group's journey passes safely. Otherwise, if more of the
par ty's check totals are less than 10 than greater than
10, the party accidentally stumbles across and awakens
a stand of shriekers. Their keening wail d raws monsters
to t he a rea.
Forest Oddities. The Abyssal influence on this region
is responsible for a variety of strange effects and weird
events. You can use the Drowned Forest Oddities ta-
ble to inject a sense of the surreal as characters travel
through the region. Roll a d20 or pick from the table
once per day of travel, and add new elements of your
own invention if you use up the table's entries.DROWNED FOREST ODDITIES
dl 0 Encounter
A human zombie is chained to a wooden stake driven
into the ground. The remains of many other zombies
lie nearby. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investi-
gation) or Wisdom (Survival) check reveals evidence
that the zombie is being used as target practice.
2 A 20-foot-diameter hut made from animal bones and
dry branches looms out of the swamp. The floor of
the hut is covered with humanoid teeth.
3 Visible from half a mile away, smoke rises from
a shrine built on large stones and dedicated to
Semuanya, god of the lizardfolk.
4 A hunter's shack has been overtaken by slimy moss.
Inside the shack, a humanoid skeleton lies on the
earthen floor; its exploded chest is, mysteriously, the
source of the moss.
S A 20 -foot-diameter pit is filled with fetid seawater.
Zombified starfish, anemones, and other tiny, harm-
less aquatic beasts dwell in the stinking pond.
6 A pile of rusted farm tools sits in the center of a
20-foot·diameter clearing.
7 An abandoned carriage is home to a black pudding.
A variety of fancy but acid-scorched clothing lies
gummed within the cab.
8 An intact sailing ship sits in the branches of a
low-growing grove of trees. The branches move in the
wind and emulate the motion of the sea.
9 A 40-foot-tall sculpture of a toad made from animal
waste emits a foul smell discernible from up to a mile
away. Five swarms ofinsects gather around it.
10 A SO-foot-diameter pool of pure clean drinking water
calls out to creatures who are within 100 feet of it.
Those who understand at least one language hear
their names being called.Random En counters. The Drowned Forest Random
Encounters table provides ideas for the sorts of encoun-
ters that can take place here. Check for an encounter
once per day by rolling a d20 (if the characters do not
already attract monsters by stumbling across shriekers).
On an 18 or higher, the characters have an encounter
at some point during the day or night (equal chance of
each); roll a d20 again and consult the table.
DROWNED FOREST RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d20 Encounter
1-3 ld4 awakened trees
4- 5 2d6 zombies
6-7 ld3 shambling mounds
8-9 2d4 myconid adults and 1 myconid sovereign
10 3d6 stirges
11 1 d3 trolls
12 2d4 gnolls and l gnoll pack lord
13 1 water elemental
14 1 vrock
15 2d6 manes
16 2d4 dretches
17 ld8 bullywugs
18 l d4 vine blights
19 2d8 twig blights
20 2d4 needle blightsHOOL MARSHES
The treacherous Hool Marshes are notorious for pools
of water that seem easy to cross but hide deep wells and
layers of mud. The area is full of tall, sickly trees and
great swarms of biting insects. None but the desperate
venture into this place, making it the ideal hiding place
for outlaws or raiders.
S tinging Insects. The vast number of mosquitoes and
other pests in the marshes makes camping difficult. If
the party tries to take a short or long rest, one character
must make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a suc-
cessful check, the group gains the benefit of the rest. On
a failed check, the insects prove too bothersome and the
group gains no benefit from the rest.
Random Encounters. The Hool Marshes Random
Encounters table provides ideas for the sort of encoun-
ters that can take place here. Check for an encounter
once per day by rolling a d20. On an 18 or higher. the
characters have an encounter at some point during the
day or night (equal chance of each): roll a d20 again and
consult the table.HOOL MARSHES RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d20 Result
1 -3 2d10 bullywugs
4-5 2d6 bandits
6- 7 2d4 vine blights with ld6 needle blights
8-9 l d4 poisonous snakes
10 3d6 rats
11 ld6gianttoads
12 ld4 crocodiles
13 2d6 kobolds
14 2d6 lizardfolk
15 l hydra
16 1 shambling mound
17 1 green hag and ld3 will-o'-wisps
18 l d3 trolls
19 1 d4 ochre jellies
20 1 young black dragonlll\l''ll'f.tl SALTMARSH~
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