Advice on Running a Shark Hunt Arc

[creakyaccordion]

Hey everyone! My players are getting closer to an arc in my campaign that I've been thinking about for awhile now, and as it gets closer I've realized I'm not 100% sure how to run it. The campaign has taken place entirely in the desert and they've chosen to head towards the big harbor city in the region. Short version is they'll have to do a favor for the city's leader for him to help them with their end goal, the favor of which is finding out what's been causing ships heading into the city to drown on the way there, which turns out to be a Megalodon. They'll be given a ship probably with a captain (I'm thinking a salty sea goblin captain) and track down the Megalodon and kill it. They'll probably be level 8 or 9 by the time they reach this point. My main question was this: is there a way to make something like that last two or even three sessions without being frustrating? It's a major plot beat in the campaign so I didn't want them to just find the shark, kill it, wham bam thank you ma'am etc. If it would only work for one session, what's the way to make tracking a giant monster like that interesting? My best sessions tend to be ones focused around mysteries so I think I have the part of them figuring out what's going on covered but from a mechanical standpoint I'd love to know how to make a VERY extended chase and track kind of play style fun.

[druid91]

Have the shark encounter them in deep water. If it's taking too much damage it's gonna lose interest in it's former meal and run. But it's not smart so it won't remember them and keep running away.

The boat can't dive underwater, and the players aren't fast enough to keep up.

[creakyaccordion]

Have the shark encounter them in deep water. If it's taking too much damage it's gonna lose interest in it's former meal and run. But it's not smart so it won't remember them and keep running away.

The boat can't dive underwater, and the players aren't fast enough to keep up.

What keeps it fun over the time though? What would make the time in between those encounters enjoyable?

[Lagren]

What keeps it fun over the time though? What would make the time in between those encounters enjoyable?

Rival shark-hunters taking potshots? Other hostile wildlife? Stormy seas?

[DrMotives]

Has the shark attracted cultists of any sort? Sahuagin, were-sharks, or even people with the primal (shark totem) class being all obsessed with the thing could be a plot device to extend its impact. Especially if crazy shark cultists have infiltrated the ship the PCs are using for the hunt, resulting in them dealing with the animal and treason among the crew at the same time.

Also, I like Lagren's idea of rival shark-hunters. Does this rival team think the PCs want the trophies / shark liver oil / spell component made from the shark's carcass?

Did the shark swallow treasure, art, strange magical artifacts? Lots of bizarre stuff has been found in shark stomachs over time, and this one is big enough to have eaten a valuable hoard of indigestible stuff. That alone could attract all sorts of attention to this shark hunt expedition you're setting up.

[creakyaccordion]

Has the shark attracted cultists of any sort? Sahuagin, were-sharks, or even people with the primal (shark totem) class being all obsessed with the thing could be a plot device to extend its impact. Especially if crazy shark cultists have infiltrated the ship the PCs are using for the hunt, resulting in them dealing with the animal and treason among the crew at the same time.

Also, I like Lagren's idea of rival shark-hunters. Does this rival team think the PCs want the trophies / shark liver oil / spell component made from the shark's carcass?

Did the shark swallow treasure, art, strange magical artifacts? Lots of bizarre stuff has been found in shark stomachs over time, and this one is big enough to have eaten a valuable hoard of indigestible stuff. That alone could attract all sorts of attention to this shark hunt expedition you're setting up.

Thank you guys so much, this is exactly what I was looking for! I was thinking of it in terms of this sort of Jaws-like mystery creature that no one would really know about but creating a cult around it AND having a rival team or two would really liven up the game. Finding clues to that it even is a shark could be done by investigating the cults and interviewing survivors of the shipwrecks possibly. Interspersing the tracking with fights with both the other team and the cult will really liven it up.

Thanks guys!

[creakyaccordion]

One last question I had was do you think a normal Megalodon (CR 11, about 300 health) is difficult enough for what I'm going for. Should I boost its HD to make sure the whole arc doesn't end too early or will it be fine? The PCs are level 7 right now but they'll probably be level 8 by the time they get to this arc. There's 5 of them.

[Hiro Quester]

Give the shark an aquatic Druid friend/protector. He is convinced that protecting apex predators is best for the health of the ecosystem. On the other hand, there are plenty of humanoids.

So Druid and his elasmosaurus animal companion are willing to do whatever it takes to protect this precious wild creature from humanoid treasure hunters.

[hamishspence]

One last question I had was do you think a normal Megalodon (CR 11, about 300 health) is difficult enough for what I'm going for. Should I boost its HD to make sure the whole arc doesn't end too early or will it be fine? The PCs are level 7 right now but they'll probably be level 8 by the time they get to this arc. There's 5 of them.

3 CRs ahead of the party should be a fairly hard encounter.

Maybe check that the Meg has appropriate feats to keep it interesting. Perhaps dig around in Stormwrack and Savage Species.

[Solidarity]

As hamishspence mentioned, Stormwrack is your best friend when it comes to seaside blunders. There's plenty of things like the ocean-faring hazards it describes to help keep combat or story driven scenes exciting. You might also want to take a look at Salt and Sea Dogs: The Pirates of Tellene from the Kingdoms of Kalimar setting. It has a lot, and I mean a lot, of fluff you could add to really flesh out the surrounding area--be it things you could add to local taverns or just what the market might have to help them track down the monster. It also goes into how existing core spells can be applied to boats and being on the water in general, as well as a particular section about nautical spotting you could easily incorporate into tracking.