on Unsplash] Updated from original article in 2018

Coastal Levels 1-4

1d8+1d12	Coastal Levels 1-4
2	1 dragon wyrmling (bronze or blue) or 1 banshee
3	1d2 manticores or 1 merrenoloth* (MToF) with a boat*
4	1d3 plesiosauruses or roll on Beach Encounters lvl 1-4
5	1d6 scouts with a rowing boat or 2d4+2 tortles* (MToF)*
6	1d3 merrow or roll on Coastal Monsters lvl 1-4
7	2d4 pirates (bandits) and 1 bandit captain or 2d6 dolphins* (VGtM)*
8	1d6 lizardfolk with canoes or roll on Beach Encounters lvl 1-4
9	2d6 giant crabs or 2d4 dimetrodons* (VGtM)*
10	2d4 mud mephits or roll on Coastal Spirits lvl 1-4
11	1d6 commoners with a boat or roll on Humanoid Encounters
12	2d4 merfolkor 1 swashbuckler* (VGtM)*
13	1d4 giant toads or roll on Beast Encounters
14	2d6 tribal warriors or 1 deep scion* (VGtM)*
15	1d4+1 giant lizards or roll on Beast Encounters
16	1d6 sahuagin or roll on Sahuagin lvl 1-4
17	2d6 stirges or 1d4 sea spawn* (VGtM)*
18	2d4 kobolds with 1d2 giant wolf spiders or roll on Kobolds lvl 1-4
19	1d4 giant eagles or 2d4 pteranodons
20	1 sea hag or 1 archer* (VGtM) on a quetzalcoatlus (VGtM)*

Coastal Encounters

Coastal encounters bring visions of sandy dunes, steep cliffs, pebble beaches and tidal caves. Maybe encounters take place in a ruined lighthouse, haunted shipwreck or abandoned roc's nest.

A meeting place between the world of the water and land they are a place of travellers, watchful guardians and those who make their living from the sea.

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

Coastal Levels 5-10

1d8+1d12	Coastal Levels 5-10
2	1 djinni or 1 morkoth* (VGtM)*
3	1 ship or wreck with 2d6+6 pirates (bandits) and 1d3 bandit captains or 2d4 deep scions* (VGtM)*
4	1 young blue dragon or 1 stone giant dreamwalker* (VGtM)*
5	2d6 sahuagin lead by 1 sahuagin baron or roll on Sahuagin lvl 5-10
6	1d3 water elementals or 1 young bronze dragon
7	2d6+3 sahuagin and 1 sahuagin priestess or roll on Sahuagin lvl 5-10
8	2d6 merrow or roll on Beach Encounters lvl 5-10
9	3d6 tribal warriors and 1d4 berserkers in a boat or 1 canoloth* (MToF) guarding the area*
10	1 cyclops with 2d4 giant goats or roll on Beach Encounters lvl 5-10
11	Roll on Coastal lvl 1-4 or 2d6 bandits* and 1d4 scouts led by 1 swashbuckler (VGtM)*
12	2d6+10 pirates (bandit stats) led by 1 bandit captain or 2d6 plesiosauruses
13	1d3 water elementals and 2d4 mud mephits or roll on Coastal Spirits lvl 5-10
14	1d4 air elementals or 3d6 tortles* (MToF) led by 1 tortle druid (TMoF)*
15	1d4+2 manticores or roll on Coastal Monsters lvl 5-10
16	1d6+1 veterans or 4d6 kobolds* with 1d4+1 kobold dragonshields (VGtM) and 1d2 kobold scale sorcerers (VGtM)*
17	Coven of 3 sea hags or roll on Coastal Spirits lvl 5-10
18	1d2 hydras or 3d6 cultists* led by 1 kraken priest (VGtM)*
19	1d4 sea trolls (swim 30 ft, hold breath up to 10 minutes) or roll on Coastal Monsters lvl 5-10
20	1 marid or 1 spirit troll* (MToF)*

Coastal Levels 11+

1d8+1d12	Coastal Levels 11+
2	1 adult bronze dragon or 1 leviathan* (MToF)*
3	1 marid and 1d4 water elementals or 1 nagpa* (MToF)*
4	2 young bronze dragons or 1 storm giant with 1d3 griffons
5	1 marid or 1d3+1 spirit trolls* (MToF)*
6	2d6+6 merrow and 1 sea hag or 1d3+1 the lonely* (MToF)*
7	2d4 air elementals or 1 frost giant everlasting one* (VGtM)*
8	3d6+10 sahuagin lead by 1 sahuagin priestess and 1 sahuagin baron
9	2d4 water elementals or 1 wastrilith* (MToF)*
10	2d6 veterans with a boat or 1 storm giant quintessent* (VGtM)*
11	Roll on Coastal lvl 5-10 or 1 balhannoth* (MToF)*
12	1 dragon turtle
13	1d2 storm giants or 1 morkoth* (VGtM)*
14	1d4+2 cyclops or 2d6+2 manticores
15	1 djinni or 1 stone giant dreamwalker (VGtM) with 1d2 stone giants
16	2 young blue dragons or 1 blue abishai* (MToF)*
17	1 storm giant mounted on a roc
18	Coven of 3 sea hags with 2d6 merrow or 1d2 eidolons* (MToF)*
19	1 adult blue dragon or 1 ki-rin* (VGtM)*
20	1 kraken or 1 elder tempest* (MToF)*

Coastal Beasts (Levels 1-4)

1d8+1d12	Coastal Beasts (Levels 1-4)
2	1 saltwater giant crocodile
3	1 pseudodragon or 1d2 manticores
4	2d4 blood hawks
5	2d4 giant poisonous snakes or 2d6 ponies
6	2d4 pteranodons
7	1 giant octopus or roll on Aquatic Beasts
8	1d4+1 saltwater crocodiles
9	1d3 plesiosauruses or roll on Aquatic Beasts
10	2d4 giant wolf spiders or 2d4 dimetrodons* (VGtM)*
11	2d6 giant crabs or roll on Aquatic Beasts
12	1d4+1 giant lizards
13	1d4 giant toads
14	2d6 stirges or 2d6 dolphins* (VGtM)*
15	1 swarm of crabs (swarm of insects stats)
16	1d2 brown bears or 1d2 quetzalcoatluses* (VGtM)*
17	2d4 giant crabs and 1 swarm of crabs (swarm of insects stats)
18	1d4 giant seagulls (as giant vulture) or 1 giant constrictor snake
19	1d2 griffons
20	1d4 giant eagles

Aquatic Beasts (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Aquatic Beasts (Levels 1-4)
2	2d4 aquatic giant poisonous snakes (swim speed 30 ft)
3	1d2 killer whales
4	1d4 giant octopi or 2d4 dimetrodons* (VGtM)*
5	1d4+1 reef sharks
6	2d6 giant crab or or 2d6 dolphins* (VGtM)*
7	1d6 giant sea horses
8	1d3 plesiosauruses or 1d3 hunter sharks
9	1d3 swarms of quippers
10	1 giant shark

Beach Encounters (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Beach Encounters (Levels 1-4)
2	1d6 bandits and 1 bandit captain with spades or 1d3 playful dragon hatchlings* (blue or bronze)*
3	1 sea hag or roll on Coastal Spirits lvl 1-4
4	1d4+1 giant lizards or 2d4 tribal warriors* on riding horses in the shallows*
5	A fishing boat with 2d4 commoners or Roll on Humanoid Encounters
6	2d6 giant crabs or roll on Beast Encounters
7	1d6 lizardfolk with canoes or 2d4 merfolk
8	1d3 plesiosauruses or 1d6 tortles* (VGtM) with 1 tortle druid (VGtM)*
9	2d4 awakened seaweeds (awakened shrub stats) or Roll on Coastal Monsters lvl 1-4
10	1 druid with... 1d4 saltwater crocodiles (or roll on Beast Encounters)

Beach Encounters (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6	Beach Encounters (Levels 5-10)
2	1 marid or 1d4 sea trolls* (swim 30 ft, hold breath up to 10 minutes)*
3	Coven of 3 sea hags or Roll on Coastal Spirits lvl 5-10
4	2d6+3 cultists with 1d4+1 cult fanatics and 1 priest and a boat with fiendish sigils
5	2d6 merrow or 1d6 chuuls
6	3d6 sahuagin led by 1d2 sahuagin priestesses or 1d2 kraken priests (VGtM) with 3d6 cultists
7	1d2 cyclops with... 1d4 giant toads (or roll on Beast Encounters)
8	A mass of seaweed with 1d2 shambling mounds and 2d4 vine blights
9	1d2 hydras or Roll on Coastal Monsters lvl 5-10
10	1 basking young dragon (blue or bronze)

Coastal Spirits (Levels 1-4)

1d4+1d6	Coastal Spirits (Levels 1-4)
2	1 air elemental or 1 water elemental
3	2d4 steam mephits or 1 shipwrecked ghost
4	1 sea hag
5	2d4 mud mephits or 1d2 vampiric mists* (MToF)*
6	1 water weird
7	1d4+1 ice mephits or 1d4 dust mephits
8	1d3 pegasi or 1d2 poltergeists
9	1 banshee or 2d4 animated sea objects (flying sword* stats)*
10	1 helmed horror

Coastal Spirits (Levels 5-10)

1d4+1d6	Coastal Spirits (Levels 5-10)
2	1 marid
3	1d4 air elementals or 1 water elemental with 1d4 water weirds
4	1 wraith and 2d4 specters or 1 frost salamander* (MToF)*
5	2d6+3 mephits (any mix of steam, mud, ice and dust)
6	1d3 wind spirits (invisible stalker stats)
7	1d4 water elementals or 1 of the lonely* (MToF)*
8	1 air elemental and 1d6 pegasi
9	Coven of 3 sea hags or 1 mist giant (cloud giant* stats)*
10	1 djinni or 1 spirit troll* (MToF)*

More Encounters