Spelljammer Making Spelljammer Scavver Encounter interesting (help needed)

[M_Natas]

Hello fellow DMs and D&D players, I'm in need of a little bit of help.
The last session of my campaign ended in a cliffhanger- the party went with their asteroid hopper (a small raft build to navigate inside dense asteroid fields without the ability to spelljam) to a ship wreck as part of a salvage quest - also hoping to get it fixed and get in possession of a spelljamming able ship.

After killing off the zombified crew of the Ship, they were now going to fix it up and had to do that from the outside.

While being outside, beginning the repairs (which could take at least a day or so to get the ship back up and flying) they noticed the arrival of a night scavver - and not only a night scavver, but the same night scavver that just a week earlier bit the wizard in half and killed him instantly with one bite (it was a random encounter and the Wizard decided to use a harpoon on the night scavver - at level 2 - outch, but that set up this peticular night scavver as a recurring villain ), which led to him being resurrected at a nearby temple but being indebted for it by the local goddess.

So right now the party is pretty scared because of the arrival of the night scavver.

So, this is a setup for a small boss battle. My problem now is, after looking over the night scavver statblock ... it is so simple and quite boring. How can I make this fight memorable and exciting?

So far the setup is:
The night scavver is roughly 200 (3 rounds before he could attack) feet away from the wreck.
The party just leveled up to level 4.
The wizard and the Druid are outside the wreck for repair duties. On deck of the wreck Are the ranger and rogue. On the asteroid hopper are the Barbarian and Sorcerer.
On an nearby asteroid are gray scavvers (which are like the spawn of the night scavver and this is his nest basically).

So far the battle would go like this:
The night scavver would fly to the wreck. The party would have two rounds to attack with ranged attacks and use the ballista (they already loaded) on deck, before the night scavver is close by. The night scavver would then attack the nearest or PC or the one who did the most damage. When one PC gets hurt, the grey scavvers in the nest would smell blood and come out of the nest. They would be in two rounds at the wreck, ready to attack.

Because this is the Nest of the Night Scavver, I don't think he would flee easily when he took to much damage.

One Idea I had, to make that whole battle more exciting is having the night scavver "dive" under the bigger asteroid and try to sneak up from different sides onto the party.

So, that is so far my battleplan. Has anybody any ideas on how I could make that more exciting and interesting?

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I'd certainly lean into the verticality aspect of the battlefield like you said, letting the scavvers avoid long-ranged attacks by staying skimming along the blind side of the rock until they can sweep up the sides and attack from different angles. Maybe keep them moving and using hit and run tactics as long as possible. Providing the wreck with a few old, decaying nets that the PCs could use to tangle up a scavver so it could be mobbed in melee would add another wrinkle, with a chance the scavver can break free at an inconvenient moment (because it's an old, rotting net after all) or even a possibility of it backfiring when the scavver isn't sufficiently restrained and swims off dragging the net-user(s) with it. The night scavver might similarly try to bite and drag away a victim.

Scavvers might get in each others' way if they try to attack the same victim, possibly even snapping at one another out of frustration. They might also go into a feeding frenzy and start attacking at random, including each other. The chopped-up zombies are probably too rotten to make good chum, but deliberately gutting a dead scavver (or any handy livestock - I've seen weirder things than goats on 2e AD&D equipment lists) might trigger that frenzy. Maybe smearing yourself with zombie juice might discouarge attacks too, the scavvers were apparently leaving them alone despite nesting nearby. Disease check chance for that trick, yeah?

Post-battle, scavvers are prone to swallowing oddball items if you want to hand out some extra loot to folks willing to get messy. Messier.

That's about all I've got.

 

[M_Natas]

I'd certainly lean into the verticality aspect of the battlefield like you said, letting the scavvers avoid long-ranged attacks by staying skimming along the blind side of the rock until they can sweep up the sides and attack from different angles. Maybe keep them moving and using hit and run tactics as long as possible. Providing the wreck with a few old, decaying nets that the PCs could use to tangle up a scavver so it could be mobbed in melee would add another wrinkle, with a chance the scavver can break free at an inconvenient moment (because it's an old, rotting net after all) or even a possibility of it backfiring when the scavver isn't sufficiently restrained and swims off dragging the net-user(s) with it.

Oh yeah, I will definitely add nets to the wreck now.

The night scavver might similarly try to bite and drag away a victim.

I have to see about that, that would probably be a death sentence for anybody except maybe the barbarian or the druid.

Scavvers might get in each others' way if they try to attack the same victim, possibly even snapping at one another out of frustration. They might also go into a feeding frenzy and start attacking at random, including each other.

Oh nice, the grey scavvers are definitely prone to that.

The chopped-up zombies are probably too rotten to make good chum, but deliberately gutting a dead scavver (or any handy livestock - I've seen weirder things than goats on 2e AD&D equipment lists) might trigger that frenzy.

I totally forgot, that the PCs have 3 space sheep on board their asteroid hopper, bound on the roof ... (space sheep are acclimated to live in wildspace and produce their own air, so they are quite valuable for anybody living and traveling in wildespace in my setting). So now it will also be a protection mission. Endangering the Pets of the PCs ...

Maybe smearing yourself with zombie juice might discouarge attacks too, the scavvers were apparently leaving them alone despite nesting nearby. Disease check chance for that trick, yeah?

The Zombies were not attacked, because some of the crew stayed under deck (the other that tried to get out got eaten) and succumbed to cannibalism, which turned them undead.

Post-battle, scavvers are prone to swallowing oddball items if you want to hand out some extra loot to folks willing to get messy. Messier.

That's about all I've got.

That is also a nice idea for some random loot. I had some loot in mind that they could find inside the nest if the go look there, but having a belly full of assorted items is also a fun idea. And the Druid is a cook, so they definitely will cut open the night scavver.

Thank you, that already helped really great.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I had some loot in mind that they could find inside the nest if the go look there, but having a belly full of assorted items is also a fun idea.

Belly treasure might also raise fewer questions. Scavvers are pretty much space sharks, and someone's bound to mention that real sharks don't nest as such. Many of them are "obligate ram ventilators" (ie they need to keep moving to force water through their gills so they can breathe) but that probably isn't a factor with scavvers (there being no oxygen to extract in wildspace, after all). OTOH, even ORV sharks have been found resting motionless in areas with high oxygen content and low salinity (inside some reef cavities, that is), and scavvers do presumably need to refresh their atmosphere envelopes once in a while. If the asteroids have borderline stale air overall, maybe the scavver "nest" is a big pocket of "space coral" that generates high-quality breathable air in much the same way your sheep do and they're just resting there when the action starts and the scent of blood sends them out hunting.

That might actually be helpful if repairs and healing turn out to take a while, the sheep all get eaten by scavvers and the air keeps getting worse as time goes by. Having a coral "oxygen shelter" nearby would remedy that problem to a degree, at the risk of having other wildlife or even travelers unexpectedly stop by to use it as well. Might even be some loot left behind by past visitors that met a sticky end there, or maybe someone stashed treasure in what they thought was a secret hidey-hole.

 

[Dan Dillon]

I love this setup, and great suggestions above.

Consider adding some environmental hazards like the asteroid shifting and possibly knocking characters prone. Minor meteor showers as smaller rocks drift through and crash into the bigger asteroid. Or even the scavver being cunning and on its home turf, it uses rocks as ranged weapons to distract and soften up targets before it charges in, maybe it darts out of cover on the far side of a rock to bat a smaller rock with its tail like a catapult stone (or whatever damage you feel is appropriate--that might be a little too real).

If you're worried about the scavver dragging away a single victim being too deadly, maybe have it bite and fling them out of the gravity of the asteroid, so they have to worry about drifting away if they can't fly. Give them checks to catch smaller rocks, push back off to send them back to the battle, ways for allies to throw ropes or grappling hooks to them, grab one of the gray scavvers and use it like an unwilling jetski to pull them back to the fight, etc.

Maybe the gray scavvers are poised to go after targets the night scavver separates and sends drifting.

 

[Stormonu]

That Night Scavver isn't going to reach the PCs unless it sneaks up on them. This is a very Jaws setup, imo - for it to be effective, the victims (PCs) shouldn't see the attack coming until its too late. Its night-dark skin, as well as skimming along the asteroid should allow it to get close unseen before striking, and at the party's current level, it should definitely be using hit-and-fade attacks if you want this to be a boss-level battle. As soon as the PCs go toe-to-toe with the scavver, the battle will be over quickly. If you're shooting for a cinematic encounter, you want the scavver to be fighting on its terms (hit and fade) and make the battle about the PCs trying to turn the situation so they can gang up on it at close range without it being able to get away.

------------------------

I would have the party first approached by the gray scavvers, whose inexperience in hunting have them approach visibly, letting the party get a couple shots off and realizing there is a danger. Meanwhile, the night scavver should be approaching stealthily from a direction where line of sight is blocked by the asteroid, and/or using the surrounding blackness of the void to hide its approach (it does have Stealth +8). It should be maneuvering to target a lone character, or a somewhat distant part of the PC's boat or wreck. This likely means a round of fighting with the grays occurs before the night scavver makes its first attack.

Its first attack should be against either the PC's vessel or a passing attack at the lone PC (if it surprises the party, they won't be getting reactions so it can move in, bite and move away) - favoring those on the smaller rock hopper, disappearing into a crater or around the curve of the asteroid after making the initial pass. As soon as possible, it takes the Hide action.

From there, it repositions, then moves to attack isolated PCs or their vessel. This may mean it takes one or more rounds between attacks as it maneuvers to strike again from an unexpected angle. If it has successfully hidden before it makes another passing attacks - especially if there is more than a round between the last attack, I would rule that it again had surprised the victim(s), denying PCs the ability to hold actions to strike it when it returns (as if a new combat was initiated, against surprised characters). In between the night scavver's attacks, the gray scavvers should be making opportunistic attacks

This could result in a running battle, with the night scavver making hit and run attacks as its gray spawn run interference to keep the PCs from fully focusing on the big one. Its primary goal should be to wear down one "easy" target, swallow it and get away before others can stop it. This could become a sort of chase - the night scavver targeting the rock hopper (and crew) before they can get back to the rest of the group. Depending on how far away from the others, you might want to have rounds of dread - a glimpse of something night-black slipping against the stars, a gleam from its dead, black eye momentarily mistaken for a star, a scrabble of displaced rocks as the unseen night scavver skims over the asteroid's surface - to create menace between these attacks. The night scavver shouldn't stay in protracted combat unless it's got someone cornered.

Also, don't be afraid to have the night scavver slip away if gravely injured - 1/4 hp or so; it and its preceding spawn can become recurring threats showing up when the party leasts expect it, possibly picking of NPC crew in the dead of night or tales of it doing so to other crews - I would think a future interesting encounter would be to have it show up when the PCs are in a fight with another ship, and it starts picking off members of the other enemy crew, before threatening to come after the PCs, or just swims away for another encounter later, temporarily sated and with PCs just knowing that next time, it'll be coming for them.

If you want to scare the bejeebus out of your PCs, to open this encounter, you could have a gray scavver position to attack a lone PC, only for the night scavver to swoop in from an unseen direction and shred the gray in a single bite (the punishment for the gray to poach the night's target), before swimming off and vanishing before anyone can react. The encounter runs from normal from there.

---------------------------------

If you want to make this a REAL boss, I suggest adding Swim-by attack (its movement doesn't provoke attack of opportunities) and give it 3 Legendary actions (+2 CR):

Bite: The scavver makes a bite attack. If the target is medium or smaller and hits the target's AC by 5 or more, it Engulfs the target. An engulfed target takes 9 (2d8) acid damage at the start of each of its turns. (I'd also suggest adding the Engulf to the regular bite).
On the Move: The scavver moves 15 feet
Tail Thrashing: The scavver makes a tail attack at +8 to hit with a reach of 10 feet. A target hit by the tail attack takes 16 (2d10+5) bludgeoning damage and must make a DC 16 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Into the Dark: If the scavver is at least 20 feet away from an enemy and outdoors, it takes the Hide action, disappearing into the blackness of the night sky. If the scavver attacks or is hit by an attack, it is no longer hiding.

----------------------------------

Engulfed​

• The target is inside the creature, and moves when the creature moves.
• The target is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the creature.
• If the engulfing creature takes damage in excess on the table below based on its size, the engulfing creature must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 5 feet of the engulfing creature.
• If the engulfing creature is slain, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse by moving out of the creature’s space, emerging prone. The area the dead creature takes up is treated as difficult terrain.

Size​	Expel Dam​	Capacity​	Size​
Tiny​	1​	—​	¼​
Small​	3​	¼​	½​
Medium​	5​	¼​	1​
Large​	10​	½​	3​
Huge​	20​	2​	5​
Gargantuan​	30​	4+​	8​

Capacity is the number of medium-sized targets the creature’s gullet can hold.

Size determines the size of a creature for the purpose of being held in a creature’s gullet (for example, a Small creature counts as ½ a medium creature)

 

[M_Natas]

Belly treasure might also raise fewer questions. Scavvers are pretty much space sharks, and someone's bound to mention that real sharks don't nest as such. Many of them are "obligate ram ventilators" (ie they need to keep moving to force water through their gills so they can breathe) but that probably isn't a factor with scavvers (there being no oxygen to extract in wildspace, after all). OTOH, even ORV sharks have been found resting motionless in areas with high oxygen content and low salinity (inside some reef cavities, that is), and scavvers do presumably need to refresh their atmosphere envelopes once in a while. If the asteroids have borderline stale air overall, maybe the scavver "nest" is a big pocket of "space coral" that generates high-quality breathable air in much the same way your sheep do and they're just resting there when the action starts and the scent of blood sends them out hunting.

That might actually be helpful if repairs and healing turn out to take a while, the sheep all get eaten by scavvers and the air keeps getting worse as time goes by. Having a coral "oxygen shelter" nearby would remedy that problem to a degree, at the risk of having other wildlife or even travelers unexpectedly stop by to use it as well. Might even be some loot left behind by past visitors that met a sticky end there, or maybe someone stashed treasure in what they thought was a secret hidey-hole.

The "space coral" cave inside the smaller asteroid is a nice Idea. I already introduced some magical plants in the asteroid belt that could do the trick. Shadow moss (feeding of magical background energy) could do the trick - and crystal rank grapes... so now we actually got a small eco system. Tiny fish feed of and hide inside the moss and ranks inside the cave, feeding the smaller scavvers.
The wreck is 80 years old - so maybe we could have the remains of another salvage crew thetr, that thought stopping there was a good idea, till the scavvers came back ...
Or even a small abandoned pirate outpost (there is an pirate base in the belt with a new Neogi Pirate how is enslaving asteroid settlements the Party also wants to find - so getting another hint there where the pirate base could be would help).

I love this setup, and great suggestions above.

Consider adding some environmental hazards like the asteroid shifting and possibly knocking characters prone. Minor meteor showers as smaller rocks drift through and crash into the bigger asteroid. Or even the scavver being cunning and on its home turf, it uses rocks as ranged weapons to distract and soften up targets before it charges in, maybe it darts out of cover on the far side of a rock to bat a smaller rock with its tail like a catapult stone (or whatever damage you feel is appropriate--that might be a little too real).

They encountered a wandering wild magic zone on the way to the wreck ... but that could be a little to mean ^^. Having the scavver push some smaller rocks could be a good opening and definitely something the party wouldn't expect.

There is also a plant I already introduced, a dust thistle, that when disturbed can generate clouds of dust - they could be on the asteroids and the scavver could art them off to hide even better.

If you're worried about the scavver dragging away a single victim being too deadly, maybe have it bite and fling them out of the gravity of the asteroid, so they have to worry about drifting away if they can't fly. Give them checks to catch smaller rocks, push back off to send them back to the battle, ways for allies to throw ropes or grappling hooks to them, grab one of the gray scavvers and use it like an unwilling jetski to pull them back to the fight, etc.

That Is a fun thought. There will be definitely attempts now to push characters of the asteroid.

Maybe the gray scavvers are poised to go after targets the night scavver separates and sends drifting.

That is mean, I like it. If I do it raw it wouldn't even be deadly (raw the night scavver can bite or do something else with its action, like push) - so a character that is pushed by the night scavver will not take any damage from him, being happy at first, till the gray scavver swarm arrives ...

That Night Scavver isn't going to reach the PCs unless it sneaks up on them. This is a very Jaws setup, imo - for it to be effective, the victims (PCs) shouldn't see the attack coming until its too late. Its night-dark skin, as well as skimming along the asteroid should allow it to get close unseen before striking, and at the party's current level, it should definitely be using hit-and-fade attacks if you want this to be a boss-level battle. As soon as the PCs go toe-to-toe with the scavver, the battle will be over quickly. If you're shooting for a cinematic encounter, you want the scavver to be fighting on its terms (hit and fade) and make the battle about the PCs trying to turn the situation so they can gang up on it at close range without it being able to get away.

Yeah - I ended the last session with them spitting the night scavver - so I think having him fade back into the asteroid field first, out of sight, will increase the tension. Then going with the other suggestion, he could launch some smaller rocks at the players to distract them and them come from below the asteroid they are on, out of sight.

So I would start with the Night Scavver disappearing again, maybe giving a screech or something (so the Gray Scavvers get a signal to come out and attack the PCs).

------------------------

I would have the party first approached by the gray scavvers, whose inexperience in hunting have them approach visibly, letting the party get a couple shots off and realizing there is a danger. Meanwhile, the night scavver should be approaching stealthily from a direction where line of sight is blocked by the asteroid, and/or using the surrounding blackness of the void to hide its approach (it does have Stealth +8). It should be maneuvering to target a lone character, or a somewhat distant part of the PC's boat or wreck. This likely means a round of fighting with the grays occurs before the night scavver makes its first attack.

Its first attack should be against either the PC's vessel or a passing attack at the lone PC (if it surprises the party, they won't be getting reactions so it can move in, bite and move away) - favoring those on the smaller rock hopper, disappearing into a crater or around the curve of the asteroid after making the initial pass. As soon as possible, it takes the Hide action.

From there, it repositions, then moves to attack isolated PCs or their vessel. This may mean it takes one or more rounds between attacks as it maneuvers to strike again from an unexpected angle.

I really like the idea of it not being seen for one or more rounds between attacks.
Especially also with the dust thistles mentioned earlier where we now have dust clouds covering half the asteroid, intentionally set up by the night scavver. So line of sight will get pretty limited.

If it has successfully hidden before it makes another passing attacks - especially if there is more than a round between the last attack, I would rule that it again had surprised the victim(s), denying PCs the ability to hold actions to strike it when it returns (as if a new combat was initiated, against surprised characters).

While I like the idea behind that, that would make the battle extremely deadly.

In between the night scavver's attacks, the gray scavvers should be making opportunistic attacks

oh, they will. I'm will have to see if they leave the asteroid hopper to group together on the deck of the wreck and forget, that they have some space sheep with them. If the group together, the goal of the night scavver will be to push one of the characters of the asteroid - into the reach of the qaiting swarm.

This could result in a running battle, with the night scavver making hit and run attacks as its gray spawn run interference to keep the PCs from fully focusing on the big one. Its primary goal should be to wear down one "easy" target, swallow it and get away before others can stop it. This could become a sort of chase - the night scavver targeting the rock hopper (and crew) before they can get back to the rest of the group. Depending on how far away from the others, you might want to have rounds of dread - a glimpse of something night-black slipping against the stars, a gleam from its dead, black eye momentarily mistaken for a star, a scrabble of displaced rocks as the unseen night scavver skims over the asteroid's surface - to create menace between these attacks. The night scavver shouldn't stay in protracted combat unless it's got someone cornered.

Hit and and Run it will be.

Also, don't be afraid to have the night scavver slip away if gravely injured - 1/4 hp or so; it and its preceding spawn can become recurring threats showing up when the party leasts expect it, possibly picking of NPC crew in the dead of night or tales of it doing so to other crews - I would think a future interesting encounter would be to have it show up when the PCs are in a fight with another ship, and it starts picking off members of the other enemy crew, before threatening to come after the PCs, or just swims away for another encounter later, temporarily sated and with PCs just knowing that next time, it'll be coming for them.

Yeah, I was planning for the Night scavver to flee if it gets to low. Having such a recurring monster ... could be fun. So we have to see if the Party will kill it or not.

If you want to scare the bejeebus out of your PCs, to open this encounter, you could have a gray scavver position to attack a lone PC, only for the night scavver to swoop in from an unseen direction and shred the gray in a single bite (the punishment for the gray to poach the night's target), before swimming off and vanishing before anyone can react. The encounter runs from normal from there.

Nice scary idea. Could be the first time I really scare the players

---------------------------------

If you want to make this a REAL boss, I suggest adding Swim-by attack (its movement doesn't provoke attack of opportunities) and give it 3 Legendary actions (+2 CR):

Bite: The scavver makes a bite attack. If the target is medium or smaller and hits the target's AC by 5 or more, it Engulfs the target. An engulfed target takes 9 (2d8) acid damage at the start of each of its turns. (I'd also suggest adding the Engulf to the regular bite).
On the Move: The scavver moves 15 feet
Tail Thrashing: The scavver makes a tail attack at +8 to hit with a reach of 10 feet. A target hit by the tail attack takes 16 (2d10+5) bludgeoning damage and must make a DC 16 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Into the Dark: If the scavver is at least 20 feet away from an enemy and outdoors, it takes the Hide action, disappearing into the blackness of the night sky. If the scavver attacks or is hit by an attack, it is no longer hiding.

----------------------------------

Engulfed​

• The target is inside the creature, and moves when the creature moves.
• The target is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the creature.
• If the engulfing creature takes damage in excess on the table below based on its size, the engulfing creature must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 5 feet of the engulfing creature.
• If the engulfing creature is slain, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse by moving out of the creature’s space, emerging prone. The area the dead creature takes up is treated as difficult terrain.

Size​	Expel Dam​	Capacity​	Size​
Tiny​	1​	—​	¼​
Small​	3​	¼​	½​
Medium​	5​	¼​	1​
Large​	10​	½​	3​
Huge​	20​	2​	5​
Gargantuan​	30​	4+​	8​

Capacity is the number of medium-sized targets the creature’s gullet can hold.

Size determines the size of a creature for the purpose of being held in a creature’s gullet (for example, a Small creature counts as ½ a medium creature)

I thought about adding some mechanics to the night scavver - but right now I'm not inclined to do that, because adding more damage abilities could get really deadly really quickly. Even now one bite of the night scavver could put any party member to 0 HP, with lucky damage rolls even the Barbarian.

So as I mentioned before, he gets more of something like Lair actions, like with the Dust Thistle creating dust clouds to impair vision.

And if the night scavver survives and flees, we can level him up over time - he is getting bigger and smarter the more sailors he eats ...

 

[Richards]

And who knows? Maybe he once ate a sailor who was wearing a ring of regeneration, which has since gotten lodged onto one of the night scavver's teeth, allowing it to "wear" the ring? He'd still be dead if slain, but if he manages to flee (when staggered or at very low hit points) while leaving a blood trail behind, that would look pretty convincing that he had "died" - only for him to show up later at full strength....

Johnathan

 

[Quickleaf]

I forget, is wildscape sort of zero-g? Because you might have the night scavver dart in, bite a PC then zip away to cover, and if the PC is knocked out, their body starts drifting. If it drifts a certain distance away, then 1-2 gray scavvers dart out to make attacks against the unconscious PC (which can get them dead fast due to auto-crits/double failed death saves).

Maybe the night scavver – with meteoric belly treasure – has developed a special ability / lair action to magnetically "gravity slingshot" itself around asteroids, giving it much greater speed? So this requires reaction & Ready-action & difficult terrain & paralyzing/pinning/grappling or restraining/net play to pin it down.