Encounters in the Savage Wilderness is a supplement by Jeff C. Stevens in his Savage Encounters series, this time shifting the action into forests, hills, and the general untamed wilds.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

Content

If your players are trekking across endless wilderness or wandering through remote parts of the world, this supplement is a great way to break up the monotony of random travel rolls with actual content. Like other Savage Encounters books, it’s a multi-author anthology, with 19 encounters spanning nearly 120 pages.

The tone and style of the encounters vary quite a bit: There are some normal taverns, some energetic wyrmlings to babysit and protect, and plenty of horror and weird stuff. But all of them are fleshed out enough to be dropped into your campaign with minimal prep. Each entry includes scaling guidelines, estimated run time (most clock in around 60-90 minutes), and in many cases, custom monsters, art, and maps.

Some of my favourites this time around:

• The Honey Buggy by Jeff is one of the more whimsical entries: a travelling gnome plumber controlled an ochre jelly with a magical tiara – until goblins attacked, killing the gnome and letting the jelly loose. The players find the tiara, the jelly (named Honey), and get the chance to gain a very unusual (though admittedly kinda cute? for some people at least) companion.
• Crib Swap by Jesse Peterson hits a great balance between horror and social intrigue. A changeling midwife swaps a newborn with a fey creature, and the party is pulled into an investigation that forces them to navigate grief, suspicion, and the supernatural. Great for groups who like character-driven roleplay with emotional stakes.
• The Forest is Alive!, again by Jeff, is an encounter that mixes investigation with combat. Caravans and travellers are vanishing, and it turns out the culprits are giant forest scorpions that have learned how to mimic the terrain and strike from hiding, so expect plenty of tension and looking out for ambushes.

Layout & Extras

As always with Jeff’s work, the layout is clean and practical. Each encounter comes with clear info on party level ranges, difficulty scaling, and estimated playtime. Some entries include new stat blocks, magic items, or small roll tables. Several encounters also include Eberron conversion notes – a nice touch if you’re roaming Khorvaire. There’s plenty of original art and cartography throughout as well. Finally, as usual, there’s a Fantasy Grounds VTT version as well.

Final Thoughts

Encounters in the Savage Wilderness is another solid, flexible addition to the Savage Encounters line. It’s ideal for campaigns that spend a lot of time outside the city walls, whether you’re running a frontier survival game or just want something fun to happen during overland travel.

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