Simulating a Game Hunt

[Tevesh]

Okay, so the PCs have got the right to enter into the King's Forest or whatnot. They're there to hunt game for fun. After all, if you're a rich murder hobo you want to do want domesticated rich people do: murder in fashion.

So lets say the critter they're hunting down isn't a deer. I mean, we are playing 3.P D&D. I already have the critter in mind. It has decent reach and 5 feat slots.

My initial build would be something like Combat Reflexes, Standstill, Run, et cetera. The PCs need to expend Move Actions to attack while the goal of the creature is to get away.

I was hoping for something more interesting. Also, halfway through the chase its going to stand its ground and fight back. My question is what feats do you give this creature?

Party will be using mundane equipment and only use Magic probably for mobility. I just want to be able to provide something that they need to chase for fun to really get a feel for what rich guys do.

Sure, PCs are used to murdering things that try to murder them back but this might be a nice change of pace.

Opinions?

[Azoth]

Maybe instead of worrying about its offense, give it alot of defensive abilities. This way it isn't so much about it fighting back and them risking danger as it is overcoming the animal. Most game hunts were not against animals that ever really stood a chance of seriously harming/killing the party, but were instead ellusive or just plain tough to bring down.

[Vhaidara]

Maybe give it some illusions as SLAs. There's one called Instant Diversion that creates a bunch of Silent Images that run off in different directions while you also run. Depending on party level, maybe use a homebrew version of ID that uses Major Images (for sound).

[Tevesh]

In such an offensive minded game, yeah, I guess to simulate a hunt the target should have tons of defense. Its not like it could survive the encounter anyway, but this makes it interesting.

[Red Fel]

As Azoth and Keledrath suggest, the bulk of the encounter shouldn't be the combat, but simply finding and cornering the bloody thing.

Compare it with the classic hunt. The actual battle against a fox, or a deer, is over pretty quickly - you fire, and either you hit and you're done, or you miss and you give chase. The challenge, and the part that takes all afternoon, is tracking the beast across the plain, into the forest, around the trees; chasing it from its hiding hole, beating it from the brush, cornering it with the hounds; and so forth.

What you want is a creature that's build to elude. The entire encounter should be a series of complex checks. Periodic checks to keep the trail. If you lose the trail, checks to find it. If you make visual contact, checks to pursue without it being aware. If it becomes aware, checks to keep up with it. If you get close, checks to corner it, or see through its tricks. And so forth.

The combat itself shouldn't be the major part, relatively speaking. You want a creature that's fast and elusive, that covers its trail, that misdirects its pursuers, that squirms and wriggles and dodges like nobody's business.

That makes a good game hunt.

That, and supper afterwards.

[hemming]

Maybe something like: alertness, dodge, lightning reflexes, run, improved initiative

If you are going to home brew it up I would give it supernatural powers like a blink dog or displacer beast

[Artillery]

Give the animal being hunted the Darkstalker feat from Lords of Madness so that bloodhounds are useless.

Use purely mundane sources of stealth etc so detecting magic etc won't give it away.

Make it fast and stealthy. Possibly a magic beast from the plane of shadow.