Heart of the Spider Woods - Encounters, Locations, Treasures and Hazards

"Spider Grove. Trees covered in webbing around metal statue of a spider. Investigate DC 15 reveals stairs under statue leading down. "

A location from the Inner Woods Locations random table.

[Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash]

The Spider Woods - Inner Woods Tables

The tables of the inner woods detail encounters, locations, treasures and hazards

The Spider Woods is an Adventure Site using random tables in a forest rife with eight-legged web-spinners. Use, adapt or steal anything that is useful for your games. Suitable for sandbox games, one shots, side quests or world building.

The themes of Druids [Dd], Drow [Dw], Fungi [Fu] and Goblins [Go] can be supported using the Spider Woods

Each table has entries supporting them.

Monsters from Other Sources

The following creatures would fit easily into the Spider Woods
Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. choker, deathlock, duergar kavalrachni, duergar mind master, duergar xarrorn, skulk, steeders, tortle druid, vampiric mist
Volos's Guide to Monsters. barghest, boggle, cave fisher, chitine, choldrith, grung (all), meenlock, nilbog, redcap, swarm of rot grubs, thorny, vegepygmy, vegepygmy chief, warlock of the archfey, xvart

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

Spider Woods tables - intro | outer woods | inner woods

Encounters of the Inner Woods

For only non-combat encounters roll 1d4, for only level 1 roll 1d8, or 1d12 for only levels 1-2.

1d20	Encounters of the Inner Woods
1	1 goblin leading a giant spider with saddle packs of herbs & plants. [Go]
2	A lonely drow artisan who makes spider tattoos for any who ask. [Dw]
3	Neb is a bugbear and respected breeder of spiders. Speaks Druidic. [Dd]
4	1d2 myconid adults and 2d4 myconid sprouts looking after fungi. [Fu]
5	1d8 tattooed goblins are eating mushrooms and speaking with normal spiders as part of training to become shaman. [Go] [Dd]
6	1 imp in spider form spies on the group. or roll on Beasts
7	1 giant toad of a type known to produce hallucinogenic venom. [Fu]
8	1d3 darkmantles follow party, attack when given the opportunity.
9	2d4 drow patrolling the area. Go for reinforcements if outmatched. [Dw]
10	Dama is an ogre who loves spiders (spellcasting as a druid, Wisdom 15).
11	1 giant spider and 1 swarm of spiders. or roll on Beasts
12	1d3 ghouls (or shadows* at night)* from the Shadowfell.
13	1d4+1 goblins led by 1 goblin boss mounted on a giant wolf spider. [Go]
14	A green hag with spider as emblem and treats them as her children. [Dd]
15	2 drow on giant spiders are giving bodies of quaggoths to a myconid adult to be used as spore servants.
16	1 ettercap with 1d2 giant wolf spiders. [Fu]
17	1 lizardfolk shaman with 1d4 giant spiders allies.[Dd]
18	1d3 quaggoths living in the trees. [Dw] [Dw]
19	1 myconid sovereign with 1d2 quaggoth spore servants tend fungi. [Fu]
20	A bloated goblin mutant with body of a spider (CR 5, use stats of drider with 90 hit points and two attacks instead of three). [Go]

Inner Locations of the Woods

1d20	Inner Locations of the Woods
1-2	Spider Nests. An overgrown path leads to web-covered trees above bone-littered ground. Humanoid corpses can be seen in the trees.
3-4	Goblin Trees. Huts in the trees connected by ropes and webbing. Brambles cover area below and fungi covers many trees in area. [Go]
5-6	Shaded Cairn. Mound of black rocks and goblin bones is a Shadowfell crossing. It is always in dim light, shaded by trees and mist. [Dw]
7-8	Grove of Sycamores. Trees on the edge of the clearing each have an animal carving. At the center is a tree carved with five spiders. [Dd]
9-10	Poison Ponds are several brightly-colored ponds filled with toads, fungi and toxins. here is a harmless swarm of flies in the area. [Fu]
11-12	Spider Temple of black stone dedicated to an evil power. It is hidden by a hallucinatory terrain looking like spider nests. [Dw]
13-14	Testing Climb. A tall tree is marked by spikes, patches of insects and strange fungi. Goblin names are carved on a shrine at the top [Go]
15-16	Thorny Garden Thick thorny hedges block access from the ground. In the center is a garden of mushrooms where druids often gather. [Dd]
17-18	Fungi Garden Spider-like fungi grow up stunted trees. Different fungi covers the ground, growing in bright patches of the same color. [Fu]
19-20	Spider Grove Trees covered in webbing around metal statue of a spider. Investigate DC 15 reveals stairs under statue leading down.

Treasures of the Woods

1d20	Treasures of the Woods
1-2	A jewelled dagger covered in spider designs worth 100 gp.
3-4	200 ft of rope made from spider silk and 1d4 doses of spider poison.
5-6	2d4 detailed crystal fungi that stick to anything. 25 gp each. [Fu]
7-8	A gold holy symbol set into a spider amulet worth 200 gp. [Dw]
9-10	1d4 potions of animal friendship in a spider-silk bag.
11-12	wand of web hidden inside a book titled An Encyclopedia of Spiders.
13-14	Finely made clothing with webbed patterns and dyed in bright colors.
15-16	A saddle of the cavalier or slippers of spider climbing [Go]
17-18	A poisoner's kit kept in a fine oak box worth 250 gp.
19-20	staff of swarming insects [Dd]

Hazards and Events of the Woods

1d20	Hazards and Events of the Woods
1-2	Shadow Visions from fungal spores or nightmares while asleep. Show foreboding site nearby leading to the Shadowfell or Underdark. [Dw]
3-4	A forest fire starts. or it is raining heavily.
5-6	Goblin Darts, warning signs in Goblin. Poison Darts (DMG p.123). [Go]
7-8	An Area of Razorvine (DMG pg 110) protects a hollow of spiders.
9-10	A heavy mist descends around party. or a thunder storm approches
11-12	Warning in a pool of water a dryad shows characters visions of intruders killed by spiders. Tries to get them to leave woods. [Dd]
13-14	Small Spiders cover the area. Hidden here is a treasure but extended searching attracts attention of 1d3 spider swarms that form.
15-16	Encounter insects carrying disease. or it starts to snow
17-18	Fungal Alarm System An area avoided by beasts is home to 1d3 shriekers which will attract other Encounters if activated. [Fu]
19-20	Several Snares which trigger a falling net (DMG p.122). If net is triggered likely to be goblins or spider creatures nearby.