she found herself aimlessly wandering the wastes of
Random Avernian Wasteland
Encounters
Characters exploring Avernus are likely to encounter
wandering monsters. Such encounters can occur as often
as you like, but keep in mind that too many random
encounters can bog down the adventure and cause
players to lose interest in the story. You can roll on the
Random Avernian Wasteland Encounters table or
choose an appropriate encounter. Each encounter is
described in more detail after the table.
Important for a DM to understand when using this
document is that it wasn’t designed with balance in
mind, but rather encounter memorability. Characters of
first level are stand the chance of confronting a kraken
just as likely as confronting imps. However, due to this
document being designed with a focus on memorable
encounters, it also results in most encounters not being
focused on combat, and even when they are, are often
easily avoided by the players, thus even if the creatures
the characters speak to are far beyond them, they are
often not in any more danger than they would be
otherwise elsewhere. For further guidelines on how
to use random encounters effectively, see "Random
Encounters" in chapter 3 of the ​Dungeon Master's
Guide​.
A Paladin in Hell
The characters spot a small area of radiant light
half-a-mile away. Investigating the light reveals its
source to come from an infernal war machine’s wheels,
next to which sits a lone female figure with pearlescent
wings and skin covered in iridescent scales, and dressed
in a long fur coat, long since stained into shades of
brown, grey and red by the environments of Avernus.
The woman is engaged in religious meditation and
therefore doesn’t speak up unless addressed first.
However, if spoken to, she introduces herself as
Akhiriel Vala'raama, an aasimar paladin and oracle of
the couatl deity ​Jazirian​, and that she has been trapped
in what she refers to as ​Baator​ for what she believes has
been a decade since she flung herself into an infernal
portal, and thereby offering up her soul in return for
closing it and preventing an invasion of her home-world
by devils and fiendish dragons. However, rather than
her soul being turned into a devil or otherwise claimed,
Avernus, seemingly at the will of a figure she grimly
refers to as ​Ahriman​, them supposedly approaching her
occasionally for reasons of which she is uncertain.
Akhiriel has the statistics of a ​Deva​ with the following
changes:
● She is a medium humanoid (aasimar) rather
than a celestial.
● She gains a +8 bonus on Ability checks made
to ride a vehicle (land) of size large.
● She has Resistance to Necrotic-damage.
● She can cast ​Speak with Animals​ at will.
● Her Change Shape feature can only change
her into the forms of snakes.
Depending on the behavior and appearance of the
characters, Akhiriel may offer to use her Healing Touch
feature to help them, or allow them to rest within the
protective auras of her war machine.
At the behest of the DM, Akhiriel might also be willing
to aid the characters in other ways, however,
she will in such cases caution the characters that her
presence might draw more attention to the party than
they’d want and thereby endanger their mission more
than she would help.
​Holy Aura Ride.​ Akhiriel owns a ​Devils Ride​,
its wheels shining with bright light out to a range of 15
feet and dim-light an additional 15 feet as they emit a
30-foot aura with the effects of permanent ​Forbiddance
and ​Circle of Power​ spells against Fiends. Akhiriel has
attuned her own soul due to her aversion to using ​soul
coins​ as fuel. If the characters own their own infernal war
machine or ask the aasimar about her own ride, Akhiriel
offers to teach the characters how to attune themselves to
a ride, though warns them that the experience is less than
pleasant.
​Soul Attuned War Machine.​ A creature can choose
to undergo a 1 hour long ritual to attune its soul to the
furnace of an infernal war machine with which the
creature is in physical contact throughout the ritual.
Only one creature can have its soul attuned to an
infernal war machine at a time, even the death of the
creature doesn’t cut the attunement. However, the
insertion of ​soul coins​ into the war machine breaks
the link; 1d10 into a Large vehicle, 1d12 into a Huge
vehicle, and 1d20 into a Gargantuan vehicle.
1
 The ritual cannot be performed by undead or
constructs, nor by any creature with an intelligence
score of 4 or lower. Lastly, the ritual is a sacred act
of self-sacrifice, and as a result, a creature forced to
perform the act through mind-altering effects also
isn’t capable of completing the attunement.
In spite of the terminology, soul attunement to an
infernal war machine doesn’t count against the number
of magic items to which a creature can be attuned.
An attuned creature gains the ability to, as an Action,
infuse its infernal war machine with its life-force while
touching it. The creature takes an amount of d12
Necrotic-damage of its choice. This damage cannot
be reduced in any way and its Hit Point Maximum is
reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken.
This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a Long
Rest, and it dies if this effect reduces its Hit Point
Maximum to 0.
For each die of damage the creature chooses to take,
it fuels its infernal war machine for 1 hour.
Additionally, whenever the creature fuels its infernal
war machine with its life force, it must make a DC 10
Charisma Saving-Throw or gain one level of
Exhaustion.
​Uroboric Confrontation.​ If the characters spend any
length of time alongside Akhiriel, the DM can choose
to have the figure she identifies as Ahriman to appear
among them and the aasimar, just outside the area of her
infernal war machine’s auras.
As this figure appears, each character within 100 feet
of Ahriman, other than Akhiriel, must make a DC 27
Charisma Saving-Throw, taking 21 (6d6) Force-damage
and additionally falling Prone and becoming Stunned on
a Failed save, or Half as much damage on a Successful
save and the creature only falling to their knees and
becoming Stunned. A creature remains Stunned and
Prone until Ahriman leaves or actively releases it.
Immediately upon being made to make the save against
this effect, any creature affected knows that they can
avoid taking any damage at all by choosing not to resist
falling Prone and becoming Stunned.
Creatures who Succeed on their Saving-Throws are
able to gaze at Ahriman, the figure appearing as a tall
and handsome male tiefling covered in serpentine
scales. Creatures with ​Truesight​ or similar means of
magically seeing through illusions perceive Ahriman
simply as a large mass of blood-red mist.
Upon Ahriman’s arrival, Akhiriel simply closes
her eyes and otherwise remains unmoving, nothing
occurring for a few minutes, as though Avernus had been
frozen in time and only the disembodied sounds
of a pair of serpentine voices hissing incomprehensibly
at each other noting otherwise.
After a few minutes, Ahriman vanishes, the characters
are released from the magical pressure of his presence,
and Akhiriel opens her eyes anew, remembering nothing
from the duration of Ahriman’s presence, other than that
he indeed had been present.
In the case of an appearance of Ahriman occurring,
Akhiriel will adamantly insist on leaving the company of
the characters as soon as possible, fearing for their safety
in the case of further exposure to Ahriman’s awareness
of them and their goals.
A Poet and his Spiritual Guide
The characters encounter a lawful good human male
Acolyte ​with a +4 bonus to Charisma (Performance)
checks, midway in the journey of his life, and his guide,
a neutral good human male ​Ghost ​with a +7 bonus to
Charisma (Performance) and (Intimidation) checks.
Additionally, both NPCs have proficiency with
Calligrapher's supplies.
If engaged in conversation the two figures explain that
the ghost is giving the human a tour of the different
layers of hell, and that they currently are looking for the
Tiamat’s Lair​ so that they can gain access to the portal
leading to ​Dis​, the second layer, supposedly lying deep
within her caverns.
As the characters interact with the touring pair, the
occasional ​Imp​ or ​Spined Devil​ appears to heckle at
them, but are consistently driven off by the ghost,
threatening them with divine punishment.
Abyssal Kraken
At the banks of the river Styx, the characters come
upon a scene of a ​Bone Devil​, 2d4 + 1 ​Spined Devils​,
and 1d4 ​Barbed Devils​ confronting a fiendish ​Kraken
with Resistance to Cold and Fire-damage, whose
“Lightning Storm” action deals Force-damage instead of
Lightning, and with immunity to the effects of the river
Styx, attacking from within the river.
2
 If the characters deem to aid the kraken, it introduces
itself as Huuaklaszil, a servant and spy of the demon
lord ​Dagon​. The kraken further elaborates that it has
been charting out landmarks of wastes of Avernus by
swimming throughout the relativistic waters of the Styx.
As a reward for aiding the Huuaklaszil, it offers to
give them directions to a landmark of the DM’s choice,
which counts as rolling 2d12 when “Charting a Course”
to that location (see chapter 3 in ​Baldur’s Gate:
Descend into Avernus​).
​Treasure.​ At the DM’s choice, Huuaklaszil
additionally rewards the character with a magic item
determined by rolling once on the Magic Item Table F
(see chapter 7 in the ​Dungeon Master’s Guide)​ .
Adult Dragon
The party encounters one of Tiamat’s chosen children.
Roll 1d6, the result correlating to the color of the
dragon; an ​Adult Red Dragon​ (1), an ​Adult Blue
Dragon​ (2), an ​Adult Black Dragon​ (3), an ​Adult
Green Dragon​ (4), or an ​Adult White Dragon​ (5-6).
Thereafter roll 1d4 - 1. On a result of 0, the dragon is
flying 120 feet overhead, looking for its next meal.
On a result of 1 or higher, the dragon is resting alongside
an amount of ​Wyrmlings​ of the same color, of an
amount equal to the number rolled. If with its young, the
dragon ignores the party as long as they remain more
than 120 feet away, and otherwise breathes at them to
discourage their approach before viciously fighting to the
death any who still insist on approaching.
Beyond any natural immunities the dragons may
otherwise have, each dragon rolled is fiendish and has
Resistance to Cold, Fire, and Lightning-damage and
Immunity to Poison-damage and the Poisoned Condition.
​Lairs & Treasures.​ It is left to the DM to decide what
the environment the characters encounter the dragon is
like, as well as whether it is appropriate for a dragon to
be in possession of treasures or its hoard in such an area.
However, any adult dragon with treasure is in possession
of 1d6 - 1 ​soul coins​ in addition to any other treasure of
the DM’s choice.

Random Avernian Wasteland Encounters

1d100 Encounter 1d100 Encounter 1d100 Encounter

01-02 A Paladin in Hell 36-39 2d6 + 1 Hell Hounds 65-69 Pathetic Warzone

03-05 A Poet and his Spiritual Guide 40-41 Hellriders Riding 70-72 Pillar of Skulls

06 Abyssal Kraken 42 1 Hydra 73-75 Slow Century

07-10 Adult Dragon 43 Iggwilv the Witch Queen 76 Stygian Linnorm

11-14 Chain Devils & Frost Giants 44 Invaders of Orcus 77-79 Styx Dragon

15-20 2d8 - 1 Cultists & 1 Cult Fanatic 45-46 Kostchtchie Liberators 80-84 The Great Avernus Road

21-23 Dendar’s Parade 47-49 6d6 Lemures 85-89 Unholy Diving

24-26 1d4 Drow & 1 Drow Mage 50-51 Lovers’ Quarrel 90 Wizard Boil

27-29 Eternal Triangle 52-55 4d8 Manes 91-95 Young Dragon

30-33 Faceless Horde 56-58 Out of Time and Space 96-99 Zombie Horde of Orcus

34-35 1 Glabrezu 59-64 Paradise Lost Relics 00 Zuggtmoy’s Salesman

3
Chain Devils & Frost Giants
The characters come upon a group of 1d4 + 2 chaotic
evil ​Frost Giants​ arguing amongst themselves as they
try and decide on whether they should make a deal with
a pair of ​Chain Devils​, each with 40 Hit Points
remaining, they managed to Incapacitate and Restrain
by entangling their chains together and tying them down
with an oversized ​Hellfire Greatsword​ wielded by one
of the giants in battle.
The giants’ argument is so heated that they are almost
at a point of coming to blows with one another, and it
therefore takes a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check
to make the giants engage the characters in conversation
rather than simply lashing out at the newly arrived
targets of violence. If the characters succeed on the
check, the giants requests their input on how to find the
prison of their god, Kostchtchie’s Maw. If the characters
are unable to help the giants, they must engage in a
competition against the chain devils, as they attempt to
enrage the giants by making Charisma (Deception)
checks, trying to convince the giants that the characters
are lying to them.
If the devils lose the contest, the giants grow tired of
listening to them and kill them. While, if the characters
lose the contest, the giants attack them instead, fighting
to the death.
If at any point a fight breaks out between the giants
and the characters, the chain devils attempt to bargain
with the characters, offering their aid in the battle in
exchange for their freedom (and potentially something
more). Removing the oversized sword, and thereby
releasing
the devils requires a DC 24 Strength (Athletics) check,
though the characters might have other means or ideas
for ways to remove it, including making the lone giant
unarmed without it pull free the sword itself.
​Treasure.​ The characters can claim the ​Hellfire
Greatsword,​ magically turning it to a more appropriate
size simply by touching it without a giant around to
challenge the resizing. The devils might additionally
have offered the characters an uncommon magic item
or two, of the DM’s choice, in return for their freedom.
Cultists
The characters encounter a group of devil worshipping
cultists visiting Avernus for the purpose of gaining favor
from their infernal masters.
The cultists will attempt to capture the characters,
sneaking up on them if possible, so that they might offer
the characters as sacrifices to their hellish patron.
Dendar’s Parade
The characters are intersected by the gang of ​Sa’Szinii
a type 3 yuan-ti malison female ​Medusa ​wielding a
Hunting Rifle instead of longbow.
Sa’Szinii leads her gang, known as Dendar’s Parade,
the remains of an army of yuan-ti who invaded the ​Fugue
Plane​ in an attempt to liberate ​Dendar the Night Serpent
and have her devour the world. This invasion, however,
failed horribly, struck down by the divine forces of the
Lord of the Dead, Kelemvor​, and only this small band
managed to escape by making a deal with one of the
devils appearing on that plane to tempt the souls of the
dead, leading the group through a portal to Avernus.
Since entering the Hells, Sa’Szinii has been working
more and more on trying to find a way to free herself off
the bargain that saved her life, and as a result has been
equipping herself so that she might better oppose devils.
Carrying bullets coated in silver for her newly acquired
firearm, and she has pierced her snake hair with silvered
needles and silvered their teeth, as well as coating the
entire skeleton of individual snakes of her hair that died
from her treating of them, and thereafter animated.
Sa’Szinii drives a ​Tormentor​ while she has two type 2
Yuan-Ti Malisons​ each driving a ​Scavenger​, and a type
1 ​Yuan-Ti Malison​ driving a ​Devil’s Ride​. All the huge
vehicles additionally have 1d4 ​Yuan-Ti Purebloods
rounding out their crews.
Sa’Szinii adds a +6 bonus to Ability checks made to
drive a vehicle (land), while all the rest of her crew add
a +2 bonus to such checks.
​Treasure.​ In addition to her Hunting Rifle, Sa’Szinii
carries a pouch containing 1d100 silvered bullets.
Her crew at large carries with them 2d6 ​Soul Coins
and 2d6 flasks of Demon ichor.
4
Drow
The path of the characters intersect with that of a group
of drow.
Roll any die. On an even result, the party must
succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to
notice the group of drow as they simply are attempting
to stealth their way across the wastes of Avernus
unseen.
On an odd result, the party must Succeed on a DC
14 Dexterity (Stealth) check or be spotted by the drow
who attempt to capture the characters and use them as
bargaining chips in their dealings within the Hells.
Regardless of how the group of drow acts, they hail
from ​Lolth’s Web within the Demonweb Pits​ and are
on a mission within Avernus on behalf of their ​Queen
of Spiders​. What this mission entails is left to the DM,
but an available option is meeting with emissaries of
Tiamat to try and reestablish their alliances after their
failed cooperation during ​the Darkening​ and ​War of the
Silver Marches​ on the ​world of Toril​.
​Treasure.​ The mage wears a pair of ​Boots of
Levitation​ and each member of the group wears a black
Cloak of Elvenkind, ​and carry a ​Potion of Healing.​
Eternal Triangle
The party encounters a chaotic evil ​Cult Fanatic​, as
well as ​Barbed Devil​ and a ​Bearded Devil​ with 80 Hit
Points in a heated debate.
The cult fanatic has travelled to Avernus due to
having a sensual interest in monstrous creatures and has
now agreed to sign over its soul to a devil in return for
such experiences for a prolonged period of time with
said devil. However, since both devils are unwilling to
share the credit for contracting the mortal’s soul, they
are now arguing over who gets to serve as contractor.
The cult fanatic eagerly listens to suggestions from the
characters of who of the devils would be the better, most
interesting choice as a partner. Additionally, the party
can convince the cult fanatic to search for better
contractors elsewhere with a DC 15 Charisma
(Persuasion) check.
If the characters attempt to make the cult fanatic give
up on the deal, it simply sighs and suggests that the devils
show how worthy they are as contractors by slaying the
characters. The devils happily fights the characters, but
additionally attempt to sabotage each other and even
outright murder each other throughout the fight.
Regardless of how things turn out, the devil who ends
up being stood-up lashes out its frustrations at the
characters.
All combatants fight until dropped to half their Hit
Points Maximum thereafter they attempt to flee, and if
this doesn’t work, they attempt to bargain for their lives.
​Treasure.​ The cult fanatic carries an umber hulk
antenna which serves as a portal-key to a magic portal,
leading to the city of Sigil, located somewhere in
Avernus of the DM’s choice other than the Wandering
Emporium or Elturel (see chapter 2 of the ​Dungeon
Master’s Guide)​ . If in mortal peril, the cult fanatic will
offer this portal-key in return for its life.
Faceless Horde
The characters witness the amorphous mass of an
invasion from the Abyssal home of Juiblex. The horde
concerned with nothing but internalizing everything they
encounter on their path into themselves.
The fiendish ooze-horde is made up of 1d3 - 1 ​Black
Puddings​, 4d6 ​Gray Oozes​, and 3d4 ​Ochre Jellies​.
Regardless of what features an ooze otherwise has,
it is fiendish and therefore has Resistance to Cold, Fire,
and Lightning-damage.
​Treasure.​ For each black pudding present in the horde,
the enormous mass carries within it a random magic item,
resistant to Acid-damage, determined by rolling once on
the Magic Item Table G (see chapter 7 in the ​Dungeon
Master’s Guide)​ .
Glabrezu
The characters encounter a lone ​Glabrezu​ in the service
of the demon lord Baphoment who, in its Abyssal
madness, has gotten itself convinced that all that is
needed to win the war against the Hells is building a
maze large enough to encompass the entire plane, thereby
trapping the devils within while the servants of Baphomet
freely hound them. As a result, when the characters come
upon the demon, it has managed to build a ceilingless
40-foot hallway out of Avernian rocks and gore.
5
 If the characters approach the demon, it informs them
of its plan and demand that they aid in the building by
gathering more building materials. If denied, it attacks.
​Treasure.​ The glabrezu carries an adamantine set of
oversized mason’s tools worth 500 gp.
Hell Hounds
A pack of hell hounds are on the hunt together and have
judged the characters to make for a great, next meal.
Hellriders Riding
The characters witness an escaped hellrider on an
infernal war machine, fleeing the minions of an
Avernian warlord.
Ser Allyia Goldentoe, a Lawful Good halfling female
Knight​ of Helm who can reroll any d20 roll resulting
in a natural 1, somehow managed to escape Elturel,
after it was dragged into Avernus, by paragliding down
to the ground with a blanket filled with holes, landing
just beyond the clash between the fiendish armies (her
halfling luck was working overtime that day).
When the characters see Ser Goldentoe, she has stolen
a ​Tormentor​ from an Avernian kobold warlord, and the
warlords goons are now following her in two
Scavengers​ and another ​Tormentor​. Each infernal war
machine of the minions chasing Ser Goldentoe are
manned by 1d8 ​Kobolds​, each adding a +4 bonus to
Ability checks made to drive a vehicle (land).
​The Boss Wants to Talk.​ The kobolds are trying to
capture Goldentoe, and if any other characters attempt
to interfere, they attempt to capture them as well.
Captured characters are taken down into the caverns
of Draukari below Avernus, the layer and prison of the
Kobold creator-god, ​Kurtulmak​. What happens to the
characters within this underground, infernal maze is
beyond the scope of this document, but worth noting is
that the hordes of kobolds inhabiting these labyrinthine
are all miners spending eternity blindly digging about
the tunnels for a way to find their trapped deity, and
engaging in ritual sacrifices of gnomes, their religiously
hated enemies.
​Treasure.​ Each infernal war machine’s crew has
1d4 ​Soul Coins​ and 1d6 - 1 flasks of Demon Ichor.
Goldentoe wields a ​Vicious Mithral Greatsword​ which
allows her and other small creatures to wield the
weapon effectively.
Hydra
One of the horrific results of the Prince of Demons,
Demogorgon’s infamous dalliances, this chaotic evil
Hydra​ with 255 Hit Points, Resistance to Acid, Cold,
Fire, Lightning, and Psychic-damage, and the ability to
cast the ​Confusion​-spell once per day as a 5th-level spell
while requiring no components, has no goals in life but
the destruction of everything in its path.
Iggwilv the Witch Queen
If the characters aren’t anywhere within viewing distance
of the city of Elturel, roll for a new result.
The character spot the strange sight of a lone woman
lying upon the prone form of a ​Vrock​ as though it was
a divan or similar piece of furniture.
The woman before them is the infamous ​Witch Queen
Iggwilv, ​a chaotic evil human female demonologist,
a fact she neither actively reveals nor attempts to hide.
She happily explains that she is observing Elturel, finding
this newest development in Avernus an interesting one.
Iggwilv is well aware of the details of Zariel’s plans for
Elturel, indeed, she has been aware of the true nature of
The Companion since before it even appeared in the sky
above Elturel in the first place. Now that Zariel’s plans
have arrived at its climax, Iggwilv simply found herself
in the mood to see the doomed city before it is dragged
into the Styx, and thus lost forever. Iggwilv has no
interest in informing the characters of these details, nor
does she truly care about their presence as long as they
don’t do anything to bother her or her lovely new seat.
If the characters inform Iggwilv of their intention to
save Elturel from its fate, the Witch Queen grants them
the slightest of her interest, asking them to elaborate on
the nature of their intentions and plans. Indeed, if the
characters seem to either be capable enough, or have an
interesting enough plan to serve as entertainment, she
may even offer to aid the characters slightly by allowing
party wizards to copy spells from her spellbook, or by
casting removing a curse from the party.
6
 Iggwilv has the statistics of a ​Lich​ with the following
changes:
● Iggwilv is a humanoid (human).
● She can cast the ​Detect Magic​-spell at will,
requiring no components, and she is under the
effects of a ​Contingency-​ spell to cast ​Raise Dead
on her if she ever dies, after which she will play
dead until she can make her escape.
● Iggwilv has no “Rejuvenation” feature.
● Her list of prepared spells includes ​Tasha’s
Hideous Laughter​ instead of ​Detect Magic.
If combat breaks out, Iggwilv might potentially take
one turn to punish the foolishness of her attackers, but
otherwise simply ​Plane Shifts​ away as soon as possible,
having visited Avernus simply for the sake of a bit of
entertainment.
Invaders of Orcus
With the city of Elturel stranded in Avernus, the Prince
of Undeath sees a great opportunity for expanding his
foothold in the Hells further by turning the city into a
bastion of the dead.
To invade the forsaken city, Orcus has sent an initial
force lead by a ​Wight​ mounted on an undead ​Wyvern
with Resistance to Necrotic-damage. The wight’s forces
are further bolstered by two ​Will-O’-Wisps​, a ​Zombie
Beholder​, and four ​avariel ​Zombies​ with a flying speed
of 20 feet. Lastly, the invaders have further enhanced
their forces by raising two ​Minotaur Skeletons​ from
slain forces of the Prince of Beasts.
​Treasure.​ Two of the avariel zombies wear pairs of
Boots of Elvenkind,​ an avariel zombie wears a suit of
Elven Chain,​ and the wight wears a full set of ​Demon
Armour.​
Kostchtchie Liberators
The characters spot a procession of giants marching
500 feet away. The procession is made up of 1d4
Frost Giants​ and is lead by a frost giant Wyrmkin of
Kostchtchie and its subjugated ​Young White Dragon​.
The Wyrmkin has the statistics of a ​Cloud Giant​, or a
Cloud Giant Smiling One ​(see chapter 3 of ​Volo’s
Guide to Monsters)​ , with the following changes:
● Its alignment is chaotic evil.
● The Wyrmkin is immune to Cold-damage.
● It speaks Draconic and Abyssal.
There is a 80% chance that the procession is looking for
the prison of Kostchtchie’s Maw in an attempt free their
god. Otherwise, they are marching to confront Zariel and
retrieve ​Matalotok​ from her. In either case,
the party can avoid the giants by keeping their distance
or succeeding on a DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check,
but alternatively, if the characters follow the giants,
the processions size swells by 1d4 ​Young White
Dragons​ and they are led to Zariel (see chapter 5
of ​Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus)​ .
Lemures
The characters witness this pathetic legion “marching”
slowly across the wastes of their soon-to-be eternal
battlefield. These green recruits are 150 feet away when
the characters first spot them.
Lovers’ Quarrel
The characters come upon a ​Lamia​ and its ​Jackalwere
servant, engaged in a conversation with a ​Succubus​, both
sides arguing mockingly for which of their respective
masters, the demon lords Graz’zt and Malcanthet, being
the greater lover.
Both the lamia and succubus is happy to hear the views
of the characters, though both also imply it heavily that
expressing an opinion against their views would be less
than wise.
Manes
The characters can hear the mewling of this vile mob
long before it appears. The manes scour the wastes of
Avernus near the Styx for easy prey and move like a tide
of putrid flesh.
Out of Time and Space
The party comes upon the strange sight of a pair of
hellish ​Cambions​ shooting rays of brilliant, radiant light
at a ​fiendish ​Beholder​, a crown of horns sprouting from
its top and its skin shaded red like bloody flesh.
The Nine Hells, like all other Outer Planes, are places
of philosophy, not physics. Space nor time truly function
within the Hells, and the same Hells are thus shared by
all worlds and across all points in time.
7
 Due to this relativistic reality, the forces of the Hells
occasionally find themselves with the chances to
employ greater technologies of warfare against the
forces of the Abyss. Such is the case for these cambions,
one named ​Μόρος who wields a Laser Rifle, and the
other named Malum wielding a Laser Pistol. Both
cambions can fire their firearms twice as an Action.
The ​beholder ​hails from the abyssal ​Realm of a
Million Eyes​ and as a result has Vulnerability to
Radiant-damage, Resistance to Acid, Cold, Fire, and
Lightning-damage, and its “Enervation Ray” deals
Fire-damage instead of Necrotic. If the DM wishes to
extend this encounter,
they can choose to have 1d4​ ​Spectators​ with the same
extra features as described above apply​, but have its
“Wounding Ray” deal Fire-damage instead of Necrotic.
On consecutive rolls of this result, only the beholders
appear, invading from the Abyss and attack the party.
​Treasure.​ The cambions carries 10 Energy Cells
shared between them, along with their firearms.
Paradise Lost Relics
The characters come upon the remains of the honey trap
which once made up the wastes of Avernus (see page 9
in ​Baldur’s Gate: Descend into Avernus)​ .
Roll once on the Relics of the Trap table nearby to
find out what the characters come upon.
Pathetic Warzone
Near the river Styx, a newly spawned legion of 1d100
Lemures​ clashes mindlessly with a newly invading
horde of 1d100 ​Manes​ from the Abyss.
The warzone is completely harmless to the characters
as long as they don’t approach it, or witness it for so
long that other fiends are drawn to the mayhem.
Pillar of Skulls
Located not far from ​Tiamat’s Lair​, t​he pillar​ is not
exactly made of skulls. Instead, it is a pile of the “living
heads” of former mortals, and other beings not so easily
identifiable. The heads, in various states of decay and
decomposition, are little more than bone-boxes. They
argue among themselves constantly about various points
of no importance.
Relics of the Trap
d12 Found Relic
01-03 While traveling across Avernus, the characters
glimpse a fantastic mirage: a grand palace or
garden oasis that vanishes when they get within
100 feet of it.
04-06 A random character hears beautiful music or
laughter, catches the scent of flowers or perfume,
or experiences a gentle caress. The sensation has no
discernible source and fades after a few moments.
07-09 The characters find a relic that survived the fall of
paradise, such as a beautiful vase or toppled statue.
The first character to touch the relic experiences a
fleeting moment of pure joy.
10-11 A random character finds a magical peace of
luxury. Roll a d8 to determine what it is among;
a ​Philter of Love​ (1), a ​Driftglobe​ (2), a ​Brooch
of Shielding​ (3), a ​Circlet of Blasting​ (4), ​Eyes of
Charming​ (5), an ​Instrument of the Bards, Doss
Lute​ (6), a ​Pearl of Power​ (7), or a ​Wind Fan​ (8).
12 The party finds a piece of angelic-looking combat
equipment, used to enforce the impression of divine
safety in Avernus. Roll a d8 to determine what it
is among; an ​Arrow-Catching Shield​ (1), a suit of
Glamoured Studded Leather​ (2), a ​Horn of Blasting
(3), a ​Mace of Smiting​ (4), a suit of ​Plate Mail of
Radiant Resistance​ (5), a ​Sword of Vengeance​ (6),
a ​Sword of Wounding​ (7), and ​Winged Boots​ (8).
Some of the heads remain silent, keeping a watch over
the surroundings, while others stay quiet only because
they're missing pieces of their jaws or tongues.
Unless addressed directly, the pillar ignores the visitors,
but if spoken to, the pillar falls silent and a random head
takes dominance, leading the majority of the conversation
with the characters.
If addressed, the pillar is eager to engage in the making
of a deal, especially for the acquisition of a sacrificial
meal, or potentially for the destruction of one of its heads
at the request of another head, due to annoyance.
In return for the performance of a service, the pillar is
capable of sharing information, duplicating the effect of
a ​Commune,​ ​Divination,​ or ​Legend Lore​-spell depending
on the nature of the deal and information request.
8
 The ​Pillar of Skulls ​has the statistics of a ​Hydra​ with
255 Hit Points and the following changes:
● It is a Fiend instead of a Monstrosity, and its
alignment is Lawful Evil.
● The pillar has a speed and swimming speed
of 0 feet.
● The pillar can speak and read all languages.
● Rejuvenation.​ If the Pillar of Skulls is
destroyed, it reforms anew in 1d10 days in the
same location, regaining all its Hit Points and
becoming active again.
● The regrowth of its “Multiple Heads” is
prevented from taking Radiant-damage instead
of Fire.
● Its Bite attacks only have a reach of 5 feet.
If a creature other than a Construct or an Undead is
killed by the pillar, the head of that creature appears as
a part of the pillar in 2d12 hours.
Upon leaving the Pillar of Skulls, if the characters
travel across the wastes of Avernus, their next point of
arrival becomes the Monument of Tiamat with certainty
(see Chapter 3 of ​Baldur’s Gate: Descend into
Avernus)​ .
Slow Century
The party is approached by a ​Spined Devil​ who offers
to make them deals for their souls with good terms since
it is severely behind in its soul-collecting-quota.
If the characters refuse, it pushes once more, insisting
that there is no trickery involved in this deal, and that
they likely won’t get such accommodating terms from
the rest of the Hells. If refused again the devil leaves in
a haste, hoping to find more agreeable souls elsewhere,
but not before plucking out one of its tail spines and
instructing the party to burn it and wait awhile if they
ever change their minds about the deal.
If the party burns the devil’s tail spine and waits in
the same location until they have finished a Short Rest,
the spined devil returns, willing to negotiate anew.
Stygian Linnorm
The characters encounter a linnorm at the waters of the
river Styx. Linnorms are primeval dragons from the
ages before the seperation of the draconic races, their
natural habitats are near or within the Styx itself where
they are avoided by other creatures of the Lower Planes
A stygian linnorm has the statistics of an ​Adult Silver
Dragon​ with the following changes:
● The linnorm’s alignment is Neutral Evil,
and it has a swimming speed of 80 feet.
● It is Immune to the effects of the river Styx,
as well as Acid and Psychic-damage, and the
Charmed, Frightened, Stunned, Paralyzed,
Poisoned, and Prone Conditions.
● Its “Cold Breath” deals Acid-damage instead,
and it doesn’t have the Change Shape nor the
Wing Attack features.
Styx Dragon
The party comes upon a ​styx dragon​ moving about
the waters of the river Styx. A ​styx dragon​ has a long,
serpentine body with tiny, flipperlike claws that are
useless on land and in combat. Its wings are too small
to carry it aloft, but help to propel it through the water.
They commonly subsist on the flesh of fiends, but enjoy
eating any meat—particularly rotting carrion.
A ​styx dragon​ has the statistics of a ​Behir​ with the
following changes:
● Its type is that of a dragon rather than
monstrosity, and it has speed of 20 feet and
swimming speed of 50 feet, but has no climbing
speed.
● It is Immune to the effects of the river Styx,
as well as Acid and Psychic-damage, and the
Charmed, Frightened, Stunned, and Paralyzed
Conditions.
● Amphibious.​ The styx dragon can breathe air
and water.
● Its “Lightning Breath” deals Acid-damage
instead.
● It can use an Action once per day to magically
summon a ​Giant Crocodile​ or a ​Giant Shark​.
The Great Avernus Road
The party comes upon a ruin in the Avernian wastes.
A relic of a lost age, when the archdevil ​Bel​ sat as ruler
of the Avernian armies. Now the Great Road is anything
but, much of its great size having been stripped down by
craters of powerful impacts and from pillaging performed
for unclear reasons.
9
(see ​Dungeon Magazine #149​ for more information).
The Great Road once served as a swift way for Bel to
collect and transport his armies across the wastes of his
realm, but since Zariel took over the throne of Avernus,
no initiative has been performed to maintain the road.
Not due to Zariel being dismissive of the Road’s value
in opposing the forces of the Abyss, but simply to spite
her hated second-in-command, forcing him to simply
watch as the road leading directly to his fortress falls
into disrepair, a symbol of his own disgraced state.
Regardless of where on the Great Road a creature
stands, it can always see ​Bel’s Forge​ at one of its ends
in the distance. If characters choose to follow the Road
towards the fortress, the characters arrive at ​Bel’s Forge
with certainty.
Whenever the characters travel along the Great Road,
roll any die. On an odd roll, one of the Warlords of the
Avernian Wastelands of the DM’s choice rides along
the Road in the opposite direction, the warlords loving
the remains of the old Road (see Chapter 3 in ​Baldur’s
Gate: Descend into Avernus​).
Unholy Diving
At the riverbank of the Styx, the party comes upon an
erinyes​ mounted on the back of a fiendish ​tiger​ with
resistance to Cold-damage and immunity to Fire and
Poison-damage. The erinyes is calmly torturing Djarros
Lathankin, a Lawful Good male half-elf mystic theurge
under the effects of the ​Mind Blank​-spell, by keeping
him tied up by a ​Rope of Entanglement​ and submerged
in the Styx due to him being protected by the effects
of its waters.
By the time the party comes upon the scene, the
effects of Lathankin’s ​Mind Blank​ only have 1 hour
remaining, as he has spent nearly 24 hours within the
Styx.
As a mystic theurge, Lathankin has the statistics of an
Archmage​ with the following changes:
● Lathankin adds a +13 bonus to Intelligence
(Religion) checks, and has darkvision out to
a range of 60 feet.
● He can speaks, read, and write Common,
Celestial, Draconic, Elvish, Infernal, and Sylvan.
● Fey Ancestry.​ Lathankin has Advantage on
Saving-Throws against being Charmed, and
magic can't put him to sleep.
● Lathankin’s list of prepared spells includes
Sacred Flame​ instead of ​Shocking Grasp;
Guiding Bolt​ instead of ​Magic Missile; Prayer of
Healing​ instead of ​Detect Thoughts; Guardian of
Faith i​ nstead of ​Fire Shield; Flame Strike i​ nstead
of ​Cone of Cold; a​ nd ​Fire Storm i​ nstead of
Teleport.
● He has already expend an 8th-level spell slot for
the casting of the ​Mind Blank​-spell.
● He currently has 5 levels of Exhaustion from his
hours exposed to the torrents of the river Styx.
The erinyes is currently happy with its newly found
game, well aware and excited about the coming moment
when Lathankin’s protections from the Styx’s waters fail,
and therefore is happy to ignore the party, as long as they
don’t spoil its fun.
​Treasure.​ The erinyes wears a ​Dread Helm,​ and carries
a ​Rope of Entanglement,​ five diamonds worth 100 gp
each, and a silver half-mask set with star sapphires worth
250 gp, in a black-and-blue velvet bag itself worth 50 gp.
Young Dragon
The party comes upon 1d4 young dragons throughout
the wastes of Avernus.
Roll 1d6, the result correlating to the color of the
dragon; a ​Young Red Dragon​ (1), a ​Young Blue
Dragon​ (2), n ​Young Black Dragon​ (3), a ​Young
Green Dragon​ (4), or a ​Young White Dragon​ (5-6).
Beyond any natural immunities the dragons may
otherwise have, each dragon rolled is fiendish and has
Resistance to Cold, Fire, and Lightning-damage and
Immunity to Poison-damage and the Poisoned Condition.
​Lairs & Treasures.​ It is left to the DM to decide what
the environment the characters encounter the dragon is
like, as well as whether it is appropriate for a dragon to
be in possession of treasures or its hoard in such an area.
However, any young dragon with treasure has of 1d3 - 1
soul coins​ in addition to any other treasure of the DM’s
choice.
10
Wizard Boil
The characters come upon a strange, disgusting boil
in the already horrific, meaty wastes of Avernus.
​History of the Boil.​ In the ​Year of Wild Magic​ of the
world of ​Toril​, the wizard ​Elminster Aumar, the Sage of
Shadowdale​, found himself trapped within the layer of
Avernus and tortured by the dishonored ​archdevil
Nergal​, his mind ripped apart by the fiend to reveal the
secrets of the ​silver fire​ of the ​goddess of magic,
Mystra​.
The ​Old Mage​ was eventually rescued from the Hells.
However, this confrontation of divine magic and psionic
power infused the infernal essence of the adjacent area,
and was eventually tainted with the ichor of the
invading armies of the Abyss.
From this anarchic vortex of planar powers eventually
grew a revolting boil on the surface of Avernus.
​The Old Vestige.​ The area of the boil covers the
surface of Avernus in a 120-foot-radius circle.
Anywhere within this area, the magical imprint or
vestige of Elminster’s mind is capable of manifesting
itself, literally growing out of the boil itself, taking the
form of an elderly human male with long, gray hair and
beard, and a hawk-shaped nose, wearing a tattered red
robe. However, physical inspection reveals all features
of the Old Vestige to be shaped of a soft and wet, fleshy
substance.
The Old Vestige introduces himself as such, well
aware of his nature and without any intention of
deceiving the characters about it (though he is perfectly
happy to lie
to the characters if he believes deception regarding any
topic would encourage the characters to engage in
goodly deeds; such as redeeming Zariel).
The vestige of Elminster has the statistics of a ​Lich​,
with the following changes:
● He is an Aberration instead of an Undead,
and his alignment is Chaotic Good.
● He has a speed of 0 feet, and he cannot leave the
area of the Wizard Boil by any means.
● The vestige can cast the ​Misty Step-​ spell at will
without expending a spell slot.
● The vestige can speak, read, and write Common,
Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Elvish, and Infernal.
● Elminster’s “Rejuvenation” feature has him
reform within the area of the Wizard Boil.
● His list of prepared spells includes ​Remove Curse
instead of ​Animate Dead; Polymorph​ instead
of ​Dimension Door; Bigby’s Hand​ instead of
Cloudkill; Mordenkainen’s Sword ​instead of
Finger of Death; Reverse Gravity i​ nstead of
Plane Shift; a​ nd ​Foresight i​ nstead of ​Power
Word Kill.
● Lastly, his “Paralyzing Touch” and “Disrupt
Life” features both deal Force-damage instead
of Necrotic-damage.
Depending on the intentions and behaviour of the party,
Elminster’s vestige is happy to aid them in away way
he is capable. The Wizard Boil has covered Avernus for
more than a century at this point, and it is as a result left
to the DM to decide how much help Elminster is when
it comes to the sharing of information.
If the party is made up of evil characters, or characters
unconcerned with heroic actions, the vestige will attempt
to manipulate them into furthering the causes of good
instead, playing to their egos, fears, desires, obsessions,
and other weaknesses.
​Supernatural Aid.​ At the DM’s choice, Elminster’s
vestige has the ability to grant each of the characters a
“Blessing of Magic Resistance” or alternatively offer
each of them a “Charm of Vitality” by channeling the
divine power which formed the Wizard Boil (see the
ending of chapter 7 of the ​Dungeon Master’s Guide)​ .
Zombie Horde of Orcus
The characters come upon a horde of undead.
In an effort to support his true strike team in Avernus,
the ​Prince of Undeath​ has sent 1d100 ​Zombies​, 2d12
Skeletons​, 1d10 ​Ogre Zombies​, and 1d3 ​Beholder
Zombies ​as a distraction to take away the focus of
Zariel and her devils.
The horde of undead storm anything that draws its
attention, but it is otherwise easy to avoid.
11
Zuggtmoy’s Salesman
The characters encounter a strange merchant, selling its Roll on the Madness of Zuggtmoy table to determine
wares of power at troublingly great prices. the nature of the madness, which is a character flaw that
The merchant introduces itself as Defecailaz, a lasts until cured (see the ​Dungeon Master's Guide​ for
Chaotic Evil ​Myconid Sovereign​ with 96 Hit Points more on madness).
and Resistance to Acid, Cold, Fire, and Lightning If Defecailaz is ever slain, in its final moment,
damage; as well as Bludgeoning, Piercing, and it releases a burst of “Contact Spores” which simply
Slashing-damage from nonmagical weapons. Defecailaz contains mad laughter followed by the statement:
additionally has the ability to cast the ​Plane Shift​ and “Good… Good…”
Teleport-​ spells once per day each, requiring no ​Treasure.​ In addition to its stock of wares, Defecailaz
components. Constitution is its spellcasting ability additionally carries these wares in a ​Portable Hole, ​and
for these spells. wields a ​Staff of Swarming Insects.​
Defecailaz travels the Lower Planes, selling potions
and poisons of its own brewing for cheap prices as The Wares of Defecailaz
described nearby. If an item’s description contains a
Item (A-Z) Price Stock
roll of available dosages, the prices and stock below
describe collections of the maximum available dosages. Assassin’s Blood x5 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x10
All of these concoctions work perfectly, in fact, they
might work “too well,” a fact Defecailaz is well aware Bag of Beans 500 gp or 9 ​soul coins x2
of. Each of the merchant’s wares were produced with Burnt Othur Fumes 50 gp or 2 ​soul coins x4
ingredients from Shedaklah, the Abyssal layer of the
Demon Queen of Fungi, Zuggtmoy, and each one of Elixir of Health 200 gp or 4 ​soul coins x3
them are infused with her essence.
Essens of Ether x2 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x4
​Concoctions of Madness.​ Whenever a creature other
than a Construct is subjected to the effects of one of Keoghtom’s Ointment x2 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x7
Defecailaz’ wares, that creature must make a DC 20
Wisdom Saving-Throw or become inflicted with the Malice x2 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x6
madness of Zuggtmoy.
Midnight Tears 150 gp or 3 ​soul coins x5

Madness of Zuggtmoy Nolzur’s Marvelous Pigment 50 ​soul coins x1

d100 Flaw (lasts until cured) Oil of Etherealness 250 gp or 5 ​soul coins x2

01-20 "I see visions in the world around me that Oil of Slipperiness x2 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x4
others do not."
Philter of Love x4 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x16
21-40 "I periodically slip into a catatonic state, staring
off into the distance for long stretches at a time." Potion of Fire Breath x4 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x8

41-60 "I see an altered version of reality, with my mind Potion of Growth x2 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x6
convincing itself that things are true even in the
face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary." Potion of Healing x10 25 gp or 1 ​soul coin x20

61-80 "My mind is slipping away, and my intelligence Potion of Greater Healing 20 gp or 1 ​soul coin x4
seems to wax and wane."
Potion of Invulnerability 200 gp or 4 ​soul coins x5
81-00 “I am constantly scratching at unseen fungal
infections." Truth Serum x3 20 gp or 1 ​soul coin x9

12