Surface habitats

Lush (grassy, serene — includes lush/deciduous forest)

  • Common: Hobgoblins, Orcs, Dire Wolves, Gnolls, Bugbears, Kobolds, Ogres, Spiders, Forest animals
  • Uncommon: Blink Dog, Hippogriff, Grick, Hags, Owlbear, Ankheg, Displacer Beast, Ettin
  • Dangerous: Revenant, Shambling Mound, Troll, Werebear
  • Encounter Lush Surface Biome

Coastal (wet, near bodies of water)

  • Common: Kobolds, Spiders, Sea Spawn, Sea Hag, Harpy, Giant Toad
  • Uncommon: Merrow, Manticore, Tortle Druid, Sahuagin
  • Dangerous: Giant Crocodile, Water Elemental, Cyclops Sentry, Hydra
  • Encounter Coastal Surface Biome

Desert (arid, sandy)

  • Common: Gnolls, Ogres, Wights, Mummies
  • Uncommon: Sphinx of Wonder, Air Elemental, Giant Scorpion, Blue Dragon Wyrmling
  • Dangerous: Fire Elemental, Efreeti, Tlincalli, Hobgoblin Warlord
  • Encounter Desert Surface Biome

Snowy (cold, boreal — includes boreal/conifer forest)

  • Common: Brown Bears, Polar Bears, Saber-Toothed Tiger, Gnolls, Ogres, Winter Wolf
  • Uncommon: Yeti, Manticore, Polar Serpent, Winter Wolf
  • Dangerous: Troll, Werebear, Mammoth, Frost Giant
  • Encounter Snowy Surface Biome

Rocky (highland/mountain)

  • Common: Brown Bear, Dire Wolf, Hippogriff, Ogres, Gnolls, Duergar
  • Uncommon: Green Hag, Basilisk, Manticore, Chuul
  • Dangerous: Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Wereboar, Werebear, Troll, Hill Giant, Bulette, Ettin
  • Encounter Rocky Surface Biome

The Underdark

Layer 1 - Caves

  • Common: Small Spiders, Bats, Giant Rats, Kobolds
  • Uncommon: Basilisks, Myoconids (isolated stragglers)
  • Dangerous: Gray Ooze, Carrion Crawler, Darkmantle, Cave Fisher
  • Encounter Underdark Layer 1 Caves

Layer 2 - Mushroom Caves

Layer 3 - Deep mushroom caves and grottoes

  • Common: Spiders, Basilisks, Cave Fishers
  • Uncommon: Shadows, Gray Ooze
  • Dangerous: Trolls (some showing signs of oripathy — crystal growth, failed regeneration)
  • Life around Grottoes clusters near water sources (no specific species named)
  • Encounter Underdark Layer 3 Deep Mushroom Caves and Grottoes

Layer 4 - Crystal cave layer

  • Common: Spiders, Basilisks, Cave Fishers, Gelatinous Cubes
  • Uncommon: Shadows, Gray Ooze
  • Dangerous: Trolls (some showing signs of oripathy — crystal growth, failed regeneration), Chuul, Black Pudding, Water Weird
  • Crystal Caverns; Originium is abundant and common in its active form here. General Underdark population.
  • Old Magma Chambers / Volcanic Tunnels of the old civilization.
  • Encounter Underdark Layer 4 Crystal Cave Layer