D&D 5E Mechanics for a hunt (with the characters being the hunted)

[Not a Hobbit]

Dear ENworlders:

Just when I thought that my players would play it safe and go back to civilization, they decided to check out just one more thing, and stumbled into the Shadowfell (silly players)

So one thing that will happen is that they will be subjected to the ole "If you can stay alive for 24 hours, then I'll let you leave my land" thing. They will be pursued by two werewolves, and will have to survive (or kill) their pursuers. The party has an outlander, and the werewolves are, well, werewolves. So I think it will be a wonderfully even game of cat and mouse.

My question is, as are all my questions in case one hasn't noticed, what would be the best way to accomplish this? Some sort of hex crawl would get boring fast, I would think. There will be some terrain features to overcome, but I think for the most part it will be tracking and hiding, and trying to get the drop on the werewolves.

So any suggestions on how to accomplish this while still being a fun encounter for the players would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help.

--Scott

 

[Soul Stigma]

I wouldn't get hexy with it. I would keep it abstract. Overcoming terrain obstacles can be interesting in itself, but also playing up the inherent difficulty of moving without leaving any tracks and needing to break up their scent.

I will think more on it to see if I can be more helpful, but those are my first thoughts.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World

 

[Redthistle]

1. I'm stealing this idea.

2. Roughly outline a number of things the PCs must accomplish within the time limit and what they know about the territorial boundaries. You can get ideas by looking at their class features for ways to challenge each of their strengths. Maybe their backgrounds will suggest ways to flavor these tests. Bear their flaws in mind, too. This will give each PC some spotlight time.

3. Whether or not the PCs know the lay of the land is important. Do any of them have knowledge or experience with the Shadowfell? What might they know about the specific domain in question? If they are totally ignorant of the Shadowfell, they've got major problems.

Begin the encounters so that there's an initial burst of explicit threat when the boss of the desmesne sets them loose that includes a terrain-based escape from the starting point. (You may well have already done this.) Given the gloom and the obscuring mists that often cloak the plane, they will likely have trouble spotting landmarks if they even know they exist.

Is there some significant distance they have to cover, or is this more of a figurative "cage-match"? If sufficient distance is involved, are there trails or roads available? What about bodies of water or streams to get past or to travel on? I can see a wild ride on logs down a white-water river, but what if they need to get upstream instead?

4. In a scenario like this, giving the party little time to rest is important. Exhaustion heightens the tension. At the same time, too many levels of exhaustion may leave them too depleted when the climactic scene occurs. Plan ahead with a few different scenes for shelter that will allow them a short rest -- not a long one! -- and pick from among them if they really need to refresh.

Another possibility is that the party is too successful at defeating the werewolves. You might want to plan for an "escape clause" for the monsters if necessary, too, to keep them in the hunt until the final confrontation.

Another consideration: is the creep who set this in motion inclined to cheat?

5. How many game sessions do you estimate this may take? Do you need to plan for cliff-hanger game breaks? Games being what they are, you won't know 'til the RW clock winds down at the table.

I'd plan for the starting scene, 3-6 "chase" scenes (depending on available gaming time), and the final confrontation. The final 2-3 encounters should be fast on the heels of each other to ramp up the suspense and feeling of desperation.

Two bad things can happen: a TPK, or its relative opposite, the party succeeding too dang quickly.

All food for thought.

 

[LordEntrails]

So, give them something of a lead (I assume), and let them use to that to make their plan. BE ready if they plan an ambush against the werewolves, I would do that if I was a player.

Probably give them a choice of a couple of places (maybe based on nature or wisdom checks) t.o do this. (You can then also use these maps in different ways as encounters if they are tracked down.)

Then I would use something like the Chase Rules from the DMG for closing the final distances.

Remember, during the chase and if they players do an ambush, there werewolves know the territory, and have probably done this before. They know the good locatiosn to get ambushed at, and probably have plans or ways to keep from getting ambushed or even ambushing the ambushers! (Maybe secret tunnels to get them behind the lines etc).

If your players are like mine or me, it probably won't really be much "chasing" going on. Probably just a stand and fight when they think they can find an advantage or are forced.

 

[Redthistle]

Please let us know afterwards how this played out. It sounds like it could be a great tale to share.

 

[jayoungr]

One suggestion I have is to give the PCs a goal they have to shoot for--they have to not only stay alive for 24 hours but be at a specific place when the 24 hours are up in order to get out. That gives the chase some structure and provides an easy option for a nail-biting showdown as they try to make it to the designated place before time runs out. You can also plot various paths to the rendezvous point and figure out the obstacles on each one.

If you subscribe to En5ider, you might also want to check out the alternate expanded chase rules in issue #8. If you're not a subscriber, you can buy it as a stand-alone here:

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/170052/Give-Chase-5E

 

[hastur_nz]

One suggestion I have is to give the PCs a goal they have to shoot for--they have to not only stay alive for 24 hours but be at a specific place when the 24 hours are up in order to get out. That gives the chase some structure and provides an easy option for a nail-biting showdown as they try to make it to the designated place before time runs out. You can also plot various paths to the rendezvous point and figure out the obstacles on each one.

Totally agree - if dumped into a foreign environment, with savage beasts chasing them, I think most players would figure "fight now" is the best option, rather than bother trying to run away in a land they don't even know, then you'll be trying to force them to run away with no real choices for the players to be made, maybe just some random dice rolls. So the key is to give them a clear Goal, and meaningful Choices to make in trying to accomplish it. Being D&D, I'm sure it will end up in a fight at some stage, but the choices you allowed your players to make, should dictate the type of fight (if any) that ensues.

Good luck, and please do share, personally I'm better on theory than practice when it comes to these kinds of things...