d100 = 1
The players see a group of giant, floating mushrooms in the distance. As they get closer, the mushrooms begin to shake and move, revealing themselves to be a colony of mushroom people who are looking for a new home.
D1 Airship - Aerial - Air Random Encounters
D&D 5e · 100 scenarios · Roll d100 → roll D1
A complete D&D 5e random encounter table for airship - aerial - air scenes. Roll a d100 to pick a set, then roll a D1 to pick a scenario within that set — 100 unique D&D encounter scenarios in total. Every scenario is system-neutral and runs on either the 2014 Player's Handbook or the 2024 D&D revision. Pair each scenario with a stat block from our D&D monsters catalogue and you have a session-ready encounter in under a minute.
How to roll this table
- When the party enters a airship - aerial - air, roll a d100.
- The result (1–100) is your scenario. Read it out and run with it.
The D1 Airship - Aerial - Air encounter table
d100 = 2
Over a majestic cloud canyon, the players encounter a griffon pride conducting their sacred sky joust. The pride leader challenges the bravest among the party to prove their might in an airborne duel.
d100 = 3
A lone cloud drifts lazily by.
d100 = 4
A dragonfly the size of a small ship approaches carrying gnomish sky-traders. They speak solely in trade lingo and offer unique gadgets, demanding an unusual fee: poetic trade agreements.
d100 = 5
Imprisoned Wizards - The party encounters an airship with an imprisoned wizard being held by 2d8+2 mid-level fighters and 2 mid-level wizards.
d100 = 6
A group of the most beautiful elves you have ever seen fly in formation along side your ship. They offer to show you the secret location of a treasure horde.
d100 = 7
There is a swarm of centipedes hiding under an airship. They were attracted by the smell of decaying bodies and are feeding on them.
d100 = 8
A magical storm is brewing in the distance. It is coming from the direction of a powerful wizard's castle, and the players must find a way to navigate through the storm safely.
d100 = 9
The adventurers find a cloud spa operated by air elementals. Here, they can relax and are treated to soothing massages and rejuvenating mists.
d100 = 10
A gentle rain starts to fall, pattering lightly on the deck.
d100 = 11
A cloudless area haunted by phantasms opens up, revealing memories twisted into nightmarish forms. These memory-entities claim the minds of those who falter in Wisdom checks, slowly erasing the individuals from existence.
d100 = 12
Floating debris suggests an old battlefield, orbited by 2d6 bone devils flying broken air war machines, their eyes burning with fury and vengeance.
d100 = 13
As the ship sails through a quiet sky, the stillness is shattered by 3d6 Wyverns on a hunt. The creatures seem starved and desperate, and they view the airship as a prime target.
d100 = 14
The players' airship becomes entangled in a web spun by colossal sky-spiders. The only way to escape is to negotiate with the eldritch spider queen, who has developed a taste for sea shanties.
d100 = 15
You encounter a squad of Sky Knights, they demand to see your airship's papers and search for any contraband.
d100 = 16
The airship passes through a dense cloudbank, the world whitened out.
d100 = 17
The airship passes through a cloud bank that parts to reveal a breathtaking floating archipelago, where avian creatures in vibrant plumages chatter and flit about. The crew can take a short break to watch the antics of a trio of griffon hatchlings learning to fly.
d100 = 18
An ethereal, floating market selling "wind shards" and "cloudweave textiles" emerges. Each trade-off causes mysterious reversals bearing eerie resemblance to past nautical misadventures now operating per airborne whims.
d100 = 19
A spectral fisherman seated on a floating pier requests assistance with his "net of strayed constellations". Each catch embodies an unsolved shepherd’s pie mystery and vanishes upon touch.
d100 = 20
The buzz of bees is momentarily heard tracing flowers perhaps hidden in clouds below.
d100 = 21
A convoy of sky-dragons led by the cunning Scarflame surround the players, requesting their assistance in recovering an ancient sky-hoard stolen by rogue storm giants. Cooperation or conflict lies ahead, demanding either negotiation with storm giants or deadly aerial combat.
d100 = 22
A hollow, metallic thud accompanies 1d8 giant modular constructs powered by harnessed air elementals. They roam construct faintly, repairing unknown celestial machinery.
d100 = 23
The crew encounters a cloud castle inhabited by cloud giants who invite them to feast. However, the giants are seeking entertainment and will not let the adventurers leave without participating in their deadly games.
d100 = 24
A cloud giant and a few small cloud folk are flying around. They are waving down at the players and asking if they want some cheese cake! This is a private joke between the cloud giant and his followers.
d100 = 25
The players spot a group of airship pirates on the horizon, heading straight for them. These pirates are known for their incredibly fast and maneuverable ships, making them a challenging opponent for the players.
d100 = 26
An ancient wind spirit is bound to perpetual sentinel duty over an airship graveyard. Its agonized whispers recount the might of each ship and the bravery of their fallen crews.
d100 = 27
The players spot a massive floating city in the distance. As they get closer, they see that it is inhabited by a race of winged elves who have never touched the ground. They offer the players a chance to explore their city and experience their way of life.
d100 = 28
Menacing thunderbirds appear on the horizon, heralding an approaching tempest. As they streak towards the airship, the party must engage in a deadly chase through thunderheads lit by lightning.
d100 = 29
Players see a flock of giant birds heading towards the ship. They are a mix of griffins, roc, and hippogriffs. The flock is huge, and it looks as though they are headed straight for the airship. The players will have to figure out a way to divert the flock or they might end up crashing into the airship.
d100 = 30
A group of 1d6 elves in blue robes and flying on an eagle will spearhead an aerial battle against a group of 1d6+2 gnomes on a winged horse.
d100 = 31
Pausing at a cloud outpost, the party finds journals of airward soldiers forced to abandon their posts and families. Their last entries weep with regret and longing for home.
d100 = 32
A quaint floating village drifts by, its inhabitants composed entirely of gentle-spirited wind ethereals. They offer to share their tales and lore gathered from the winds of time.
d100 = 33
You can see a large flock of bats flying in a zig zag pattern above you. It appears they are following a creature that is invisible to the naked eye.
d100 = 34
A pair of celestial butterflies, their wings like stained glass, flutter by. Their dance in the air is calming and mesmerizing.
d100 = 35
A loosely-knit archipelago of floating islands appears, connected by natural bridges of iridescent vines. Each island hosts a different idyllic biome, from serene meadows to calming waterfalls.
d100 = 36
A sing-song cacophony echoes through the air as a coven of sky witches appear. They offer wondrous gifts for dark prices, and refusal or deceit incurs their wrath manifesting in conjured tornadoes.
d100 = 37
You unexpectedly encounter a flock of "devious dirigible ducks" that quack in riddles designed to scramble your navigation coordinates until you solve their skybound conundrums.
d100 = 38
You see a horde of common pigeons flying over the treetops of a forest. They are led by a more common variety of hippogriff.
d100 = 39
A group of 2d6+5 wizards are transporting a powerful magic item in their zeppelin to another wizard that has hired them to transport the item to him, the players must prevent them from getting the item to the other wizard by attacking the zeppelin or fighting the wizards. It's a powerful wand that will make their boss very powerful and dangerous.
d100 = 40
A merchant has a large amount of goods on his ship and will pay the party in gold for every good brought off of his ship.
d100 = 41
You notice a sentient, poltergeist-controlled propeller making grand claims of having once been "a huge dirigible's heart." It offers dubious advice on storm-escaping tactics in exchange for engine oil.
d100 = 42
As the players fly over a mountain range, they see a group of mountain dwarves riding on the backs of griffins. They are being chased by a group of dragon riders and ask for the players' help in fending them off.
d100 = 43
The airship crosses paths with a noble family’s vessel, hosting an engagement party for their eldest daughter. The family invites the players to join the celebration and partake in the cultural revelries. If the players decide to join, they learn unique dance and combat techniques, along with forging strong political alliances. Choosing to decline the invitation presents them with a rare gemstone as a token of good will, but they miss out on the deeper cultural exchange.
d100 = 44
Enchanted lanterns that float along with the ship, lighting up the night sky in soft hues of blue and green, create an ethereal atmosphere that soothes the mind.
d100 = 45
Enchanted lanterns that float along with the ship, lighting up the night sky in soft hues of blue and green, create an ethereal atmosphere that soothes the mind.
d100 = 46
A cloud giant fortress appears above them, its inhabitants drunk and belligerent, led by a particularly cantankerous giant who demands a toll for passing through their domain.
d100 = 47
The ship drifts past a floating island occupied by a tribe of 3d6 winged kobolds who seem to be building an altar. Occasionally, the altar emits a faint, ominous hum.
d100 = 48
You encounter a runaway air-crop duster, drizzling patches of sky with animate pollen reminiscent of phantom laughter. Pollen causes temporary ship materials to mimic peculiar personalities.
d100 = 49
They encounter a small crewless airship perpetually circling an island. Commercial logs reveal it was sent on a mission to find a mythical elixir to save a dying queen who passed long before it arrived.
d100 = 50
A storm of tiny flying creatures is moving in your direction. As they get closer you can see that they are pixies, and they are laughing and singing.
d100 = 51
A group of winged dragons fly in formation above your ship, their colorful scales and powerful wings a beautiful sight to behold.
d100 = 52
An arcane tempest compels the ship into an ethereal region where airships of forgotten epochs are trapped, forming a society of lost souls desperate for deliverance.
d100 = 53
Puffy, fair-weather clouds cast sweeping shadows over the landscape below.
d100 = 54
The players find themselves in an aerial arena within a great cloud city, challenged by the reigning champions—a group of dragonborn riders astride lightning wyrms. Victory brings fame and unique airship upgrades.
d100 = 55
The Banshee of the Cloud Peaks shrieks across the sky, her lament echoing with lost love. She bestows a boon to those who can temporarily silence her haunted heart with music.
d100 = 56
The Void Sultana, Alariel, emerges out of reality-distorted sky patches, her airship pulling others into complementary dimensional realms. She proposes shared expansion of forbidden lore but failure to adhere to her complex protocols plunges players into time-rifts, battling void specters to reclaim one's existence.
d100 = 57
The crew sees faint silhouettes of ghostly ships sailing in the clouds.
d100 = 58
The players see a group of harpies flying towards them, their hypnotic songs luring in potential prey.
d100 = 59
The adventurers notice a trail of floating, glowing crystals leading away from their path. Following this trail, they discover an abandoned mining colony suspended in the sky, ripe for exploration—but not without its own dangers.
d100 = 60
An airship flies over head, but it's not one that the party has encountered before. A wizard on board is casting fireball at an army of orcs below, but not hitting any of them.
d100 = 61
A wizard named Zeke is fleeing from an angry mob, he will pay the party in gold for saving him from the angry mob.
d100 = 62
Your ship enters a surprise dirigible fight club among the cirrus clouds where even the clouds themselves seem grudgingly observant of referee duties, their fluffiness occasionally forming rudimentary scoreboards.
d100 = 63
All around you, great trees of some unnatural sort extend far into the sky, almost as tall as the ship. Amid these treetops is a large clearing, on the opposite side of which, a Goliath and a Half-Orc are following you with a brace of dire-hawks.
d100 = 64
Flocks of birds are flying in the air around your airships, appearing to be communicating with one another.
d100 = 65
On convoluted windstreams, they encounter an air priestess doling out benedictions hushed by unresolved guilt for an unprompted cataclysm that decimated her broad flock.
d100 = 66
A group of solar giants fly towards you and dwarf you with their massive size. They are easily 50 feet tall and as big as a house.
d100 = 67
A crew member tells tales of sea monsters lurking in the deeps.
d100 = 68
A serene patch of air reveals 2d6 couatls floating in meditative circles, tracing patterns of celestial rarity. They appear harmonious but can quickly change demeanor if disrupted.
d100 = 69
A group of large rats are running around the deck of the airship. They are hungry and looking for food.
d100 = 70
The airship flies above a forest fire burning far below.
d100 = 71
You feel the temperature drop as the ship travels northward.
d100 = 72
The players fly over a mountain range and come across a giant floating city. It is built on a giant platform that is held up by a number of large balloons. It is an amazing sight and the players can see a large castle in the middle of the city.
d100 = 73
A fleet of airships sails by, all flying the flag of a peaceful trading alliance. The captains exchange pleasantries and tales of the skies.
d100 = 74
A group of bards are singing songs about the local legends and lore of the area.
d100 = 75
Drifting silently through silver clouds is an enormous airborne leviathan, part organic, part mechanical. It silently siphons the airship’s magical power, causing systems to fail. Players must find a way to thwart the leviathan's siphoning.
d100 = 76
The crew can hear the distant roar of waterfalls cascading down immense cliffs.
d100 = 77
A dwarven chain-gang is being led to the capital for trial and punishment. If players approach, they will beg for help and claim they are innocent.
d100 = 78
A meticulously crafted wicker bench whizzes past, carried by invisible forces. A spectral grandma seated on it beckons you closer to hear ironic and unnecessarily long-winded cautionary tales about "whippersnappers in airships".
d100 = 79
A group of 2d6+2 men wearing white long coats and black hats are hovering around a compass on the main deck, they each hold a sword in one hand and have a book in the other hand. The sword man pointing to the compass says, "We're having problems causing severe turbulence to cause ripples in space and time as we both are considered equivalent mathematically and, therefore, must be opposite halves of an object in open space with no reference point for direction. I'm just about to give up and use a white elephant skull when, whoosh! A giant air sphere emerges from nowhere and crashes down on us."
d100 = 80
A squadron of mischievous pixie pilots in miniaturized airships zooms past, challenging the players to an impromptu race with ethereal glow-stone prizes.
d100 = 81
A distant volcano puffs out a cloud of smoke.
d100 = 82
A winged creature like a dragon or griffin flies overhead and then lands nearby, after a few moments a wizard climbs down from the creature's back and walks over to the players. He asks if they have seen any wizards with dragon tattoos on their arms, he says he needs their help to defeat a powerful dragon cult that is terrorising his village. He says he can offer them magic items as well as good payment. If they follow him to his village they find that it is actually an abandoned village that has been taken over by a group of bandits. The players will have to deal with them as well as the wizard who is actually a conman who has been luring people to the village with his story of being an orphan and needing help.
d100 = 83
A dragon attacks! The dragon has been possessed by a necromancer who wants to destroy the airship.
d100 = 84
Moonlit spirits materialize on deck, claiming it as their resting place. They demand a proper burial or threaten to drag the crew into the ethereal plane.
d100 = 85
A time anomaly traps the airship in a loop of a horrific aerial battle. The adventurers witness the fall and death of each crew member repeatedly, unable to intervene unless they find a way to reverse the anomaly.
d100 = 86
While cruising at high altitude, the players spot a young couple in distress aboard a smaller, damaged airship. The airship is spiraling out of control, and the young lovers are holding onto each other tightly. If the players choose to rescue the couple, they will learn that the two are from rival clans, and they have run away together. Grateful for their assistance, the couple will reward the players with valuable information about a hidden treasure and may offer lifelong friendship. Ignoring the couple, however, causes them to crash into a nearby mountain, leaving the players with a sense of loss and the distant sound of a mournful song carried by the wind.
d100 = 87
On a still night, the players find a silent, floating garden tended by a solitary dryad of the air. She offers rejuvenation and powerful air-based spells in exchange for restoring her lost grove.
d100 = 88
The airship is attacked by harpies!
d100 = 89
A shimmering rainbow arcs across the sky ahead, and as the airship passes through it, the colors seem to hug the vessel, creating a serene, multi-colored aura around the ship. The awe-inspiring moment brings a calm and cheerful energy to the crew.
d100 = 90
Silky mists curl up from a distant waterfall, visible through gaps in dense woodland.
d100 = 91
A group of elves, riding flying horses, arrives on a large ship and attacks the party. The elves are warriors and mages and they will fly towards the party's ship and attack it.
d100 = 92
There is a small cloud in the middle of the sky that looks like an island. It is really an island in the sky, with a small city on it, that is really a cloud city, floating in the air, with a small army on it. The cloud city is actually an airship! The cloud city is called the Cloud Palace.
d100 = 93
Crew members and players alike enjoy spotting shapes in the clouds.
d100 = 94
A glittering arcane light leads the airship into a trap set by 2d4 Aarakocra warriors defending their sacred nesting grounds, suspended in elaborate nests amidst floating rock formations.
d100 = 95
A group of 2d4+2 dwarves are on the deck of the airship. They are headed to a battle and need to get there quickly. They will attack any non-dwarves on board if they feel threatened.
d100 = 96
A group of elves fly overhead and yell out 'Hi' before flying away again, if pursued they will fly off and continue to taunt the players for miles as they fly over the forest.
d100 = 97
You see a group of common pigeons flying over a city eating garbage.
d100 = 98
An arcane barrier flares around a hidden wizard’s tower in the clouds, guarded by 3d6 Clockwork Avian Sentinels programmed to deter any approach.
d100 = 99
The players come across a floating island inhabited by peaceful giants who offer to let them rest and replenish their supplies. But the giants are hiding a dark secret and may turn on the players when they least expect it.
d100 = 100
A cloud of fog appears, covering half the ship, moving 10' per round in a random direction. Anyone caught in it, takes 3 points of damage per round. The fog will dissipate after six rounds or once the airship is out of it, whichever is first.
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Other dice tiers for the airship - aerial - air: D4, D6, D8, D10.
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