Can an Animal be a boss

[Omegaxicor]

I am creating a campaign and creating several story arcs that overlap but the one I am wondering about is where the party "accidently" release a number of animals (maybe Magic Beasts I haven't designed them all yet) into the world and must recapture them, now this won't be done in an afternoon and they will have to journey the world following up loose ends (which will be a quest in itself if it doesn't lead to an animal) but at level 1-5 Animals can be scary once you reach 10-12 they aren't really and I am curious if anyone has any ideas on how to improve them.

I don't mean "add X Template" to them, since these creatures will be created specifically for this purpose they will be animal-like but with unusual powers. The two I have thought about is a Displacer Beast/Blink Dog sort of animal where it becomes invisible for periods of time while stalking the party and it can teleport short distances, stops the party from cornering it really.

These are still draft ideas so if anyone has either an important rules/point I have overlooked or any ideas of their own then I would appreciate any help. (of course since I don't know when I will drop the creatures on the party, some that are low-level appropriate and some high-level appropriate would be good)

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Maybe you could use baby "dinosaurs". As time passes, they grow, hopefully keeping allowing them to challenge PCs.

And these "dinosaurs" could be magical, starting out as regularly-statted creatures with Int 1 or 2, but by the time high-level PCs are tracking them, they have Int 10-18 and can use spell-like abilities like Fly and True Seeing.

If you have access to gigantic or kaiju templates, in a short period of time the creatures could grow very large. There's no solo rules (unless you're talking 4e) but you could mitigate this by having the creatures clump in groups of about five. Perhaps in an unnatural pattern (why is this winged beast hanging out with this blink dog?).

 

[Ahnehnois]

One approach might be to create story elements that increase the danger of the animals beyond their raw statistics.

For example, maybe have them get into a city and start attacking people. Trying to save commoners' lives adds stakes, and the risk of collateral damage and limits of city laws might restrict the players' tactics.

Or maybe have the animals attract a member of the Animal Lord prestige class who wants to protect them.

Or have the players be in a land where the animal is sacred and can't be killed.

***

Besides those kinds of paradigm shifts, if you just want more challenging animals, one solution is legendary animals, which appeared in MotW and the ELH and perhaps a few other supplements. They might help getting the flavor and the raw numbers you need to challenge high level characters. Examples.

The Monster of Legend template (MMII) is a widely variable template that can add customized supernatural powers to animals. There are a number of other templates that are likewise nonspecific and may fit your needs. The Phantom template (MMV) sounds pretty close to your though on transient invisibility/teleportation. The DMGII section on unique NPC abilities might help as well.

 

[mach1.9pants]

ANIMAL IS ALWAYS THE BOSS!

Sorry that is what popped into my head on reading the thread title

 

[DnD_Dad]

A cockatrice can be really nasty.

 

[Omegaxicor]

Psi, I don't think I have those templates, what book are they in?

Ahnehnois, I was thinking that the final fight would never be easy, those are some good ideas along the same path as mine, thanks

EDIT: I have never looked at the Cockatrice before, I like it

 

[Rune]

Can an Animal be a boss ?

Clearly, you've never had a cat.

 

[Lindeloef]

Or one of them could be a cat and sth like an Ogre takes care of it, and doesn't like, that the PCs want to take it away from him.

That way you can easily adopt this to the Party level.

 

[amerigoV]

Some wandering Druid couple Awaken one of the critters. That opens up all sorts of opportunities, both encounter-wise and morality-wise.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

For these animals to be worth the bother of searching the world to recapture, they must be some kind of special.

What makes them special? Is it because somebody with a ton of money wants them back, or are they in fact unique?

If they are unique, what makes them unique? Does that uniqueness grant them any ability to progress in power over time? [MENTION=26651]amerigoV[/MENTION], [MENTION=17106]Ahnehnois[/MENTION], [MENTION=94712]Lindeloef[/MENTION] and [MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION] have offered suggestions of uniqueness.

my 2 cents:
-the PC's were tricked into releasing the animals, which was really masterminded by someone else. These kidnappers (animal-nappers) are responsible for scattering the critters and making them hard to recapture.

-the animals are actually Tibbits (Dragon Magazine Compendium) and are NPCs with class levels who have the natural ability to appear as common housecats.

-a nature deity is behind the evolution of each of these animals, as this adventure fulfills a prophecy foretold long ago.

-these animals are on a mystical journey to become spirit guides of some sort, and a Spirit Shaman is involved.

-the party didn't really see what critters they released, they just know that cages got opened and somethings escaped. Turns out they were Dragons.