Summary
If you’re a Dungeon Master (DM) leading a party through aDungeons & Dragonscampaign, chances are you’ve either had the group travel through a forest or plan to in the future. A forest setting is a common biome that can play host to many travels, encounters, and the like.
However, it can be difficult to always come up with something on the spot during long periods of walking or riding toward the next objective. So keeping a few, ready-to-go ideas handy can really help not only speed things up for the players but can make your job as a DM easier too.
9Beasts And Animal Encounters
This is always a quick and easy way to inject some combat into an otherwise slow, traveling montage. Whether the players spot a rare beast while passing through, or they get attacked at night while trying to take a Long Rest, the party will have to react by either taking up arms, fleeing, or disabling the creature without killing it.
Though it doesn’t always have to be a beast that is enraged or looking for a fight. They could find a bear with its paw caught in a trap, a wounded animal they can heal, or a dead creaturethey can investigate to see what caused the damage, giving them evidence that they have bigger problems on the horizon.
If you have a copy of Xanather’s Guide To Everything, there is a d100 table of such encounters so that you can roll in the middle of a session or beforehand and have your players battle the resulting monster.
8Poachers Or A Black Market
Keeping with the theme of animals, poachers, like bandits, are a popular and quick way to challenge your players. It gives your party the opportunity to come across something they don’t like or can’t sit idly knowing that beautiful creatures are being trapped, attacked, or captured.
you may expand upon this further by having the players find a black market hidden in the woods where a number of big bads gather to sell or purchase illegally gotten goods. Or, you can flip the table on your players and have them attacked by a group of poachers or customers of this shady business that don’t want witnesses.
7False Floor
Having a false floor or a floor trap is always a fun way to catch players off guard. It’s also an option that can be highly customized depending on the level of your player characters (PCs) or how they like to play. Does the ground give way to spikes? Do they step on a trap made of ropes that hoist them into the tree canopy above? They can also fall into an underground cave or dungeon that they have to navigate through.
It’s also a way you can split the party, causing panic among the players. Have them all roll an acrobatics check or a dexterity saving throw. Those that succeed stay above ground while the others plummet below.
6Quicksand Or Mud
This was always a hazard used in cartoons, making it seem like it would be a major life problem. In real life, most of us may never encounter this issue, but that doesn’t mean it can’t become your players' problem. Quicksand or quick mud can catch your players off-guard and shake up the monotony of otherwise uneventful travel.
Again, you’re able to have players roll to quickly escape. But another, fun option would be to have high rolls put them in more danger. For example, if you have them roll something based on dexterity, instead of a high roll getting the player out of there, it acts as more movement that causes the sand or mud to pull them in further. Once that’s been seen by the players, just sit back and smile as they figure out what to do.
5Wildfires And Flooding
A forest on fire can be a huge problem for the party to deal with, especially if there’s something else at play. Fires can be caused by natural sources, such as lightning, but they can also be set or caused by the arcane. It can be the fault of your players, but it can also be lit by an enemy or creature.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you can suddenly have too much water. A flash flood can chase your party or sweep them away and cause numerous saves to get them out of the water or to a calmer part of it. Or the players can come to an overflowed river and have to decide if they’re going to try and calm it, find another way, or help anyone caught up in the rapids.
Combat rounds can be useful in a setting where things are moving fast. You can rely on initiative to plot out who’s doing what and how the situation continues to change in an organized way.
4Elementals
One reason there could be floods or wildfires in the forest is because of some pesky or raging Elementals. The common Elementals in the Monster Manual are Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. No matter which you decide to use, if they are appearing in the Material Plane, they may have a reason to fight.
you’re able to also use them as a tool, summoned by an enemy spellcaster, either to cause havoc or to attack the party or an NPC. No matter why or how they arrived in this setting, they pose a threat to players and the environment around them if they aren’t returned to their plane or defeated quickly.
3Treants And Awakened Trees
This could take the party by surprise, or they could hear the loud stomping or these animated trees. Either way, they are sure to spice up a walk through the woods. Things could go well for a group of adventurers as Treants are good creatures. They can warn them of danger or come to their aid if they are under attack. However, they can also mimic the duties of The Lorax, speaking for the inanimate trees and lashing out against anyone who harms the forest.
Awakened Trees are a different monster and resemble Golems in the way that they can be brought to life by a spellcaster. They could be ordered to go after the party or protect an area or hideout, ready to beat back the players if they get too close.
2Spores
In the world of gaming, it’s hard not to think ofThe Last of Uswhen you mention spores. But they can be a very versatile option to hold onto until a rainy day. Your party can come to an overgrown section of the forest that has evasive mushrooms covering trees, logs, stumps, maybe even bones. A wrong move or passing through the area can cause spores to surround them.
These can cause status conditions like poisoning. It can give them a disease. You could even have it cause maddness in your PCs or give them intense hallucinations. you’re able to even go all the way and make it so that zombie-like creatures or undead rise up to attack.
1Carnivorous Plants
There are a number ofcarnivorous plants in the D&D source books. Many of them, when they remain completely still, are undetectable, allowing them to completely surround the party, multiples of them attacking and wrapping around the players.
In this situation, a forest environment will suddenly become a living nightmare for the party. It may be the smartest move to try to escape as quickly as possible. They can also stay and fight at the risk of being eaten or swallowed whole. These monsters work well in a forest since they can blend in easily and pose little threat until the party is relaxed or close enough to bite.
