The Nesting Ground (3rd Level)

Background. A nest of Ankhegs has tunnelled up beneath the mass grave. They’ve been eating the field from below for months, and lately, they have developed a taste for the living.

Hook. A couple of weeks have passed since three scavenging crews ventured to the grave field and haven’t returned. The last report mentioned finding their carts overturned, with wood eaten through and burned, but no bodies found. The characters are hired to find out what happened to their bodies.

Read out when the characters reach the nesting ground:

Thousands of skeletons are strewn in this pocket of waste. Ribcages sag like melted wax, skulls sit pocked and pitted as old coral, as if the sun itself has been melting away the bones.

A character succeeding on a DC 13 Investigation (Intelligence) check finds the bones have been burnt away by acid and gnawed at by pincers. A successful follow-up DC 10 Nature (Intelligence) check indicates that these signs point to Ankhegs in the area. Failure on the Nature check gives the Ankhegs advantage on initiative checks during this encounter.

Two Ankhegs burst from the sand and attack, opening with their acid spray. A third erupts on the third round of combat, surfacing beside its egg chamber in the deepest grave pit. The ankhegs drag grappled prey below: a creature pulled underground takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and must hold its breath until freed or dug out. Somewhere beneath the bones is a nest that holds a clutch of a dozen glistening eggs. The ankhegs fight to the death, but do not pursue characters who withdraw from the field.

Treasure. Among the acid-scarred bones of the nest lies a devoured courier, her Boots of Speed untouched by the ankhegs’ acid. Her satchel holds a sealed letter, addressed to whoever your campaign needs it to be.

Conclusion. It’s easy to deduce that the Ankhegs have eaten the missing scavenging crews. Returning to the quest patron with evidence of an Ankheg presence raises concerns of other nests hidden in the desert.

---

Light of the Sky (7th Level)

Background. A Young Blue Dragon drags its kills here, strips them, and buries the bones in the sand. Its flock of kobolds picks the field clean between feedings, digging pit traps to catch anything that wanders in.

Hook. Caravans have stopped crossing the flats. The survivors of the last one describe blue lightning striking from a cloudless night sky, and a merchant prince now pays handsomely for the head of whatever unmade his trade route.

Read out as the characters enter the field:

Sand-buried bones riddle hundreds of feet of the desert, picked clean and bleached white. Hundreds of small, clawed footprints lead to and from this mass grave. Overhead the sky is empty, cloudless, and blue, with the air tasting faintly of copper.

Eight Kobolds hide in spider holes among the bones, and three concealed pit traps (DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) to spot; 10 feet deep, 2d6 bludgeoning) dot the approaches. These kobolds worship the Light of the Desert, Xanzapalagoz (Young Blue Dragon), and tend to this field of food for their master.

The kobolds harass the party with slings, herding them toward the traps. When a character falls in, or when the party reaches the centre of the map, a tremendous roar rattles the boneyard as Xanzapalagoz soars overhead. The Light of the Desert fights in the air, lands only to bite, and burrows under the sand when reduced to half its hit points or less to reposition and ambush again. When the dragon is reduced to half its hit points, it retreats beyond the desert horizon.

Treasure. The kobolds hide what few treasures they can from their master. One being a Wand of Lightning Bolts taken from a dead mage.

Conclusion. Xanzapalagoz has a hoard tucked away within a mesa somewhere in the desert. She is smart enough to flee from a losing fight, but quick adventurers may follow her back to her lair.

---

The Thing Beneath the Graves (12th Level)

Background. Centuries of marrow and carrion of past conflicts have soaked into this earth, and something vast has finally followed the scent. A Purple Worm now threads the ground beneath the dry wastes, surfacing corpses that attract looters or scavengers.

Hook. Something is unearthing ancient remains throughout the desert, attracting treasure seekers who see the opportunity to loot artefacts of aeons past. The characters hope to glean what is sifting the sand and want to make sure no dark artefacts fall into the wrong hands.

Read out when the characters reach the sinkhole:

You travelled several hours into the waste as the faint rhythmic vibrations in the earth have grown stronger. Everywhere they happen, bones are revealed beneath the sand. You finally arrive where the sand and stone tremble like a small earthquake, and where hundreds of bony corpses riddle the wastes.

Two Giant Scorpions roam the bone field and pluck at what little dried meat remains on the bones; two more erupt from the mounds of bone on round two. The real fight begins on round three, when Purple Worm breaches beneath whichever creature is making the most vibration. Stuck in its rows of teeth is an uncorked Eversmoking Bottle, which causes the area in its trail and around it to be heavily obscured.

The field is riddled with the worm’s tunnels. Whenever the worm burrows, each creature within 10 feet of a tunnel mouth must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Treasure. Beyond preparing a hoard of treasure relevant to your campaign, the Purple Worm has also ingested an Eversmoking Bottle and a set of Demon Armor.

---

The Harvest of Ages (18th Level)

Background. When he was alive, the lich was a travelling prince of a distant magocracy who the nobles of the kingdoms framed for murder. He spent years in prison and decades plotting his revenge after his own family would not have him return home. Now his followers have gathered enough corpses to raise an army to march on those who framed him. His close followers include his loyal bodyguards from his time in life that now serve as wights, and the soul he was framed for murdering, turned into a mummy lord fueled by revenge.

Hook. Across three kingdoms, thousands of tombs have been robbed. In the desert wastes that divide the kingdoms, a lich takes the first step towards raising an undead army capable of dismantling the surrounding civilisations.

Read aloud as the characters arrive:

Ten thousand graves stir at once. Sand streams from every pit as finger bones flex toward a violet light at the heart of the field, where a gaunt figure carves the air with blackened hands. Behind it, wrapped in rotted funeral linen, an ancient corpse turns to watch you, while four other undead warriors stand blades at the ready.

The Lich stands at the heart of the field mid-ritual, warded by the Mummy Lord and four Wights. Each round, on initiative count 20, 2d8 Skeleton minions (with 1 hit point) claw out of the sand.

Lich’s Ward. The ward the Lich has cast on itself transfers all damage done to the lich over to the mummy lord or a wight. If the lich loses hit points, it must roll a concentration check to continue the ritual. The mummy lord intercepts anyone who closes the distance, and the wights hunt the party’s ranged attackers. If the ritual runs for ten uninterrupted rounds, the undead army reaches its full potential.

Conclusion. If the lich is killed here, know that its phylacteries are hidden far away. If the ritual is successful. Consider ending the session early to prepare for the real chaos that is about to ensue.

Treasure. The lich brought no hoard–the treasure here is everything ten thousand dead were buried with.

Alternate Map

Rooty’s Bone-Strewn Desert is a free offering that makes clever use of our existing assets. Check out the article we put together about it here!

But we also have another map that would be perfect for these encounters, and the assets themselves are sure to spark some ideas for your own creations. Check out our recommended map & assets here:

Random Encounters

Use the tables below if you’re looking for a spark of inspiration to build your own unique encounters on this map. 

d12	Encounter
1	A dry wind uncovers a fresh corpse. Dead less than a day.
2	1d4 Swarms of Insects boil out of a cracked ribcage.
3	2d4 Jackals shadow the party at a distance, patient and silent.
4	A dust devil crosses the field. A Dust Mephit rides inside it, laughing.
5	1d6 Skeletons claw free of the sand, still wearing rusted slave chains.
6	A lone Gnoll picks through the bones. 2d4 more lie hidden nearby.
7	1d3 Giant Hyenas fight over a femur far too large to be human.
8	A Cockatrice nests inside a giant’s half-buried skull.
9	A Ghost drifts between the grave pits, searching for its own bones.
10	1d4 Ghouls burrow up beneath the party’s feet.
11	An Earth Elemental heaves out of a grave trench, ribcages jutting from its body.
12	The ground shivers. Something enormous passes far beneath. It does not stop.

We recommend our (Free) Token Editor to search for the creature tokens on the table!

d12	Treasure
1	A bronze slave collar stamped with a name and a number.
2	A pair of loaded dice carved from knucklebones.
3	2d10 gp in coins of a fallen empire, worth double to a collector.
4	A tower shield painted with a faded sun, half-buried and still sound.
5	A scrimshawed femur etched with a crude map of the grave field.
6	A Potion of Healing wrapped in a burial shroud.
7	A Spell Scroll of Gentle Repose.
8	A silvered shortsword snapped at the hilt. A smith can reforge it for 25 gp.
9	A locket holding a portrait and a curl of hair.
10	A sealed clay jar of embalming salts, worth 50 gp to an apothecary.
11	A wax-sealed letter that was never delivered.
12	A single humanoid finger bone that is warm to the touch and seemingly alive.

Map & Asset Downloads

We recommend these maps and assets…

---

You can also further support our talented token artists by buying them a cup of coffee!