What will you find in the mountains?

Player’s characters travel a variety of terrain when going from hither and yon. Sometimes those routes traverse grand majestic ranges, sometimes rocky foothills.

Don’t expect mountains to be devoid of life or activity. Whether it be mining dwarves, traveling merchants, mad wizards, or ornery goats, this list offers some possible options either for items found or creatures encountered.

Note: Every fifth listed item is actually an encounter you can also use. Some friendly. Some not so much. Just roll a d20 and multiply by five to see who your players meet on the road over the mountain.

100 Mountain Finds

Roll d100!

1. A minotaur’s skull with horns attached and mounted on a pole
2. A sizable pile of gold nuggets that are entirely illusory and which disappear as soon as touched. (Note: this can be used as bait for an encounter)
3. A seashell
4. A range of thorny underbrush—difficult to pass through— at the center of which is single rose capable of fully healing any and all who touch it. Only works once per month.
5. [Encounter] A kobold hunting party that has not been very successful and will eat anything (or anybody)
6. A tree that has been completely stripped of bark
7. What appears at first to be the entrance to a cave, but is really just some cleverly applied paint to a bare rock face
8. Three dead ravens that have been chained together at the feet
9. A stack of seven flat hand-sized rocks balanced atop a twisted tree stump
10. [Encounter] A human male older than any you have ever seen who can give legitimate guidance to your party. Some call him the Old Man of the Mountain.
11. A book partially covered by dirt, rocks, and dead brush which tells the story of an explorer attempting to find the source of recent rockslides
12. A broken sword
13. A deep crevice within which all sound is muted
14. A very territorial mountain goat
15. [Encounter] A small, strange looking humanoid creature unlike any ever encountered before that has the ability to perfectly camouflage itself with its background. Very difficult to detect. It watches and follows for a short time, then leaves without threat or notice.
16. A narrow path that ends at a sudden drop
17. A campsite that looks like it was quickly abandoned
18. A twisted rock pine that has been magically altered to produce fresh apples
19. A broken sign that says “warning! Mountain trolls!”
20. [Encounter] A pack of hungry dire wolves have caught your scent!
21. A message in a bottle from a shipwrecked sailor
22. A single flower blooming healthily from a small crack in a barren rock face
23. A thicket of blueberry bushes laden with berries regardless of the time of year
24. A leather hat someone lost a long time ago
25. [Encounter] A stone golem blocking the party’s way. It will only attack if the party insists on moving toward the peak.
26. A sack of potatoes about five days old
27. A chess set sitting atop a flat rock with two small stumps on either side. The black pieces are about three moves away from checkmate.
28. A crudely carved wooden life-size statue of a dwarf warrior
29. A pouch of brightly colored polished stones
30. [Encounter] A small party of simple merchants and their baggage carriers who have gotten lost. They have minor potions, foodstuffs, cloth, and seed for sale. One merchant has a small pouch with a few diamonds hidden on his person.
31. An unexpected snowstorm that hinders both visibility and movement. Sudden cold temperatures should be a factor as well. Lasts 24 hours and over an area of about ten square miles.
32. A small abandoned village. Only the rock foundations and crumbling walls of about a dozen structures remain.
33. A patch of cultivated herbs native to this mountain region. There are signs of recent tending and the single gardening trowel has been thoughtlessly left behind.
34. A coil of hemp rope in terrible condition. Unusable and likely left there for a couple of years.
35. [Encounter] Two bandits around a small campfire who do not notice the party approaching until a sharp whistle signals them to jump up with weapons out. Three more bandits appear from behind rocks and shrub. An ambush!
36. A fake beard and an eyepatch hidden underneath some thorny brush
37. A fifty foot wide chasm stretching across your path as far as the eye can see. There is a rickety rope bridge ahead of you. It cannot support mounts.
38. A bundle of fox pelts that have been exposed to the elements for at least a month
39. A glass potion bottle—broken
40. [Encounter] An old and antisocial hermit tending a dozen sheep. He appears to have some Druidic power.
41. A torn flag featuring a red dragon facing left against a field of green
42. A roughly fifty foot wide area littered with the pieces of over two dozen humanoid skeletons. Some of the skeletons appear fresher than others.
43. Along a large bit of exposed rock face, a gigantic stone throne has been carved into the side of the mountain. From top to bottom, it measures just over a hundred feet.
44. The remains of an ancient cargo ship—long since looted. There are huge holes in the side of the ship that suggest it was once sunk.
45. [Encounter] A fey child of no discernible gender appears suddenly in front of the party. It utters the word “coin” then promptly disappears. Each party member hears the word in their native language. If the party continues, this Encounter is repeated twice more at roughly one mile intervals.
46. A campfire still hot with red coals. There are the remains of some burnt rabbit that had once been roasting over it.
47. A small, natural cave partially obscured by brush. Large enough to shelter up to 6 medium sized creatures.
48. A broken hourglass
49. A tall pine tree with unknown runes carved into the bark
50. [Encounter] A crazed dwarf thinks the party is after his secret gold strike. Oddly, there is no evidence he has found any gold recently. He is armed with a mining pick and will attack the party with little provocation. If subdued and forced to tell the truth, it is revealed that he did discover gold over a hundred years ago, but he forgot where and has been searching ever since.
51. Three white blocks of marble about two feet across and four feet high block a mountain path from any wheeled conveyance from passing easily
52. An old mining cart with two missing wheels
53. A small vein of gold within an exposed length of quartz. GM’s discretion if its total worth and how costly or time consuming it would be to mine.
54. The entrance to a small silver mine, long since played out and abandoned
55. [Encounter] A vicious and large hill giant (even by hill giant standards) rages toward the party out of nowhere, its eyes blazing with madness.
56. A mountain goat dressed in tattered wizard robes. A polymorph gone wrong? A practical joke? Who can tell?
57. An ancient iron helmet and spear, both rusted and unusable, but of certain value to the right scholar.
58. A tightly bound leather sack hanging from a tree branch and filled with dried, salted fish
59. A pair of well-worn boots with holes in the sole
60. [Encounter] The party comes across an empty logging camp save for one old halfling caretaker. The camp is closed for the season, but he looks after it from time to time. He will offer the party use of the tents, fire pit, and some of his water. If the party has mounts, they may eat some leftover feed for a small fee. He does not have much food to spare as he is due to return to his village soon. He is friendly and unarmed, but he is also very quick and strong for his age, and he is nobody’s fool.
61. A cart full of acorns and one greedy squirrel
62. Deep in a ravine, a crashed airship of elvish design
63. A broken iron cannon of unknown design or origin
64. The remains of an unlucky adventuring party made up of two human warriors, an elf mage, a halfling rogue, and a dwarf wizard. They came to a messy, tragic end and their bodies have already been looted of valuables.
65. [Encounter] Blocking the party’s way is a large ogre. It doesn’t move or appear to be interested in the party at all. If anyone from the party approaches within 10 feet of it or successfully hit it with a ranged weapon, the image of the ogre wavers and disappears. As the party considers its options, or if the ogre disappears, they are set upon by five ruthless bandits coming up from the rear. They have with them a drunk, low-level illusionist they have been keeping as a slave to use for creating distractions for potential victims.
66. A pole set in the ground decorated with crude paint, feathers, the skulls of small animals, and a bundle of sage
67. A lean-to made of canvas and stout branches. It is large enough for two medium-sized creatures to stay out of the rain. There are signs of a small campfire having once been set up in front of it.
68. A rolled up piece of canvas, tattered and worn, that shows the most direct path the party needs to take through this terrain in order to reach their destination
69. A small boulder with the image of an arrow scratched into it pointing away from the path
70. [Encounter] A holy woman sits at the entrance of a small cave which is her home. She is unarmed and an absolute pacifist. At the GM’s discretion, she has the ability to heal the party, bless items, and remove curses. She could also be used as a source of information or wisdom.
71. A wooden crate with iron bands wrapped around it. If the party manages to open it, they hear the soft ringing of a bell, but the box is otherwise empty.
72. A blank wooden sign posted by the side of the party’s path
73. A woman’s red silk robe hangs from a tree branch, fluttering in the wind
74. A mysterious orange fog passes through the party. It is harmless, but the fog carries a faint scent of brimstone.
75. [Encounter] A large black dog growls at the party from a distance, then disappears. The dog reappears two more times over the course of the day, then attacks the weakest party member on its third visit.
76. A dusty, worn saddlebag with broken straps. Deep in the bottom of the bag is a decomposed apple and a finely-wrought silver ring.
77. A rolled up tent large enough for two medium-sized creatures. When unrolled, it is discovered that one side of the tent has been ripped by what appear to be giant claws.
78. Shed red dragon scales litter the ground for the next mile
79. A crude depiction of a one-eyed giant chiseled into a large bare rock face
80. [Encounter] The party comes across a large boulder blocking the entrance to a cave. On the boulder is written in dried blood, “Dead inside.” If the party moves the boulder even partly, three hungry ghouls emerge and attack the party hungrily.
81. A lone pack mule with a broken lead. It is carrying a full load made up of four heavy woolen blankets, ten full waterskins, two camp shovels, five sacks of flour, a cast iron pan, a cast iron pot, a sealed wooden tub of butter, a large sack of potatoes, three dozen carrots, a two-pound bag of sugar, and a box of mixed cooking herbs and salt.
82. The remains of a halfling adventurer who appears to have fallen from a great height
83. As the party rounds a turn in the trail they hear a beautiful singing in each character’s native language. It’s a song of love and loss, of strife and victory. As suddenly as the song fades in, so it fades away and does not return.
84. For a full minute, birds begin dropping out of the sky, stone dead
85. [Encounter] A glowing apparition of an ancient eleven queen appears before the party and utters great wisdom and prophecies which have absolutely nothing to do with the party or their mission. This goes on for a couple of minutes, then she disappears.
86. A discarded map to a gold mine that is nowhere near where the party is now. Not even the same mountain range.
87. A sturdy wooden shack with one wall missing. Inside are three sets of bunk beds and a camp stove. It does not appear to have been used for several months.
88. Twenty-five pine logs—long and freshly cut—stacked neatly. The ends of the logs are marked with red paint.
89. A twenty-foot deep round hole in the ground measuring about a foot across. There is no dirt or debris piled nearby.
90. [Encounter] A nest for two harpies lay just ahead. One is usually circling nearby. If they see the party, they will attack without hesitation.
91. A dead end. The path stops at a sheer drop of 500 feet to jagged rocks below.
92. A hammer and chisel on the ground beside a large stone. Chiseled into the stone is “Warning! Gian.” The message looks incomplete.
93. A pair of broken reading spectacles
94. A picnic laid out on a red checkered cloth complete with dishware and utensils. Just enough delicious food and drink to accommodate the entire party. The party may save leftover food, tablecloth, and other items, but they will all vanish after traveling one mile. Otherwise, it’s a genuinely offered nice meal with no tricks, traps, poisons, or other nasty surprises.
95. [Encounter] A group of 16 mountain gnomes are on a foraging mission. All are armed with small crossbows and short swords, but are otherwise peaceful. They will offer traveling info if asked politely. If treated rudely, they will give bad advice. If threatened, they will attack. If a fight lasts more than three rounds, another 16 will appear over the nearest rise to help their comrades.
96. A small fir tree decorated with colorful glass balls and red ribbons
97. A bottle of wine hidden behind some rocks. Attached is a nearly-faded note that reads “To Aloysius and Montague. May you find this after I am gone. Yours, Principia.”
98. A pit trap concealed by leaves and branches. It is ten feet deep and lined with sharp wooden stakes.
99. Rockslide!
100. [Encounter] A mad wizard has been conducting experimental rituals in these mountains. He is enraged that the party has stumbled across his attempts to enslave a demon lord. He is a big fan of fire and lightning related spells. His scrolls and notes are written in an unbreakable code, but may be worth something to a high level wizard or scholar of the diabolical arts.

Share your favorite mountain find ideas below, in the comments.