Help my adventure!

[Ashrum the Black]

Well, I'd use the surrounding area to spice things up. If ogres know that they're going to be chased, or even just assume it they're going to make life difficault for the chasers. They're use every trick they csan come up with to through off the pursuit such as moving over rocky terrain, through rivers, etc. Perhaps even fording rivers that they larger size and strength allow them to cross but the PC's have to ride to a shallower ford. This will jack up the DC's for tracking them and should gain them some extra time even if the PC's do steadily catch up.

Then I'd have the ogres cut through some locally dangerous areas. Such as a forest known to be inhabited by gnolls or, a mountain pass that is the local hunting grounds of a wyvern colony. If the party follows them in then you can have several encounters with the local wildlife.

Perhaps the ogres are running with the sword to a political rival of the PC's or their kingdom. They make it across the border before the PC's catch up and if they go after them they could be starting something their boss's what like. What do they do then? This could lead to several roleplaying encounters with the local troops as the PC's try to bluff their way through, and possibly even a running fight with the ogres trying to get to the baron/king/whatever with the sword they recovered for him, the PC's chasing the ogres, and the braons troops chasing them for crossing the border.

Even better is if the religion of the order the paladin is, and that wants the sword is forbidden within the other country. Or when they return victoious their own people slap them in chains for starting a war. Only to release them later and offer them a hopeless quest in return for thier freedom.

The big thing though is to plan some set piece fights for the party, and determine what happens when they over come it. If they go around the dangerous area the ogres gain three hours, if the go through they fight the gnolls, if they turn back at the border the baron gets his magical sword and begins his plan to accomplish X. Have several enounters planned with some thoughts for if the party gets to far afield and then sit back and let them decide how bad they get pummeled.

-Ashurm

 

[Tsillanabor]

Those are pretty good suggestions. I definitely have gotten a few ideas here-keep 'em coming! Thanks everyone.

 

[The_Old_one]

My personal choice? Don't make the overland chase the focus of the adventure.

I'm much more of an 'Indiana Jones' DM when it comes to that kind of thing...call for a tracking roll or two (and then only if you want there to be a chance of the PCs not catching up) then cut to the confrontation...maybe flesh it out with a tense (but brief) description of the headlong flight across the countryside, but then focus them on the fight.

"You follow the trail of the enemy, as plain to see as if they'd wanted you to track them...they have a good lead, but pushing your horses to near exhaustion you race through the night, knowing that you'll soon be able to exact your vengeance. As dawn breaks you see the them ahead, the tell tale glint of the blade you seek reflecting the early sun"

Then you drop back to game time and spring the ambush!

 

[Nightfall]

Tsi,

Just because it's holy doesn't mean it can't be dangerous. I mean perhaps it's a side effect due to the fact it needs like a holy focus to allow the god to send down messengers/helpers in times of need. That kind of stuff.