The Best Random Encounters For Your Horror Campaign In DND

Random encounters in Dungeons & Dragons are always a must for any DM who wants to keep their players on their toes. But, there’s only so many times you can run the same ‘thieves on the road’ encounter before your adventuring party is sure to get bored. Plus, if you’re running a heavily themed campaign, an encounter like this might not feel in place.

If you’re running a horror setting for your campaign, you’ll want to be careful to make sure you’ve got specific, heavily themed random encounters ready to go. From variations upon old favorites to entirely new scenarios, this list has you covered. Here are 10 random encounters to use for a horror setting.

Remember, when running horror-themed encounters or settings, your goal is to scare the characters, not the players. Use the safety tools outline in Chapter One of the 2024 DM’s Guide for advice on how to approach potentially sensitive elements.

10

The Unmarked Grave

What Lies Beneath?

Somewhere along the side of the road, players stumble across an unmarked grave. Presumably, a body is laid to rest beneath. However, a note laid across the tomb reveals that the grave may in fact be the site of treasures untold.

Should players investigate further, the tomb is revealed to be a pitfall that party members can fall into, and is in fact, completely hollow. Deep beneath the surface of the unmarked grave, lies a den of undead thieves waiting to take what’s theirs. That is, unless the players can fight their way out.

9

A Chapel Under Siege

For Whom The Bell Tolls

In a small, haunted village, citizens rely on the local chapel as a holy ground safe from the undead dangers that prowl their farmlands. But, what happens when the safest place in town falls under siege? As the party stays the night in the village, church bells sound the alarm, alerting the group to the dangers outside.

A group of cultists, desperate to desecrate the holy site of the chapel, smash windows and set fire to the infrastructure. The party must weigh the challenges of saving the structure of the chapel, protecting innocent civilians stuck inside, and defeating the cultists. Whatever happens, this last bastion of hope and peace in the village must remain standing.

8

The Forest Fights Back

Watch Your Step

Gnarled and blackened trees pepper the surrounding landscape. Some terrible blight or curse has clearly affected the woods that the party traverses through. This becomes even more apparent when a tree branch springs to life, snagging the clothes of one party member.

The forest, suddenly alive and teeming with sentient necromantic trees, attacks! Players must fight off the trees and avoid their bark. The trees themselves carry a poison that can affect the players with a deadly blight.

7

Vampiric Transformation

Are Those…Fangs?

As players travel along a populated roadway, they come across a family whose caravan is parked on the side of the road. The youngest son is not feeling well, and the family is debating whether to stay put for the night. Players with an affinity for healing may try to assist, only to learn the horrible truth.

The boy has been afflicted with vampirism, and has possibly only a few hours before he turns. Players must seek out a cure. If they don’t, they may have to fight a freshly born vampire spawn come nightfall.

6

The Horseman

Not Necessarily Headless

Players come across a large stone bridge, narrow and precipitous. As they do, they notice a large looming figure on horseback on the other side of the bridge. This hooded figure suddenly charges the players!

If they avoid the horseman the first time, they may soon notice that the mounted assailant magically reappears, his ghost continuing his assault on the players over and over again until they either defeat the specter or cross safely. Otherwise, the threat of a long and lethal fall awaits uncareful party members!

5

The Traveling Salesman

Talk About Buyer’s Remorse

Either in the thick of an urban sprawl or along the road, players meet a kindly traveling salesman. He offers them rare and valuable wares, all of a magical variety. One item in particular sparks the player’s interest, perhaps an enchanted dagger or mask.

However, players may soon realize that they have been charmed or magically compelled into buying the item. And, what’s more, the item itself bears a curse that cannot be so easily undone. Working to break the charm on their fellow players will allow them to eventually keep the item, curse undone once and for all.

4

Campfire Stories

It’s Just A Story After All

As players settle in for a night around the campfire, a stranger appears. In exchange for valuable potions of healing and rations, the stranger will trade them advice and warnings on the surrounding area. If the party does not agree to the trade, the stranger vanishes. Otherwise, he warns them of nearby werewolf attacks.

Keen-eyed players may notice midway through this encounter that there is in fact a full moon hanging high in the sky. Either right there and then, or later in the night, if the stranger leaves, a werewolf wearing familiar clothing attacks the party. It’s up to them to either end the werewolf’s reign of terror or try to talk the creature out of it.

3

Fog Of War

Not Just For Dungeon Maps

A thick fog settles over the area the players inhabit, rendering their sight virtually useless. Inside the fog, players begin to see visions of lost loved ones, or other terrors. Have players use their abilities, feats that use wisdom, or make wisdom-saving throws to try to calm their nerves.

With enough successful checks, players can steel themselves and escape unharmed. However, the longer players remain in the fog, the worse the toll will be. Consider giving players various states of madness if they remain inside for too long.

2

The Lost Doll

A Girl’s Best Friend

As players navigate a dense city, one member of the party notices an orphaned girl drop a small doll, seemingly accidentally. Before they can return it to her, she vanishes. It’s up to the players to decide what to do next.

Should they return the doll, they’ll find that the doll is simply a lure for a foul demonic creature inhabiting the orphaned girl. If they refuse to return it, however, they would be wise to sleep with one eye open. The doll itself may in fact spring to life, attempting to stab players in their sleep.

1

An Abandoned Homestead

Where Is Everyone?

On the distant horizon, players spot a homestead with a windmill. If they approach, they see that it has been abandoned but was once a bustling farm. If they investigate, players may soon find out why.

The crops withered and the family was poisoned due to a necromantic blight that stems from the well on the property. Players must investigate the well and fell the necromantic beast that lives inside. Once they do, the farm magically returns to life.