Dragon Encounters

Combat scenarios for every monster, allowing them to utilize their combat potential to the fullest for the first time ever.

Built around the monsters of D&D, Dragon Encounters aims to help you create the perfect D&D game. I provide short encounter ideas that can be dropped into almost any game, and I turn those basic concepts that are so hard to make work (for example: betrayal, allies, horror) into memorable experiences for you and your players.

Unsure where to find what you need? My Table of Contents organizes my articles into no less than seven hub pages, each arranged around a different concept (terrain, fighting styles, different hazards, etc.). You can see it at the top of the page.

November 9, 2026

GAS SPORE FUNGUS 1: Caught in a Tight Spot

The gas spore is a floating ball of fuzzy moss that has just enough sentience to deliberately attack people. Actually, figuring out why it would attack—or do anything—is pretty difficult. It reproduces when it dies, not when it attacks (at least, not since the 2024 Monster Manual came out). It shouldn’t have wants or dislikes,… Continue reading

animal, guardian (CR 0-4)

battlemap, Combat rating 1, Combat rating 2, Combat rating 3, difficulty 1, difficulty 2, difficulty 3, difficulty varies, puzzle, traps
October 28, 2026

FOMORIAN: Turning Sadism into Deadly Strategy

Fomorians are evil giants [extra evil giants, I guess. It’s not like most giants are good.] So evil that they were kicked out of the giant caste system, banished underground, and permanently disfigured. But everything has a silver lining, and the fomorians found a way to project their ugliness onto others, giving them a neat… Continue reading

guardian (CR 8-10), servant

battlemap, Combat rating 10, Combat rating 11, Combat rating 14, Combat rating 16, difficulty 11, difficulty 12
October 5, 2026

FLUMPH: Masters of Glow-in-the-Dark Stealth

How to Use a Glowing Ally The flumph is one of D&D’s all-time weirdest creatures. It looks like a jellyfish that floats in the air, lives underground, and glows. Oh, and it lives off psychic energy, which it siphons from evil monsters. It has to be careful doing so, since not only are evil… Continue reading

ally (CR 0-4), minion

Combat rating 1, Combat rating 1/2, Combat rating 1/4, difficulty 2, social encounter
August 23, 2026

FLAMESKULL: Easy to Kill, Hard to Win

The flameskull is the skull of a magician that was brought to life by a necromancer in a ceremony that surrounds it with flames and grants it magical powers, including flight and self-resurrection. How to Use a Single-Use Spell Its spell list is limited and includes a single use of Fireball, which is a big… Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), servant

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, difficulty 4, difficulty varies, social encounter, spell tactics
July 9, 2026

Faerie Dragon Adult: Pranking with Polymorph

The faerie dragon is a small, colorful dragon that likes playing practical jokes, as discussed in the previous article. The adult is different from the young dragon in that he has access to two interesting spells, which will be the focus of this article. (And an extra +1 INT, which won’t.)See also the last… Continue reading

attacker (CR 0-4), independent

battlemap, Combat rating 3, Combat rating 4, Combat rating 5, difficulty 4, social encounter, spell tactics
June 24, 2026

FAERIE DRAGON YOUTH: Practical Jokes That Actually Work

Combat rating 1 1 Faerie dragon youth (CR 1) 2 Pseudodragons (CR 1/4) Combat rating 2 1 Faerie dragon youth (CR 1) 5 Pixies (CR 1/4) Combat rating 3 1 Faerie dragon youth (CR 1) 3 Performers (CR 1/2) 1 Black bear (CR 1/2) Combat rating 3 1… Continue reading

ally (CR 0-4), independent

battlemap, Combat rating 1, Combat rating 2, Combat rating 3, difficulty 4, social encounter
June 9, 2026

ETTIN: Two Heads Aren’t Better Than One

The ettin is a low-intelligence, two-headed giant whose heads are prone to arguing with each other. Clearly, a comedy monster. (Know that this does not mean that it’s only fit to be used in a comedy-style game. If you think over your favorite books and movies, you will almost certainly realize that they have light,… Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), minion

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, difficulty 4, difficulty 5, social encounter
May 24, 2026

ETTERCAP (2): How to Run a Lost in the Woods Scenario

Lost in the Woods In the previous article, I described a basic ettercap encounter. One in which the players fought the ettercaps. Ettercaps are also well-suited for an encounter/game in which the players get turned around in a forest and find themselves unable to find their way out. In this article, we’ll discuss how to… Continue reading

Special article

traps
April 29, 2026

Ettercap (1) & How to Run a Horde in D&D

Ettercaps are monsters that look like a cross between a human and a giant purple bug, and act like giant spiders. They live in large colonies of their own type, which immediately makes them a tricky monster to run in D&D encounters. How do you send the players against dozens or more of the same… Continue reading

animal, attacker (CR 0-4)

battlemap, Combat encounter 2, Combat encounter 3, Combat encounter 4, difficulty 5, traps
April 20, 2026

EMPYREAN: Arrogance of a Demigod

The empyrean is the child of a deity, with all the power and arrogance that implies. Hercules is nothing compared to these guys. How to Use an Empyrean – Friendly When asking an empyrean for help, the key is to flatter him so outrageously that the flattery feels thick enough to take physical form and… Continue reading

boss battle (CR 17+), leader

Combat rating 26, Combat rating 27, Combat rating 28, Combat rating 29, difficulty 30, social encounter

About Me

I’ve been a DM since I was about 10 years old. (Not of D&D, admittedly, but still.) After growing bored of fights that were all the same, dungeons heavily populated by one monster type, and a general shortage of ideas, I figured I’d embark on my own trip through the Monster Manual, one monster at a time. Feel free to join the quest.

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