Moonshae Topography and Random Encounters

Written by Hellfell

Although the islands share a common general climate and geographical area, the topography of each island differs widely from those of the other islands. The large color map of the islands shows the various terrain types found on each island.
Each terrain type has an encounter table that contains the creatures most likely to be found there. While encounters can be rolled randomly on these lists, the DM is encouraged to choose encounters according to the situation. Take into account such considerations as the nearness of human (or other) habitation, the season of the year, the weather, and any other variables that seem appropriate.
These encounter lists include many, but not all, of the unusual creature types that are most significant to game play on the Moonshae Isles. Mundane and relatively harmless animals such as hares, deer, pheasants, grouse, songbirds, squirrels, and mice are not included on the lists; the presence of these creatures is a matter of DM discretion.

Beaches

The fringes of the islands are often lined with long, flat beaches. These are not soft and sandy, however -- most of the beaches around the islands are made of gravelly chunks of rock and pebbles. They are generally very wide, often as much as a quarter mile from the water's edge at low tide to the beginning of the inland terrain.
When the tide rises, however, water level comes up as much as 8 or 10 feet.On average, 75% of the beach area disappears even during a mild surf. When a storm is brewing, the entire beach area is pounded by heavy surf.
Boats and ships can be landed safely at these beaches during calm seas, or even in rougher weather if the beach is on the lee side of land (i.e., is on the downwind side of an island), or within one of the many firths, bays, and sheltered coves that pocket the shoreline of the Moonshaes.

Random Beach Encounter

1 Turtle, Giant Sea
2 2d6 Dolphins
3 1d6 Scrags
4 Seawolf, Greater
5 Selkie
6 Water Weird
7 1d4 Whales
8 Fishing Boat
9 Northmen Longship
10 Pirate Ship
11 1d6 Beachdwellers (Human)
12 1d4 Sea Lions
13 2d6 Sahuagin
14 Merchant Ship
15 Dragon Turtle
16 Crab, Giant
17 Human Farmers
18 Human Children
19 1d6 Selkies
20 Castaways (Human)

Escarpments

These dramatic cliffs line some of the coasts of the islands and also carve their distinctive lines around some of the inland areas. The escarpments shown on the map are all at least 500 feet high. If you need a specific number, roll 1d6 × 100 and add 400 feet to determine the cliff height in an area.
While steep, these cliffs are made of very old bedrock—generally granite. Thus, their surfaces are cracked and weatherworn, but not crumbling, which makes them ideal for climbing. Climbing proficiency checks for characters ascending or descending these escarpments get a +10% modifier because of the many foot- and handholds in the rock. In winter, however, snow and ice make the climbing very treacherous, eliminating the benefit and causing a -25% penalty.

Random Escarpment Encounters

1 1d6 Eagles, Giant
2 1d8 Dwarves
3 1d4 + 1 Badgers
4 1d6 Dryads
5 1d6 Firbolgs
6 2d6 Harpies
7 1d4 Griffons
8 1d2 Hippogriffs
9 1d4 Wyverns
10 Leprechaun
11 1d8 Perytons
12 1d2 Rocs
13 Sylph
14 1d4 Hunters (Human)
15 1d6 Trolls
16 1d20 Wasps, Giant
17 Wolverine, Giant
18 1d3 Wind Walkers
19 4d4 Giant Ravens
20 1d6 Rams

Salt Flats

These stagnant marshes extend inland beyond certain low-lying beaches, where seawater flows in enough volume to exterminate freshwater life, but is not lively enough to rinse away the decay and rot that collects there.
The salt flats are marshy and treeless, a bleak horizon to the far limits of vision. Gray in color, they constantly emit a sulphurous odor, akin to rotten eggs or dead, decaying flesh. Insect life flourishes here in the summer, as all manner of stinging and biting bugs infest the stagnant pools and passages of the flats.
Salt flats make for treacherous traveling, as approximately 10% of their surface is made of quicksand. These marshes are nonetheless teeming with life, but not much of it is the kind of life that most characters wish to meet.

Random Salt Flat Encounters

1 1d3 Shambling Mounds
2 2d6 Leeches, Giant
3 4d10 Rats, Giant
4 1d8 Toads, Giant Poisonous
5 1d3 Weasels, Giant
6 1d4 Fishermen or Hunters (Human)
7 2d6 Lizard Men
8 1d12 Wererats
9 2d6 Sirens (Harpies)
10 5d8 Frogs, Giant
11 3d6 Frogs, Killer
12 Beholder
13 1d8 Beaver, Giant
14 2d4x10 Bandits
15 1d6 Scrags
16 1d20 Wolves
17 Porcupine, Giant
18 1d6 Crabs, Giant
19 Cat, Wild
20 Scorpion, Huge

Moors

The moors of the Moonshaes make up a great bulk of the land surface. These areas are grassy and either flat or gently rolling. They make the most appropriate grazing land on the islands, often used as pasture land for sheep or occasionally cattle.
The moors may contain pockets of swampy or marshy land, but most of their surface is relatively dry and well drained. Many areas of moors are dotted with small lakes and ponds that contain edible fish. This land is generally among the most pleasant and hospitable of the isles, except during winter. Then the lack of cover on the moors enables the biting wind to sweep unimpeded across it, striking with chilling force anything standing in its way.

Random Moor Encounters

1 2d10 Humans
2 1d8 Halflings
3 Irish Deer
4 Stag, Giant
5 1d4 Boars, Giant
6 2d20 Wolves
7 2d4x10 Bandits
8 1d100 Ravens
9 Brown Bear, Giant
10 Werewolf
11 1d4 Trolls
12 2d10 Goblins
13 Leprechaun
14 1d8 Dwarves
15 1d20 Firbolgs
16 2d12 Centipedes, Giant
17 1d10 Centaurs
18 1d2 Porcupines, Giant
19 1d6 Horses
20 1d4 Nymphs

Deciduous Forests

These thick forests cover much of the lowlands on the isles. Primarily composed of oak, hickory, aspen, birch, and maple, these are areas of dense undergrowth and tangled passages. Travel through them is very difficult, except along a path or game trail.
The deciduous forests are home to a great deal of small wildlife, including squirrels, hares, foxes, and an occasional deer. Insects are rife in the summer, as the dense undergrowth stifles any cooling breeze and holds the air, humid and heavy, among the massive trunks.
In winter, these forests grow very barren, as the leaves fall away from the trees and the underbrush, leaving little to impede the biting winds and driving snow.

Random Deciduous Forest Encounters

1 1d4 Hunters (Human)
2 1d3 Woodsmen (Human)
3 1d6 Halflings
4 2d4x10 Bandits
5 1d6 Centaurs
6 Dryad
7 1d8 Pixies
8 1d3 Boars, Giant
9 2d6 Firbolgs
10 Faerie Dragon
11 Stag, Giant
12 Unicorn
13 Leprechaun
14 2d6 Wolves
15 2d6 Goblins
16 Falcon, Large
17 Hoar Fox
18 1d8 Centipedes, Giant
19 1d10 Goats
20 Brown Bear

Coniferous Forest

These are areas of pine, cedar, and spruce trees -- evergreens. Legend has it that these forests are the favorites of the goddess.
Unlike the deciduous forests, the coniferous forests contain only scant undergrowth. Most of the ground is covered with a thick carpet of needles that have fallen from the trees over the centuries, making travel through the forests easy, and rest quite comfortable.
The coniferous forests are located higher above sea level than the deciduous and are swept by cool breezes in the summer. Insect pests are rare, but large wildlife, such as deer, wolves, and bear, are more abundant than in any other part of the isles. In the winter, the thick protection provided by the trees keeps out the worst of the winter winds. This protects the inhabitants of these forests from really huge buildups of snow.

Random Coniferous Forest Encounters

1 1d6 Llewyrr
2 1d4 Woodsmen
3 Herdsman (sheep or cattle)
4 1d6 Hunters (Human)
5 2d6 Halflings
6 1d20 Pixies
7 2d20 Centaurs
8 3d10 Firbolgs
9 Irish Deer
10 Boar, Giant
11 Owl, Giant
12 Roper
13 Porcupine, Giant
14 1d6 Weasels, Giant
15 1d8 Lizard Men
16 2d10 Goblins
17 2d6 Orcs
18 Faerie Dragon
19 Unicorn
20 Ram, Giant

Highlands

The mountainous regions of the Moonshaes make up another sizeable proportion of the islands' land area. These rugged ranges are surfaced mostly with broken rock, twisted and cracked from centuries of exposure to the weather. Although the mountains are not towering by most standards, the highest being a mere 8,000 feet above sea level, they are universally steep and broken.
In places, the coniferous forests extend up the slopes of the mountains, and here the rock is not so jagged nor so exposed -- the layers of pine needles and the shelter provided by the trees make these regions more hospitable than is usual for the Moonshae mountains. Occasionally, a sheepherder or cheesemaker can be found living among these forested highlands. But most of the mountains are barren of trees and habitations. Hardy mosses and lichens are the most common plant life, though a vibrantly colored collection of wild flowers makes a brief appearance in the heart of summer. The only animals that live in these reaches are hardy marmots, tiny mice, and the slender foxes that live off the former. Also, eagles, hawks, and falcons make their aeries among these heights, preferably atop a cliff sheer enough to keep the hungry foxes at bay.
The highlands receive a heavy dumping of snow, beginning in late autumn and continuing through the beginning of spring. In places, accumulations of 10 to 12 feet are common. The high altitudes enable the snow to remain longer here than elsewhere on the islands; not until late spring or early summer is the snow totally melted away.

Random Highland Encounters

1 Herdsman, With Sheep
2 Farmer (Human)
3 1d3 Hunters (Human)
4 Ram, Giant
5 Bear, Cave
6 1d20 Eagles, Giant
7 1d20 Firbolgs
8 2d20 Orcs
9 2d20 Dwarves
10 1d12 Goats, Giant
11 1d20 Wolves, Dire
12 1d100 Ravens
13 1d6x10 Bandits
14 1d8 Trolls
15 Roc
16 1d4 Griffons
17 1d4 Badgers
18 1d6 Perytons
19 Ki-Rin
20 Werewolf

Fens

The fens of the Moonshaes are some of the most fetid, festering swamps north of the jungles of Chult. They are generally tree-filled, except where pools of stagnant water or sluggishly flowing streams prevent the roots from taking hold.
In summer, the insects swarm through the fens with every bit as much aggressiveness as they take over the salt flats. In addition, darker, more menacing creatures are suspected to lurk beneath the black and bubbling waters.
The Fens of the Fallon, on the isle of Gwynneth, are perhaps the most fell reaches of any on the Moonshaes. This is the place where the Beast last arose, and the place it retreated to when its might was eventually countered. But all of the isles have their fens, and none of them are pleasant.

Random Fens Encounters

1 1d10 Centipedes, Giant
2 1d8 Leeches, Giant
3 1d4 Weasels, Giant
4 2d12 Bandits
5 1d10 Poisonous Toads
6 10d10 Ravens
7 Druid
8 1d6 Trolls
9 2d6 Frogs, Poisonous
10 Werewolf
11 1d8 Wolves, Dire
12 Scorpion, Giant
13 3d6 Lizard Men
14 3d10 Firbolgs
15 1d6 Shambling Mounds
16 Beholder
17 1d8 Harpies
18 Crane, Giant
19 1d4 Hunters (Human)
20 1d12 Spiders, Huge

Streams, Rivers, and Lakes

The fresh waterways of the Moonshaes are filled almost universally with clear, clean water. The only exceptions are the ponds and streams of the fens and salt flats. Even in these cases, the water that emerges, black and stinking, from a fen seems to clean itself within 5 or 10 miles of flowage, almost as if the earth acted as a filter.
The fresh waters are teeming with trout, perch, and salmon; a skilled fisherman need never go hungry when near fresh water.
The streams are generally fordable, nowhere reaching a depth of more than about three feet. They flow rapidly, however, and are not navigable by boat. The few rivers on the isles are deep and placid, and carry much boat traffic. They can only be crossed (short of swimming) at the fords, bridges, and ferries marked on the map.

Random Freshwater Encounters

1 1d4 Lampreys, Giant
2 1d8 Pike, Giant
3 1d6 Gar, Giant
4 1d4 + 1 Otters, Giant
5 1d4x10 Nixies
6 1d12 Toads, Giant
7 1d4 Snapping Turtles, Giant
8 Water Weird
9 1d8 Beaver, Giant
10 2d6 Crayfish, Giant
11 1d6 Crabs, Giant
12 5d8 Frogs, Giant
13 1d8 Fishermen (Human)
14 1d4 Nymphs
15 1d6 Falcons, Large
16 Swanmay
17 2d10 Throat Leeches
18 2d6 Lacedons
19 Owl, Giant
20 Naga, Water

Sea

Surrounded as they are by saltwater, the Moonshae islands depend upon the sea for many things: trade, food, and protection, to name a few. The rolling gray vastness of the Trackless Sea and the more placid, but still chill waters, of the Sea of Moonshae insulate the islands from the rest of the Realms.
The Trackless Sea is the source of a long series of harsh storms during the winter months. These storms generally move out of the northwest, often pushing waves as high as 30 or 40 feet before them in huge, gray swells. The storms begin in fall, often as early as late Eleint (September), and continue through the middle of Ches (March) or occasionally nto Tarsakh (April).
The seas are virtually unnavigable during these seasons, so the Moonshaes are almost completely isolated from the rest of the realms during winter. Once fairer weather arrives, however, the surface becomes blue and relatively smooth -- the Moonshae's highway to the world.
The Sea of Moonshae, enclosed by the isles, is more placid than the outer ocean, but is still a formidable challenge to winter mariners. In fairer seasons, the Sea of Moonshae serves as a pleasant path between the isles.
The Sea of Swords, between the isles and the Sword Coast, does not receive the harsh winter weather of either the Trackless Sea or the Sea of Moonshae. Warm southerly currents seem to insulate the region against the heavy gales. These currents bring pleasant and comparatively balmy weather to the coasts of the Moonshaes that face to the south and east.

Random Sea and Ocean Encounters

1 1d8 Scrags
2 2d10 Whales
3 2d6 Dolphins
4 Dragon Turtle
5 Northmen Longship
6 Pirate Ship
7 Calishite Merchant Galleon
8 Merchant Vessel
9 Coracle of the Ffolk
10 1d4 Lampreys, Giant
11 3d6 Sahuagin
12 1d6 Fishing Boats
13 Octopus, Giant
14 Portuguese Man-o-War
15 1d3 Sharks, Giant
16 1d20 Sea Horses, Giant
17 1d4 Sea Hags
18 2d6 Sea Lions
19 Squid, Giant
20 1d3 Water Weirds