Adrift! A harrowing mini-adventure at sea.

Drake's ship with billowing sales, 1588.
Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

Adrift! A harrowing mini-adventure at sea.

Overview: The PCs' ship sinks at sea, and they must assemble a raft and survive until rescued.

Set Sail! (d8)--The adventure begins with the PCs on a ship at sea. If the DM has a hook that places the PCs on a ship at sea, then that can be used. If the DM needs a hook, roll 1d8 and consult the table below:

1. Coastal transport ship/ferry headed from one coastal town to the next, PCs are simply paying passengers

2. Fishing boat--PCs are working for fisherman to make extra coin, or working as guards if fish men, etc., are a threat

3. Merchant ship headed to foreign port, PCs are going to better jobs, pilgrimage, quest to find magic item, etc.

4. Merchant ship headed back to home port, PC's are merchants headed home with trade goods

5. Pirate ship headed out to raid, PCs are pirates

6. Warship headed to battle, PCs are crewmembers/mercenaries

7. Explorers' ship headed into uncharted waters, PC's are guards (fighters), ship chaplain (cleric), navigator (wizard), scoundrel crewmember (rogue).

8. Slave galley -- PC's are slaves (rowers), or slave guards.

J.M.W. Turner. The Shipwreck. 1805. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

The Wreck (d12)--The ship sinks in the middle of the night while the PCs are sleeping. The reason is:

1. Iceberg (cold seas) Coral reef (warm seas)

2. Storm/Hurricane

3. Whirlpool

4. Rocks/Shoal/Sandbar

5. Collision with other ship (accident) in fog

6. Rammed by pirate ship. Pirates laugh and sail away.

7. Rogue wave

8. Huge underwater creature. Grabs a few NPCs for dinner and retires to its watery lair. Unimportant for rest of story.

9. Rot/worms (ship falls apart). Gotta do your maintenence, people.

10. Meteorite punches hole all the way through ship. Damn, what were the chances?

11. Huge waterfall due to upthrust fault in seafloor (ship goes over falls and breaks apart)

12. Ship cargo unbalanced, ship flips over. (Longshoremen were drunk. I know, improbable, right?)

Abandon Ship!--The PC's must quickly abandon the sinking ship in nothing but their underwear. In the chaos of darkness, screams, and raging water, each PC is able to hurriedly find and grab only two items (PC's choice) from their inventory. That's it! Into the water! [DM Option: The PCs gear can be recovered later, after the PCs are rescued. The rescuers found the PCs gear floating in trunks at sea, it was washed up on shore, or whatever.]

Flotsam and Jetsam (d100)--Splashing into the sea in their underwear, clutching their two items, the PC's watch their doomed ship slip beneath the sea. Luckily, broken pieces of the ship and many random items float in the water nearby. Each PC rolls 3 times on the table below to see what they can find in the water around them:

1. A wooden hull plank 1ft wide and 10ft long.
2. A leather belt
3. 50 ft of rigging rope
4. A pair of leather shoes, laces tied together
5. A 5x7 ft blanket
6. A 10x10 ft piece of sail
7. 2 flasks of whale oil
8. A wooden crate of hardtack sailors' biscuits (7 days for 3 people)
9. A keg of ale
10. A chicken
11. A small pig
12. A small child
13. A wooden shortbow
14. A tinderbox
15. Two soggy torches
16. Two decking boards, each 6"*10 ft
17. The ship's steering wheel, wooden, 4ft diameter
18. A large cloth sack
19. A rat
20. A cloth crew hammock (5x7ft)
21. A 20ft piece of rigging rope
22. A 20 ft long, 2 ft diameter piece of mast
23. A wooden bucket
24. A 60 ft piece of rope
25. A wooden crate of salted fish
26. A wooden crate of salted pork
27. A wooden fishing pole with line and hook
28. A bar of soap
29. A keg of fine wine
30. A keg of fresh water
31. A wooden oar
32. A 1'*2'*10' wooden piece of keel
33. 2"*1'*10' wooden piece of transom
34. 1"*4"*10' wooden rib
35. 2"*6"*12' wooden gunwale
36. 8'diameter*20' wooden boom
37. 2"*12"*20' thwart
38. 10'*10' rope cargo netting
39. A wooden foot stool
40. A wooden table top
41. A wooden door
42. A 100 ft piece of rope
43. A keg of cooking lard
44. The ship's tattered flag
45. A wooden chest (contains 4 sets of fine clothes)
46. A wooden chest (contains six daggers packed in sawdust)
47. A wooden chest (contains six bottles of rum packed in sawdust)
48. A wooden crate (filled with 48 candles packed in sawdust)
49. Halyard rope 40'
50. Wooden yardarm pole 10inch diam*30'
51. Wooden crate of 36 arrows packed in sawdust.
52. A waterskin half-filled with fresh water
53. A 20ft*20ft section of cargo net
54. A bewildered mahi fish--grab him!
55. A cloth cloak
56. A cloth robe
57. A scared dog
58. A jellyfish (50% chance d4 sting damage)
59. A wooden mermaid from the ship's prow
60. A wooden shield
61. A 10' wooden pole
62. An old shirt
63. A dead crewmember (with only cloth pants and shirt)
64. A small crate of 2 dozen eggs packed in sawdust.
65. A live mermaid who gives you a tip--compass direction to closest land
66. A pair of sturdy woolen socks
67. A soggy, 1st level wizard spell scroll
68. A soggy, 1st level cleric spell scroll
69. A 3*3ft portion of a navigation map
70. A cargo hook stuck in a crate lid
71. A ship captain's hat
72. A treasure map
73. A crate of mermaid fins (highly offensive to mermaids)
74. A crate full of wine bottle corks
75. A leather backpack
76. The ship's log book
77. A potion of healing (d6) in a stoppered leather flask
78. A potion of water breathing (10 mins)
79. A potion of swimming (1 hr)
80. A fishing gaff, 6 ft
81. A cast net, 8 ft diameter, for catching small bait fish
82. A mop for swabbing the decks!
83. A fishman trying to steal your stuff and then swim for safety!
84. A 1'*2'*10' wooden piece of keel
85. 2"*1'*10' wooden piece of transom
86. 1"*4"*10' wooden rib
87. 2"*6"*12' wooden gunwale
88. 8'diameter*20' wooden boom
89. 2"*12"*20' thwart
90. A cloth crew hammock (5x7ft)
91. A 20ft piece of rigging rope
92. A 20 ft long, 2 ft diameter piece of mast
93. A wooden bucket
94. A 30 ft piece of windlass rope
95. Two decking boards, each 6"*10 ft
96. A cask of fresh water
97. A 20'*10' piece of sail
98. A wooden crate with 6 cheese rounds
99. A cask of whale oil (for lamps)
100. A crate of hardtack sailors' biscuits

The Raft--Based on the items they scavenge from the water, the PC's must describe to the DM how they construct a survival raft. The raft will be the PC's home until they are rescued, reach shore, or die at sea.

Sixteenth-century_log_rafts_off_Puerto_Viejo,_Ecuador.
Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

Sunburn--If the PC's are missing clothing, they suffer 1hp sunburn damage each day.

Water--The PC's need one gallon of water/beer/wine per person per day to avoid exhaustion. PC's gain one level if exhaustion each day they are without water. If it rains, PC's may attempt to collect rainwater using the items they have collected, and the DM can judge their success (choose a DC and roll). (For example, the PC's need a container and something to collect/channel rain into the container, or perhaps they can come up with a more creative idea.)

Food--The PC's need 2 pounds of food per day per person. Constitution and max hp are reduced by one point each for every three days without food. The PC's may attempt to fish if they have the equipment or can innovate a way to do so.

Fishing (d20)--If a PC chooses to fish, they must fish the whole day and do nothing else. For each PC fishing, roll on the following table and apply any applicable modifiers:

1-15. No catch

16-17. Food for 1 person 1 day

18. Food for 2 persons 1 day

19. Food for 4 persons 1 day

20. Food for 8 persons 1 day

Modifiers:

+/- Dex modifier

Fishing Skill/Proficiency +2

Fishing Line > 20 ft +2

Nothing for Bait -4

Nothing for Hook -4

Fishing along Sargassum Weed Line (see Random Encounters) +2

Mahi-mahi, tuna, or turtle swims by (see Random Encounters) +2

Strong winds or hurricane -2

Weather--Roll for weather each day. 50% chance weather remains the same as yesterday. If weather changes, roll 1d12 on table below (re-roll if you get the same weather as yesterday).

1. Hurricane (tremendous wind, rain and gigantic waves)
2. Storm (strong wind, rain and waves, frequent lightning, hail)
3. Heavy Rain (no wind)
4. Light Rain (no wind)
5. Clouds, Strong Wind
6. Clouds, Light Wind
7. Clouds, No Wind
8. Fog, Light Wind
9. Fog, Calm
10. Sun, Strong Wind
11. Sun, Light Wind
12. Sun, No Wind (Doldrums)

Random Encounters--Roll d6 once per day, and again once per night. On 1 or 2, there is an encounter; roll d100 on table below.

1. Giant Moonfish [if you kill it, food for 1d12 days for 4 people. skin can be harvested and glows like the moon at night, for 1d3 nights; if you don't kill it, it will slowly push the raft toward safety--increase chances of rescue to 1-3 on d12 daily rescue roll, see Rescue table below; PCs don't know this. Okay, maybe a druid knows this, DC 16 Wis check]
2. A flock of ducks fly by overhead. Within bow or sling range, if you have a bow or sling. [they are flying in the direction of land, DC 8 Wis check for druid or ranger to know this]
3. Large waterspout swirls toward you (might wreck your raft, might lose any stuff you have accumulated on your raft)
4. Whirlpool (might wreck your raft, you might drown) [if PCs are sailing, DC 12 Dex check to avoid; if PCs are rowing, DC 12 Strength check to avoid; if PCs are drifting, DC 14 Wisdom (praying) check to avoid, add any cleric's Wisdom modifier]
5. Flying Fish jump onto raft and flop around (free food! for 4 people for 1 day)
6. Jellyfish float by (roll 1d6: 1-2 stinging, 3-6 free food for 4 people for 1 day)
7. School of mahi-mahi school swims by (food! If you can catch them.)
8. School of tuna swims by (food! If you can catch them.)
9. Sharks circle the raft (d6: 1-3 they attack, 4-6 they don't) (you can eat shark, just sayin')
10. Killer whales (orcas) attack raft. You see their fins coming from 1/4 mile away. Not good.
11. Merfolk patrol riding seahorses observe you from a distance; they are wary. After observing for 30 minutes, they (d6: 1 attack, 2-3 just leave, 4-5 give each PC a few fish equivalent to 3 days of food, 6 say they will guide a rescue vessel in your direction--increase your chances of being rescued to 1-3 on the daily Rescue Roll)
12. Whippers circle the raft, bumping it, nudging it, making it wobble--don't fall in!
13. Whale swims within spear distance [if PCs slay it, food for a month and 20 flasks of oil, if they have container(s); if PCs befriend it, maybe it agrees to carry them inside its mouth to safety]
14. Sargassum seaweed line (roll 1d6: 1-3: mahi-mahi fish swimming beneath (food!), 4-5: nothing, just weed, 6: giant crab(s) beneath, waiting in ambush)
15. Wild herd of Giant Sea Horses (can you rope then and ride them to safety?)
16. School of large marlin fish swims by, jumping in and out of the water, passing right over your raft (food!, but they might spear you!)
17. Devil rays (Ixitxachitl). Just trying to pronounce it does 1 hp of damage.
18. Rocks ahead! If you don't avoid them, they wreck your raft. [if PCs are sailing, DC 12 Dex check to avoid rocks; if PCs are rowing, DC 12 Strength check to avoid rocks; if PCs are drifting, DC 14 Wisdom (praying) check to avoid rocks, add any cleric's Wisdom modifier]
19. Sandbar (in middle of ocean!)--raft is stuck on it (swarm of crabs in it, waiting in ambush; they attack, of course) (maybe pirates buried some treasure in the sandbar, maybe.) (maybe the pirates are coming back to retrieve any treasure they left on the sandbar, maybe)
20. You float over a relatively shallow bit of ocean. The sea floor is visible, about 100 feet down. You see a treasure chest on the bottom. Can you reach it? What is in it? Is it trapped?
21. Through the highly improbable constructive interference of multiple waves in a wave train, a single, large, powerful wave approaches [say, 40 feet high]. The wave is not about to crest, or break; it's just passing through. Can you ride/surf the wave to reach safety more quickly? [if the PCs figure out a way to ride the wave, increase their chances of being rescued to 1-3 on the daily d12 rescue roll, see Rescue table below]
22. Pirates attack and attempt to capture you and sell you as slaves
23. Pirates attack and attempt to kill you. Can you convince them to take all your gear back on shore as a ransom?
24. Everyone roll for seasickness (if sick, -3 all rolls)
25. Giant Albatross seen far above, doesn't see you. sigh.
26. Sea Turtles swim by! Food? or friends?
27. Double Rainbow far away (+1 lucky roll today)
28. Another raft of castaways drifts into view. (friend or foe?)
29. Your raft is drifting towards a mysterious, round, black hole in the surface of the ocean, about 20 feet in diameter. The surrounding water is not falling into the hole, but rather seems to go around it. The hole is bottomless black, with small, golden sparkles, like glitter, floating around inside. Do you go in, or attempt to go around? [The hole is a dimension door to another, identical hole, in the middle of another ocean. The PCs can go back and forth between the two oceans by using the holes. If a PC can read the stars [druid or ranger Wisdom check?], they can tell that the holes are in different oceans.]
30. Raft floats over reef [about 10 feet below surface of the water] with giant clams (chomp for d10 dam), some have valuable pearls inside.
31. Giant bank of sea foam, floating on the ocean, engulfs the raft. Zero visibility. Maybe something is hiding in there. Maybe not.
32. Iceberg (cold climate) or Coral Reef (hot climate). Avoid it, or your raft gets messed up.
33. Lighthouse far away, passes slowly by (sigh)
34. Sea Dragon (passes by far below, beneath the surface). Maybe it sees you, maybe not.
35. Giant Red Snapper Fish (turns over raft?, spear it?)
36. Whale attempts to swallow raft. Is it a bad whale trying to eat you, or a good whale trying to take you to safety inside its mouth?
37. You hear a weird clicking sound coming from under the water. It grows louder. Now the you mention it, it sounds like clicking pincers. Giant Crab attack!
38. A large, floating "raft of garbage" drifts by. Scavenge for food (2 days for 4 people, though a bit smelly) and another 3 items from the Flotsam and Jetsam table above! At least one Swarm of Crabs is probably in it, and Whippers are probably below it.
39. Bubbles from underwater vent (Raft loses buoyancy and falls through the bubbles (1d10)*10 feet, then the water rushes back in. You're now underwater, dude.)
40. You land on an island! ... inhabited by cannibals. (You hear drums.)
41. Zombie pirates attack from below. One of them is named Jak Sparrow.
42. Message in a bottle. A treasure map [adventure hook]. If only you had a boat (and your gear!).
43. Dead whale floats by. Scavenge it! Food and oil! (Probably something else scavenging the whale, too, something else that wants to eat you.)
44. Flock of giant, flying, killer, blue-footed boobies attacks. Beak attack, bludgeon attacks with blue, webbed feet, try to knock you off the raft.
45. Sirens attempt to lure you onto rocks and wreck your raft. And charm you into staying with them ... forever.
46. The current here is very strong and pushing the raft toward a narrow channel between two jagged reefs/rocks/cliffs that could wreck your raft and slash your pitiful bodies. [lots of Dex checks and Strength checks ensue]
47. Scylla (monster) and Charybdis (whirlpool). The current is taking you right between them.
48. One of the PCs has a vivid dream (night) or daydream (day) in which someone says "Release the Kraken!" The PC wakes up in a cold sweat and has the Frightened condition for one day.
49. Dragon flies by far overhead. Probably doesn't see you ... probably.
50. Harpies, a gaggle of filthy, stinking harpies, decide to toy with you, and maybe kill and eat you.
51. Koalinth cannibals on outrigger canoes. They are hungry, and they can row fast.
52. Meteorite shower--can you dodge them on your raft!
53. The End of the Rainbow-- you found it! Now bargain with the leprachon standing on the rainbow to get the treasure. Solve a riddle.
54. Wavy seas toss a character into the water (make DC 10 Dex save to catch hold of the raft as it drifts by, or make DC 10 Strength save to swim and catch up to the raft, PC's choice)
55. The motion of the wavy seas has loosened/broken whatever bonds you used to hold your raft together. The raft breaks into parts. Can you gather them and re-assemble your raft?
56. A rogue wave knocks a random item off the raft into the sea.
57. A rogue wave knocks a random PC into the sea.
58. Island to starboard! (turns out to be a mirage)
59. Crystal ooze slime monster slithers onboard. Probaly at night. Ew.
60. Drift into giant kelp forest. Raft gets stuck in the kelp. Easier to find food (+2 on fishing check rolls), but ... you're stuck in kelp, dude.
61. Drift into giant marsh grass estuary. Raft gets stuck in the grass. You can see land in the distance, on the horizon, like 10 miles across the marsh grass. The good news: lots of food--many waterfowl, small crabs, and fish. The bad news: lots of monsters like to live in the swampy estuary (because there is lots of food ... including you).
62. Killer seaweed attacks with grappling stalks! Attempts to strangle you, then absorb your nutrients as your body decomposes. Primative, but effective.
63. (1d10)*100 seagulls simultaneously attempt to perch on the raft (fight them off or 1-in-10 chance of capsizing raft per 100 seagulls)
64. Land ahead! But wind is blowing away from it. (If sailing, can you tack against the wind? [DC 16 Dex check]; If rowing, can you row *really* hard? [DC 16 Str check]; If drifting, can you pray *really* hard? [DC 16 Wis check for your god to change the direction of the wind, but only if you are a cleric])
65. Talking porpoises swim by and give you a tip/advice (Example: "Eat the mahi-mahi, not the mackerel, around here. The mackerel are really oily."]
66. Whale breaches water and falls on raft, breaking it in two, spilling everything into the sea (d6: 1-4 it was an accident, 5-6 on purpose)
67. Giant squid attacks ('nuf said)
68. Rot worms in salvaged wood from ship attack you while sleeping (as rot grubs)
69. If you have food, it's bad and makes you sick (DC 10 Const save, or Poisoned condition for 1 day)
70. Swordfish jump back and forth over raft, attempting to stab characters -- swordfight! (unrealistic, yes, but fun!)
71. Sea snakes slither onto raft--hisss!
72. Giant tube worm reaches up from seabed below to swallow the raft.
73. An item floats into view (Roll on Flotsam and Jetsam Table)
74. Music, laughing, singing wafts out of the fog--a party! A large merchant ship looms into view, collision course, distracted, they don't hear you (the party is too loud), cleaves your raft in two, disappears into the night ..
75. Two seals/walruses jump onto the raft! Er, now what?
76. Four lanterns in the fog--a ship! (actually, will-o-wisps)
77. A war galley of orcs approaches, goblin slaves do the rowing. Can you turn the goblins against the orcs?
78. "Starfish" fall from the sky, glowing, alight delicately upon the water, sink slowly to the depths below.
79. A group of 5+d20 coconuts float by (water and food!)
80. A ghost ship silently looms into view. Er, ghosts.
81. Phosphorescent mist--green (temporary insanity, think friends turn into monsters, you attack them)
82. Windsurfers (migrating island natives who use wooden surfboards with kites, wooden catamarans with sails, neutral alignment)
83. Northmen longboat, southmen dohw, or eastmen junk, depending on location. They can't stop to pick you up (they don't want to risk catching the plague from you), but they do throw you (roll 1d6): 1. a sack full of ballast rocks (they laugh at you as they sail away); 2. a small tent (can shield you from sunburn); 3. four water skins with a gallon of fresh water in each; 4. a ten-foot pole and a 10x10 ft piece of sail canvas; 5. a fishing pole, 40' of fishing line, and a fishing hook; 6. a sack with two days of food for four people,
84. Sahuagin Patrol. You are intruding on their territory, so of course they attack you, with nets [grappling attack] and tridents. They ride manta rays and blow a "war conch" when attacking on the surface. They can use the conch to summon a few sharks as allies, which they can command with telepathy. [Weakness--These Sahuagin are scared of magic; any magic spell that they can sense has the additional effect of a Cause Fear spell, as if a second Cause Fear spell were cast]
85. The PCs' raft drifts into a zone of Sleep Algae that exude an toxin that diffuses into the water and the air above. The toxin induces sleep, DC 14 Constitution save to avoid the effect, or nighty-night for 8 hours.
86. Elves in swanboat, on way to Avalon. Look down their noses at you, decline to help.
87. A squadron of paper lanterns appears in distance and float overhead (each has the message: Where are you? If an accurate answer is written in return and lantern released, when they disappear over the horizon, a Marid (water Genji) will arrive and teleport them to shore, in return for completing a quest)
88. A large Armor Fish swims along the boat. If it can be caught, it provides 12 days food for 4 people, and armor plates for a suit if lightweight plate armor.
89. A lone rock rises from the water--a dragon nest. Three dragon eggs are on the rock, together with d20*100 pearls and d20*10 aquamarine gems. Where's mama?
90. A young but unattractive lady is crying in a drifting rowboat (a Sea hag) (the rowboat has a capacity of 4 people)
91. Water spiders--They are large, but very light, with very long legs splayed out to the side. They run accross the surface of the water.
92. Water elemental--First appears as a thin, 15' high waterspout moving across the water *unconnected to any clouds above*. Wants everyone in the water. Uses bludgeon attacks to knock everyone into the water. Does not attack anyone in the water. Leaves after everyone is in the water.
93. Water mephit--[as the PCs are actively involved in some other activity on the raft] Suddenly, you notice a Water Mephit watching you from behind, arms folded on the edge of your raft, chin resting on arms, its scaly blue-green body in the water. It's large black eyes blink as it smiles at you. It beckons for you to bring your water containers to it. After filling them with clean, fresh water, it swims away with a pod of passing porpoises, jumping, splashing and frolicking.
94. Three entangled bodies from the PC's shipwreck float by ... one of them is now a Lacedon (sea ghoul), playing dead, but it's not dead ...
95. Water giant, riding a whale, passes by. Roll 1d6: 1-takes a swing at your raft with his club; 2-pauses, takes a long, hard, look at you, laughs heartily and passes you by; 3-the whale opens its mouth and returns two pieces of your gear (not two pieces per person, only two, the party's choice) that it found floating upon the sea; 4-asks his whale to do a whale song (but why? for what purpose?) ; 5-takes two goats out of his pocket and sets them on your raft (milk? food?); 6-hitches your raft to his whale and says he'll tow you to shore.
96. Merrow (fish men) scouting party. They are hungry and want to eat you. Attack with harpoons attached to their waists by long, strong, seaweed "vines." On a harpoon hit, they attempt to drag you into the water towards them [Strength contest to drag]. If you slay them, you can eat them--they taste like grouper.
97. Giant mosquitos (as stirges). Want to attach to you and suck your blood. Ew!
98. A dead "Eye of the Deep" floats by. The PCs can harvest its left eye to cast a Paralytic Ray [one use]. The target must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. The PCs can harvest its right eye to cast an Enfeeblement Ray [one use]. The target must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or deal half damage with all attacks that use Strength for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
99. DM's choice: A brightly-glowing angel [or fiery, sparking, demon] streaks by overhead. If an angel, it tosses a cluster of 12 coconuts down to you [food and water for 4 people for 1 day] as it continues on to pursue more important business. If a demon, it tosses a mini Fireball [1d10 damage to all, save for half] at you.
100. A Sea God appears with words of wisdom [roll 1d6]: 1: every parent really should teach their kids how to swim, 2: I thought about not putting sharks in the sea, but they were just too cool, 3: on the one hand, the merrow (fish men) want to eat you, but on the other hand, you can eat them ... mm, fair, 4: you really should try to make a sail [if the PCs have a sail, then the god says rudder; if they have both, the god says it was smart to make a sail and rudder, I'll try to send you some wind], 5: I love to surf when no one's watching; hence, waves, 6: trying to sail [or row] that puny little raft across my big stormy ocean, I mean, really, what were you thinking!

Rescue--Each day, roll d12. On a roll of 1, you are rescued (maybe). Roll another d12 on the table below to determine the manner of your rescue.

1. Pirates "rescue" you and force you to join the crew. They like to bully you around.

2. You land on a deserted island. Great, just "a bigger raft." (but, it does have trees with fruits and nuts, a freshwater spring, and maybe small game, and maybe a monster ...)

3. You are found by a passing troop carrier. You are drafted and must join their army and fight in their war.

4. Giant albatrosses carry you to shore, a faraway, mysterious shore.

5. Your raft lands on a huge mudflat along a coast, one mile off a sandy beach. Mud is thick, difficult terrain, tide (10 ft deep) comes in every 12 hours (er, what time is it!)

6. Friendly Merfolk invite you to visit their realm and have a feast. They think you are fascinating and want you to stay ... forever.

7. You are found by a coastal patrol vessel. They are trying to catch smugglers. Are you friend or foe? ("Show us your I.D.!"--a humorous moment)

8. You are found by smugglers and offered a piece of the action. The smugglers are trying to avoid the coastal patrol vessel. Lawful good PCs may try to signal the patrol vessel to have the smugglers arrested.

9-10. You are found by a passing merchant vessel. What cargo are they carrying? The crew are secretly planning a mutiny. Do the PCs help or hinder the mutineers?

11-12. You are found by a passing fishing vessel or whaler. If a fishing vessel, your raft is caught in their nets, damaging them, before they notice you, and they are not happy about it. If a whaler, they have a whale harpooned, and the whale is dragging their vessel across the sea; they are waiting for the whale to tire before slaying and processing it. Whom do the PCs help, the whalers, or the whale?

Using Mage Hand in Combat

Some say the Mage Hand spell is not useful in combat. . . . I disagree.

 

Mage Hand spell description (5e SRD): "A spectral, floating hand appears at a point you choose within range. The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again.  You can use your action to control the hand. You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it.  The hand can't attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds."

TACTICS USEFUL AGAINST ANY FOE

• hold torch or lantern while PCs fight, freeing a PC's hand for a weapon or shield
• hold a shield in front of PC (in 5e, a basic shield weighs 6 lb)
• trip a known trap while PCs remain at safe distance
• empty a flask oil; drop a torch on the pool of oil
• pour a healing potion in PC's mouth
• drop a 10-lb stone from 30 ft in the air onto foe's head (if DM allows)
• drop something loud to distract a guard while PC sneaks or backstabs
• place upside-down bucket on foe's head, over and over again
• tie foe's shoelaces together
• pull foe's pants down around ankles
• throw sand in foe's eyes
• spread grease or ball bearings to cause foe to fall prone
• spread caltrops to slow down foe
• hold a strip of cloth/sack/hanky in front of foe's eyes as a blindfold
• put a sack over foe's head, blinding for a round
• ring a bell in the ear of a foe to distract the foe
• use needle/nail/knife to put holes in foes' water skins, potion flasks, etc.
• use torch to set fire to foe's clothes, backpack, sacks
• use torch to set fire to anything foe is standing on/in/behind (wooden shield, wooden wall, wooden house, wooden catwalk behind battlement, wooden table, wooden door, etc.) to obscure foe's vision or force foe to leave cover/position

 
TACTICS USEFUL AGAINST HAND-HELD WEAPON USERS

• hold a buckler or shield in front of PC (in 5e, a basic shield weighs 6 lb)
• untie foe's scabbard belt or weapon straps
• use torch to set fire to foe's scabbard or weapon straps
• "hold hands" with one of the foe's hands so that the foe cannot pick up a weapon (primary hand) or hold a shield (secondary hand)

 
TACTICS USEFUL AGAINST ARCHERS OR SLINGERS

• steal arrows from foe's quiver
• use torch to set fire to foe's quiver
• use torch to set fire to archer's arrows, burn off feathers, decrease arrow accuracy
• use knife or scissors to cut foe's bowstring
• grab onto foe's arrow just before it is released to weigh it down so it falls short
• grab onto side of foe's arrow just before it is released to make it hook to left/right
• grab onto feathers of foe's arrow before it is released so that it has no aerodynamic stability
• grab onto sling pouch and stone so that the stone can't leave the pouch
• "hold hands" with one of the foe's hands so that the foe cannot hold bow or pull bowstring

 
TACTICS USEFUL AGAINST SPELL CASTERS

• steal spell caster's spell focus
• steal spell caster's spell components/materials
• stuff a gag, of the hand itself, into spell caster's mouth to foil verbal spells
• ring a bell in caster's ear to break concentration
• use needle/nail/knife to put holes in foes' potion flasks
• spill bottle of ink on caster's scroll, defacing/obscuring it
• use torch to set fire to caster's scroll
• use torch to set fire to caster's wooden staff or spell focus
• use torch to set fire to caster's clothes, backpack, etc., to break concentration (if DM allows)
• "hold hands" with one of the caster's hands to reduce ability to cast spells with hand gestures (casters only need one hand free to cast a spell, but this would prevent holding a staff in the other hand, for example)

 
TACTICS USEFUL AGAINST UNDEAD

• drop vial of holy water on foe
• hold a holy symbol/garlic/wolfsbane and advance on foe
• use torch to set fire to undead (if DM allows)

 

Natural Hazard--Flash Flood

(Contemporary-woodcut-of-the-1607-flood-BristolChannel_UK_PublicDomain)

LOCATION: Outdoors, either urban or countryside.

OMEN/SIGN: The party sees a tremendous thunderstorm about a half-mile away. [Druids and Rangers may make a Passive Perception check to notice that the storm is uphill from the party's location.] A passing NPC (farmer or shopkeeper) jests to the party: "Man, I'm glad I wasn't caught in *that* downpour!"

THE FLOOD: Ten minutes (one turn) after seeing the thunderstorm, the flood water appears: a 1-inch high wave sweeping over the adventurers' feet. The water then rises at 1 foot per *round* until it is 12 feet deep. When it reaches 3 feet (for gnomes and halflings), 4 feet (for dwarves), or 5 feet (for others), apply drowning rules (remove boots/shoes or suffer a penalty to any swim/drowning check). DM's: Keep character encumbrance in mind--characters may need to shed armor and/or drop any heavy carried items in order to swim or climb to safety.

Wonders-of-the-Windie-Winter_London_1613_Folger-Shakespeare-Library (CC BY-SA 4.0)

OPTIONAL ADDED HAZARD: At DM discretion, an additional hazard is carried by the flood waters toward the hapless adventurers (the additional hazard may or may not be spotted one round in advance--DM option: roll for Surprise); the hazard may affect one party member selected at random, or a different hazard may affect each party member, or an additional hazard affects only those party members who did not make an offering to their god from their last treasure (or initial gold). Roll 1d12 to select hazard (or choose the most appropriate, or the most fun):

1. A Swarm of Rats, they want to climb you and cling to your head
2. A Swarm of Ants, (clinging to each other in a living raft), they want to climb you and enter your ears and nose,
3. A Poisonous Snake (paralysis poison, lasts 1 hour), or a Constrictor Snake, underwater, wraps around a foot/leg and tries to pull you under,
4. The flood waters push you toward a whirlpool that tries to suck you underwater (rural--into an underground stream, urban--into the sewer system, from which you are ejected 2 minutes later, 1/4 mile away, drowning damage = 20 - Constitution, DC 10 Const save for half damage)
5. A Giant Leech, underwater, anesthetic saliva means you may or may not feel it attach to you
6. A Decaying Corpse (roll for disease...or, could be a Zombie),
7. A large, terrifying mass of Humanoid Poop (roll for disease, Filth Fever!),
8. A frenzied Wolf/Wild Boar/Mountain Lion/Pit Bull--fight in the water!,
9. A large log bobs up from underwater and smacks you in the face, 1d6 bludgeon damage (DC 12 Dex save for half damage, minimum 1),
10. If characters removed boots/shoes, they step on a sharp stick (rural) or broken bottle (urban), 1d4 pierce damage; if they didn't remove boots/shoes, foot is caught in a tangle of vines or surface roots (rural) or sewer grate (urban)--DC 14 Dex check to free foot each round,
11. Two little kids, clinging to each other and clearly failing to stay afloat, are swept towards you--try to grab them (DC 12 check each round) and save them, or don't (and suffer a Curse from their god--you lose the Swim ability, if you have it, or if you don't, you have recurring nightmares of their watery deaths that prevent hp healing during Long Rests for 1d6 days,
12. You lucky dog! a buoyant log or door rushes by--if you can grab it (DC 12 Dex check), you can ride it to safety!

Deluge_Isaac_Major_1586-1630 (PublicDomain)

REWARD: The flood waters quickly recede 30 minutes (three turns) after they arrive. Looking down, a party member (selected at random) notices an item of treasure deposited by the flood, 1d12 feet from their location; roll 1d6 to determine treasure:

1. A cork-stoppered, green glass bottle filled with rare wine or whisky (25 gp),
2. A watertight, leather scroll case containing a scroll with a magic spell (single use) that gives the reader the Swim skill (permanent),
3. A glass-stoppered flask containing a Potion of Water Breathing,
4. A leather sack, cinched closed, half-filled with air, and half-filled with d100 gold pieces,
5. A bottle stoppered with a bloody fingertip--a hastily-scrawled note (adventure hook) inside reads: "Help me! I'm a prisoner of ..." [add name of foe and directions to the prisoner's location],
6. A cork-stoppered, dirty bottle with a treasure map (adventure hook) inside [of course, the treasure is located in a well-guarded dungeon/sewer lair nearby, or far away].

DM TIP: For added excitement, have the flood occur in the middle of a combat or tense/important conversation with important NPC's. If the party is on a small rise/hill, now they're trapped on a tiny island with their foes for 30 minutes.

Natural Hazard--Hail

The knight Owain shelters from a hailstorm.
From: The Mabinogion stories (Welsh).
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22447033

Natural Hazard--Hail

Hail is formed during thunderstorms when updrafts within the storms repeatedly lift water droplets to high altitude, where they freeze at very low temperatures, and then eventually fall back to the ground as ''Hailstones''. Most ''Hailstorms'' occur in plains terrain, in the spring and early summer, and in the late afternoon or early evening.   Falling hailstones can be very dangerous and cause significant destruction to crops, forests and buildings.  In terms of size, hailstones range between 0.2 inch (5 mm) and 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter.  Large hailstones can weigh more than 1.1 lb (0.5 kg). Hailstones 1-2 inches in diameter may fall at speeds of 25-40 mph, while larger hailstones 2-4 inches in diameter may fall at 44-72 mph.  The largest hailstones (more than 4 inches in diameter) may fall at speeds of 100 mph. Hail can fall up to 2 miles (3.7 km) away from the parent storm. Swaths of fallen hail from a single storm can range in size from a few acres to an area 10 miles wide and 100 miles long. 

Green hailstorm cloud.
(Image source: Facebook post: Rob Lord. Merewether Baths, Newcastle, Australia. 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-21/what-makes-thunderstorms-green/10646304)

OMEN/SIGN: ''You notice a large thunderstorm approaching, and the lower clouds are an eerie shade of green.'' (Druids and Rangers may make a DC 8 Intelligence(Nature) check to recognize that such a storm has a high chance of producing dangerous hail.)

Large hailstones.
(Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23003409)

EFFECTS: Because Hailstones can be large, heavy, and fall at high speeds, they can cause injury and significant destruction. However, larger, more damaging Hailstones occur less frequently. When Hail is encountered, roll 1d20 on the table below to determine the Hailstone size and damage effects.

HAIL DAMAGE TABLE

d20	Hailstone Size	Hailstone Description	Cumulative Damage Effects
1-6	up to 0.75 inch	Smaller than a penny	25% crops destroyed
7-10	0.75 inch	Penny	50% crops destroyed
11-13	1.00 inch	Quarter	75% crops destroyed, glass windows broken, paint/wood scarred
14-15	1.50 inches	Ping-pong Ball	100% crops destroyed, thatched roofs damaged, 1d4 damage to unsheltered creatures
16-17	1.75 inches	Golf Ball	Tiled roofs damaged, 1d6 damage to unsheltered creatures
18	2 inches	Egg	Wagons/cart damaged, 1d8 damage to unsheltered creatures
19	2.5 inches	Tennis Ball	Wooden roofs damaged, 1d12 damage to unsheltered creatures
20	3.5+ inches	Softball	Most roofs destroyed, 1d20 damage to unsheltered creatures

Hail injuries.
(Image source: Tim Hartmuller. 2010.
https://www.news9.com/story/5e3500ebe0c96e774b36aa89/runner-caught-in-storm-pelted-by-hail)

Hail injuries.  (Image source: Pat Crawford. 2019. 

https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/hail-dangers-costs-20130403)

Hailstorm damage to corn field.
(Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16300230)

Hailstorm damage to vineyard.
(Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115021554)

OPTIONAL EFFECTS: After falling, hailstones might make the ground slippery, perhaps DC 10 Dex save or fall prone.  If a hailstorm occurs while players are in a forest, replace direct damage from hail with direct damage from falling, splintered, tree limbs (perhaps 1d6 piercing damage).  A hailstorm at sea could shred sails, leaving a sailing vessel adrift. 

DM TIPS: Add Hail to your Random Encounters table for plains/steppe terrain.  A hailstorm during combat adds an exciting complication to the encounter. After falling, hailstones make the ground slippery and can be thrown as rocks. If direct injury to PCs does not fit the situation, hailstones might instead injure horses, pets/familiars, etc., or destroy a random item of gear, a helmet, a shield, a cart, wagon, etc. As a plot twist, a hailstorm (or sleet storm) might counteract a wildfire (on plains, or in a forest) that threatens the PCs.

NOTE 1: Sleet is another form of frozen precipitation, but sleet "stones" are typically about the size of peas--much smaller than hailstones.  Furthermore, sleet is caused by a different process: a  temperature inversion--a layer of warm air sandwiched between two layers of cold air--causes snow to melt and then refreeze as it descends.  Sleet is too small to cause direct damage to PCs.

NOTE 2: Freezing rain is yet another form of frozen precipitation.  Freezing rain occurs when snowflakes descend into a warmer layer of air and melt completely before reaching frozen ground. Upon contact with frozen ground, a layer of Glaze is typically formed. Glaze is a smooth coating of ice on the ground and on objects such as trees, roads and rooftops. An accumulation of Glaze is heavy and can cause tree limbs and even roofs to break. A period of freezing rain that lasts several hours or more is called an Ice Storm.

NOAA Winter Precipitation Diagram.
(Image source: https://www.weather.gov/images/iwx/events/education/misc/snowsleetfzrarain.png)

SOURCES:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail 
• https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/hail/
• https://www.torro.org.uk/research/hail/hscale 
• https://www.montana.edu/pdc/archive/2012/hail-storm-projects.html 
• https://weather.com/safety/thunderstorms/news/2020-05-12-15-things-to-know-about-hail
• https://www.weather.gov/ffc/hail 
• https://www.weather.gov/mlb/hail_rules 
• https://www.weather.gov/lsx/hail_climatology 
• https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/hail-dangers-costs-20130403
• https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-mortality-hailstorm 
• https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-heaviest-hailstone
• https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/schaefer/hailfreq.pdf 
• https://news.wisc.edu/curiosities-why-does-the-sky-turn-green-before-a-tornado/

Natural Hazard--Sleet

"Ice_pellets_and_glaze" Elko, Nevada, by Famartin.
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.

Sleet

Sleet is a form of winter precipitation composed of round ice pellets no larger than a pea. Sleet is caused by a temperature inversion--a layer of warm air sandwiched between two layers of cold air--that causes snow to melt and then refreeze as it descends. Because a temperature inversion is required, sleet doesn't typically fall in regions that are uniformly cold in the winter (such as the Arctic or the middle of Siberia) but rather in coastal areas in moderate climates, where a warm layer of air over the (relatively warm) ocean can intrude over the colder land during winter (for example, the U.K., Denmark, North Carolina and Virginia in the U.S.). Sleet pellets typically bounce as they hit the ground. Sleet can quickly coat the surface of the ground with Glaze, making movement hazardous. Glaze is a smooth coating of ice pellets on the ground and on objects such as trees, roads and rooftops.

OMEN/SIGN: [In winter] Although temperatures are freezing today, a storm approaches after several days of alternating freezing and mild temperatures. [Druids and Rangers may make a DC 8 Intelligence(Nature) check to recognize that these conditions are favorable for Sleet.]

"Sleet" by Isengardt. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

EFFECTS: The effects of sleet are a combination of the effects of rain, snow and ice. Glaze (fallen Sleet) hinders movement much more than Difficult Terrain.

• Unlike hail, falling sleet pellets are too small to cause direct damage.
• Sleet falls for 1d20 minutes.
• Sleet reduces visibility ranges by half (including Darkvision) and Lightly Obscures the area when falling, resulting in Disadvantage (or, alternatively, –4 penalty) on ranged weapon attacks, Spot checks, Search checks, Listen Checks, and Wisdom (Perception) or Passive Perception checks relying on sight or hearing.
  
• Unprotected flames (torches, campfires, etc.) have a 50% chance of being extinguished, but, unlike rain, protected flames (such as those in lanterns) are unaffected by Sleet.
• Creatures attempting to *move horizontally* on Glaze *while not in engaged in combat or other strenuous activity* must make a DC 14 Dex save or fall prone. Upon a successful save, a creature *not in engaged in combat or other strenuous activity* may continue moving horizontally through Glaze as through Difficult Terrain (moving 1 foot in Difficult Terrain costs 2 feet of speed, so you can cover only half the normal distance per time period).
• Creatures attempting to *remain standing or move horizontally* on Glaze *while engaged in combat or other strenuous activity* must make a DC 16 Dex save *each round* or fall prone.
• Creatures attempting to *stand up* (from a prone position) on Glaze must make a DC 12 Dex check or remain prone.
• Creatures attempting to *move up/down a slope* on Glaze under any circumstances must pass a DC 18 Dex save *each round* or fall prone.
• Any unmoving object outdoors during Sleet is covered with Glaze, becoming very slippery, and requiring a DC 10 Dex check to pick up.
• If a creature is attempting to concentrate while in falling Sleet, the creature must make a successful DC 8 Con saving throw or lose concentration.

Sleet in Jack Pine forest. 
US Forest Service. Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

OPTIONAL EFFECTS:

• In forest, the weight of Glaze has a 50% chance of causing tree limbs to break and fall, causing 1d6 damage to creatures below.
• In structures, the weight of Glaze has a 25% chance of causing the roof to cave in, causing 1d8 damage to creatures inside (only the top story within a multi-story building).
• Any creature perched in a tree, on top of a wall, on battlements, etc., must make a DC 16 Dex save or fall, suffering typical falling damage.

DM TIPS: During winter in temperate climates or coastal regions, replace one item in your outdoor/wilderness Random Encounters table or Weather table with Sleet. Sleet makes it almost impossible for creatures to move up or down slopes, so attacking foes on a hill is much more difficult. Sleet makes outdoor combat *much* more exciting!

NOTE 1: Hail is different from Sleet. Hail consists of ice pellets, but hailstones can be much larger than sleet and form under different weather conditions. Hailstones are formed during thunderstorms in the spring and summer when updrafts generated by thunderstorms quickly lift water droplets to high altitude, where they freeze at very low temperatures, and then fall back to the ground.) Hailstones are large enough to cause damage directly when they fall.

NOTE 2: Freezing Rain is different from Sleet. Freezing Rain occurs when snowflakes descend into a warmer layer of air and melt completely without refreezing before reaching the ground. Upon contact with the ground or objects that are at or below freezing, a layer of Glaze is typically formed. Glaze is a smooth coating of ice on the ground and on objects such as trees, roads and rooftops. An accumulation of Glaze is heavy and can cause tree limbs and even roofs to break. A period of freezing rain lasting several hours or more is called an Ice Storm.

NOAA-Winter_Precipitation_Diagram. Public domain.

SOURCES: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleet 

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/sleet/ https://www.weather.gov/iwx/sleetvsfreezingrain 

https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Weather#Snow https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Weather#HeavySnow https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Weather#Sleet https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Weather#Hail https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Sleet_Storm https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Sleet_Storm https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Sleeted_Ground_(3.5e_Incantation)