d20 Bloodstone Press Random Encounters The Hunt.pdf

Requires the use of the Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition Core Rules,

published by Wizards of the Coast, inc.

The

Hunt

C REDITS

Design and Development: John Glare

Editing: Chris Cant

Cover Art: Jole Grahn

Interior Art: Jason Walton (c/o Louis Porter Jr)

Special Thanks: Chad Wilkerson, Patrick Dolan, James West and

Able Cohan.

Bloodstone Press

P.O. box 332703

Murfreesboro TN, 37133

www.bloodstone-press.com

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Introduction

Welcome to the Random Encounters series

from Bloodstone Press. Each installment in this

series details one encounter that can be easily

dropped into almost any d20 campaign of fantasy

adventure. You can check out other installments

in this series right here .

Background

The hamlet of Shady Vale is a tiny rural

settlement nestled in a small valley and

surrounded by wilderness. An advanced

enchanted dire panther entered the valley a few

weeks ago and began preying on travelers,

woodsmen, hunters, and trappers throughout the

hills around the town. Shortly thereafter, the

panther discovered the town itself and the well-

fed livestock and people of Shady Vale. It found

the humans and livestock to be easy prey and

quickly began depopulating the area. The

townspeople have tried a number of escalating

measures to rid themselves of the beast. They

sent hunters after it but they were killed. The town

militia attacked it when it was spotted in one of

the fields, killing a cow. But it retaliated, mauling

the militiamen horribly and killing several. Since

then, it has been seen prowling the fields and

farmyards at night with impunity. Some brave

young boys went to get help from the nearby

castle (or town, or fort, or military post), but they

have not been heard from since, and it has been

several days.

The Hunt is designed for a typical group of 6 th -

8 th level adventurers. It might be useful to have a

barbarian or druid among the party. However, a

ranger will probably be essential to defeat this

encounter, as the heroes will need to be able to

track and to survive in the wilderness.

OGC

The d20 statistics for the enchanted dire panther

and the enchanted creature template are hereby

declared Open Game Content. All other content

of this document is reserved as Product Identity

and may not be reproduced in any format without

written permission from the publisher,

Bloodstone Press.

Vital Information

The Encounter

The Setup: Although the characters might

notice one of the panther’s paths or attack sites

before they reach the village, it is most likely that

they arrive at Shady Vale unaware of the danger

and hear about it for the first time from the

villagers. There are a number of places where

people and animals have been recently attacked

(see map) and the villagers will gladly show them

to the characters. If they investigate these sites,

the heroes should be able to pick up the creature’s

trail (see Tracking the Panther sidebar) and follow

it to the network of paths it has created around

the town (see map).

The beast frequently travels in the same routes,

creating a confusion of tracks, both old and new.

Furthermore, there are several junctions and

Encounter Level: 7

Locale: Any forested temperate hills.

Recommended Class: Ranger

Duration (real time): 30 minutes – 1 full

game session

Duration (game time): Half a day – 3 days

or more

Summary: The heroes encounter a terrible beast

that is rapidly depopulating a small hamlet.

The End Game: When the panther flees, it

stays mainly on its well-traveled paths, knowing

this is the best way to conceal its tracks. Although

the characters may be able to follow the paths in

general, they will have a great deal of difficulty

following the most recent set of tracks (see

Tracking the Panther sidebar). The panther will

follow its paths through the forest, frequenting

the junctions and following the same two or three

paths repeatedly, confusing the tracker with

dozens of very recent sets of tracks. It will also

use the circular nature of the paths to sneak up

on the characters from behind and begin stalking

them while they think they are stalking it.

Occasionally, it will simply leap off the trail and

hide, wait for the characters to fail their Track

check and pass by, then start following behind

them. The panther will also use the various

streams and rivers in the area to help throw any

trackers off the trail.

The panther has now learned to fear the heroes

and will flee from any fair and open fight with

them. It will now only fight with them if cornered

or in a position of significant advantage. It will

spring ambushes on them and flee before they

have a chance to react and it will stalk them

patiently, waiting for one or two to get separated

from the group and attack them.

While living on the run, the panther will

continue to kill and eat townspeople and

livestock. In fact, after the characters injure it in

the initial battle, it will begin preying on the town

very heavily, as it is easier for the injured panther

to bring down domesticated animals and humans

than to catch a wild animal. It will continue to

consume 500 pounds of meat each day until it is

stopped.

Other predators in the area, including bears and

wolves , are especially hungry, as this voracious

cat has depleted their usual food sources. The

heroes may encounter these predators as they

wander over the hills in search of their quarry.

water crossings, requiring a Track check every

time they are encountered.

The panther is quite alert and always looking

for any individuals or small groups wandering in

the wilderness. Since it spends much of its time

hiding, either hunting or resting in seclusion, it is

most likely that the panther will hear or see the

heroes before they spot it. As soon as it spies

them, it will begin stalking them and looking for

the best place to stage an ambush.

In fact, it is fairly likely that the heroes will

walk right into an ambush. The panther spends a

lot of time lurking near the road, near the human

trails and near various deer trails (not marked on

the map, but running in many of the same places

as the panther’s paths). It often hides along these

routes and waits for juicy meals to pass by.

Alternately, there is a slight chance that the

heroes will find the beast while it is engaged in

killing or feeding on a victim (livestock, wild

animals or villagers). In this case it will attack

them savagely, as it feels very strongly about

defending its food.

The characters might also decide to set a trap

for the beast. If they can come up with a good

plan for this, they should be allowed to give it a

shot. However, the DM should remember that

the enchanted panther is an intelligent predator.

Initial Contact: Assuming the heroes attempt

to track the beast down, and assuming the panther

detects them first, it launches an ambush at the

most opportune time. If possible, it attacks while

they are separated. In any case, it attacks the

biggest and meatiest characters first, planning to

quickly secure the best food and scare off the

ones without as much meat on their bones. It

mauls the most robust characters with savage

ferocity. But after being reduced to less than 57

hp, the panther flees. However, unless the heroes

hunt it down and kill it, it will continue to plague

the region.

Terrain Modifiers: Much of the wilderness

around Shady Vale is covered in a medium

The Aftermath

If the characters manage to find the beast’s

lair and search it, they will find the remains

of several victims and roughly 300 gp worth

of assorted coins and jewelry. Much of this

loot obviously came from victims from the

town of Shady Vale. If the characters return

it to the families of the victims, they gain

double the gp amount in bonus experience

points to divide among the group members.

forest. Several small bogs, streams, and

ponds dot the hillsides around the village.

Spotting distance in a medium forest is

2d8x10 feet. Note that any Listen checks in

this environment take a –2 penalty for every

10 feet of distance, due to background noise.

Most of the ground in the area is covered

with light undergrowth, requiring two

squares of movement to move into. All

creatures in the area have concealment from

the undergrowth (20%). If the characters are

on the road or a trail, they have no

concealment. The panther’s paths do not

count as a trail for this purpose. Note that

the panther gains a concealment bonus from

the foliage in addition to its displacement

effect since these miss chances are caused by

two different circumstances (check 20% miss

chance for concealment then check 50% miss

chance for displacement). The DCs for all

Move Silently and Tumble checks in the light

forest are increased 2 points. There are two

areas of dense forests flanking the town, but

it is not likely that any action will occur in

those places. In the event that it does, see

additional d20 rules for forests in the SRD .

Rewards

Standard Reward: If the characters manage

to kill the panther and prove as much to the

townspeople, the DM should award full

Experience Points for this encounter as an EL 7.

If the characters fail in one of those objectives,

the DM will have to decide on a lesser reward

based on the situation. In a show of their

gratitude, the poor townspeople take up a

collection and offer the heroes 200 gp as a reward.

Bonus Rewards: If the heroes resolve the

encounter in an exceptional way, such as

Tracking the Panther

Open Terrain: In open terrain, such as the woodlands and fields around the town, tracking the panther

is fairly easy (Track check DC 14 + modifiers for weather, visibility and elapsed time)

Human Trails: There are several human trails winding through the wilderness around the town (see

map). The panther has discovered the trails and will use them to its advantage. On these human trails, the

panther’s tracks are somewhat more difficult to follow, as the ground is harder-packed and more frequently

traveled than open ground. Also, the panther has used these trails previously, creating a confusion of old

and new panther tracks. Following the most recent set of panther tracks on the human trails is a Track

check DC 17 + modifiers for weather, visibility and elapsed time.

Panther Paths: There is a large network of panther tracks encircling the village (see map). These are

not actually paths at all, but rather wilderness routes that have been traveled by the panther perhaps 10-50

times in recent weeks. To the untrained eye, there is no path at all and anyone who is not a skilled tracker

will have some difficulty just following the path in general (Track check DC 11 + modifiers for weather,

visibility and elapsed time). However, the panther has left so many sets of tracks along these routes in

recent weeks that it can confuse even a well-trained tracker. Following the most recent set of panther

tracks along the path requires a Track check (DC 18 + modifiers for weather, visibility and elapsed time)

to determine any time the panther leaves the path, makes a turn, or doubles back.

See the Track feat for more.

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