Bounty on critters

[domino]

I'm thinking about the idea of a town or city having a bounty on some standard monster race. Bugbears maybe. Or goblins. It would provide some interesting story points, maybe have a legendary critter nobody has been able to get. But maybe the adventurers could do it...

But the point is, what standard? A standard fee per head? A scale based on age, older and stronger ones are worth more. Or weight? But who wants to lug a full body back for pricing?

What are your ideas?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

If it's going to be something like orcs or gnolls you could borrow a page from everquest. 1 gnoll scalp gets you a silver piece or whatever. 100 scaps gets you a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks in that town. 500 scalps makes everyone in the town "Friendly" to that character.

Just a thought.

 

[domino]

Yeah, but I want something to do for the NPCs as well.

I have this image of the party sitting around a tavern, and some guy kicks open the door, with a bag in one hand, and a great big axe in another. He stomps over to the bar, and lays down the bag with the McGuffin's head in it. The bartender pokes around at it, measures the fangs, or whatever, and declares that it's a new record, as the other patrons burst into applause. So, if they ask, it would probably be a good idea to tell them why it makes sense to go after the biggest and nastiest ones.

 

[DMH]

The bartender pokes around at it, measures the fangs, or whatever, and declares that it's a new record, as the other patrons burst into applause. So, if they ask, it would probably be a good idea to tell them why it makes sense to go after the biggest and nastiest ones.

If you want to stick with humanoids, varients like ogre mages and blues (psionic goblins) are worth a lot more than the standard. I would create a lot of variety with the various races to really make this point.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

So, if they ask, it would probably be a good idea to tell them why it makes sense to go after the biggest and nastiest ones.

Well, there are the rolepalying reasons. But if your players need something more mechnical ... well ... then ... they're my kind of people and I love them all!!!!!!

The way I handle this is I just give out bonuses. +1 to STR or whatever. But I start my guys off with the standard array for attributes. Another way to handle it is that slaying the biggist thingie could open them up for a feat that's slightly overpowered.

 

[Edgewood]

I recently had the PCs IMC stop over at a small hamlet where a group of hunters have gathered to bid on hunting licenses for specific wild game in a nearby forest. It was basically a bidding war for the more prized animals such as deer, fox, rabbit, and moose. There was also a special bid on a license on a group of dangerous Orcs that had moved into the forest and were raiding nearby villages and hamlets. Some people haddied in these raids so the local Prince had decreed to have a bid on a special hunting license on the Orcs who were terrorizing his people. The reward for hunting and catching any Orc within the lands was a free license to hunt whatever animal that hunter wished to hunt without paying an extra fee. Anyway, they're not the smartest hunters as their attempts will probably spark a small war between this tribe of orcs and the Prince's militia.

 

[domino]

Well, there are the rolepalying reasons. But if your players need something more mechnical ... well ... then ... they're my kind of people and I love them all!!!!!!

The way I handle this is I just give out bonuses. +1 to STR or whatever. But I start my guys off with the standard array for attributes. Another way to handle it is that slaying the biggist thingie could open them up for a feat that's slightly overpowered.

I'm talking about for the NPCs. You tell an NPC that killing an orc gets him a +1 to strength, he's going to look at you funny, and knock you over the head, take your money, and rest assured that anything else you say to the local guard is going to be just as crazy.

But if you tell him that killing an orc gets him 1 gold per inch of fang, and he'll be a lot more interested.

I would hope that my players would either do it because it was the right thing to do, or not, with money being a lesser motivator.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I'm talking about for the NPCs. You tell an NPC that killing an orc gets him a +1 to strength, he's going to look at you funny, and knock you over the head, take your money, and rest assured that anything else you say to the local guard is going to be just as crazy.

I see your point, but it can still work. You just have to dress up the idea a bit. The NPC would be the "Champion of Smalltown" or whatever. He would know about the title. If he got better at dodging the attacks of such critters, he wouldn't think he had an AC or DEX bonus, he'd think that he was just getting better at fighting those critters. The NPCs motivation is prestige, but it gets reflected in his stat block.

Or you could just make the reward more tangible. Free stuff or Xgp for the big head recordbreaker.

 

[domino]

But what standards would you use for the records? Total critter weight? Age? Size of some defining factor?

 

[Sigurd]

Most places I've read its usually one ear or the other. Ears are small and easy to carry. They always state a side so they don't pay twice.

Another varient of this has mages, towns etc... proposing bounties on bits they need for magic or spells. 1000 gld for a fresh dragon head of any evil dragon... that sort of thing.

Consider the utility of this to the town. Bugbears are good because they don't have much treasure and are generally pretty antisocial. Orcs get difficult if you have half orc peoples in the game.


S