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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 9716409" data-attributes="member: 4937">The guards are roughly 2nd level fighters with 12/12/12/8/8/8 ability scores, armed with a combination of light lances, broad swords, scimitars, composite shortbows and light and heavy crossbows, and wearing ringmail and carrying small shields.  Some are on light warhorses to act as outriders and scouts.  They are lead by a veteran 3rd level fighter wearing mail, and who has a masterwork weapon.  One of their number is a green 1st level fighter new to the trade.  Most things that would trouble the caravan just avoid it.  Unless the caravan is really unlucky, nothing is going to happen.  More serious threats (large force of bandits) can often be bribed since neither side wants to lose people. Word reaches a Knight of the Road (4th-5th level fighter) tasked by the king to keep peace on a certain road that a caravan has been attacked.  He determines that it was a large force of ogres - more than he feels comfortable fighting on his own.  He warns villages and taverns along the road against travel without a large armed guard (caravans now band together and higher more men), and in the name of the sovereign convinces either one of the national garrisons or a city militia commander to march out with him.  The ogres are pursued by a force of 80-120 fighters, well equipped for war with better gear than a typical caravan guard, with higher level leaders including likely a couple low level spell casters.  Members of the closest village watch, or appropriate knights from nearby manors who might know the lay of the land join in the hunt.  A half-dozen ogres are doomed unless they can reach the safety of the mountains.  Depending on whether they can arrange surprise they might trade 1 to 1 with such an overwhelming force, but that sort of trade against fecund human civilizations guarantees extinction of ogres locally in the short term.  Not that Ogres are particularly bright, but they are generally bright enough not to do this except on the fringes of civilization, where those sort of attacks are expected (you have to take a caravan through a mountain pass or other wild region, so you wait and 3 caravans go together with 12-20 guards each).Then you attract the attention of professional treasure hunters and small mercenary companies that specialize in dealing with low level threats like this.  Griffons in particular are opportunities for big payoffs, as young griffins can be sold to national militaries to raise as steeds for good money, and nesting griffins always nest over some treasure as a precondition of successful breeding.  In fact, initial raids by a griffon are almost certainly a young male looking to found a nest and attract a partner.  Both griffons and chimerae properly butchered and preserved in alcohol or embalming fluid are valuable in the reagents trade.Failing to attract such attention, a temple in the nearest large city attempts to put together a response team to deal with the threat, with a core team of a priest, fanatic and inquisitor from within their own ranks bolstered by such nobility, mercenaries, and wizards that are piously attached to the deity with incentives in receiving some favor of the temple (potions, free healing, magic items from the treasury, etc.).  The temple of course expects to receive a healthy tithe from any profits.</blockquote>

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