PDA

View Full Version : Pathfinder Building the Wild Hunt



Elvensilver
2018-12-27, 09:21 AM
Since I couldn't find the Wild Hunt or a similar concept as monster, I've decided to build it myself. For those that don't know it, the Wild Hunt is a piece of folklore in Europe about a group of supernatural hunters (sometimes elves or other fairy-beings, sometimes the souls of dead, and nearly always some hunting dogs) roaming the sky. See here for more info: [URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt[/URL]
So, since I never built anything big before, and honestly, the Wild Hunt is something that should be pretty dangerous as an encounter, I'd like to hear your opinions and ideas. My goal is to stay as close as possible to the original while still being functional in a fight. So far I've got:

CR 12+ (maybe about 15/16? Should be strong, but not endgame-level)


Type: Fey, around 13 racial hd (because of the hunters, and because of the Wild Hunt is theorized to be a mythological explanation for winter-storms, e.g. a natural phenomen)


Size: Colossal, but made out of mulitiple smaller (small, medium and large creatures)


Subtype: Swarm (sometimes the Wild Hunt is called the Wild Host. Since it would be difficult and complicated to stat and track an army worth of individual hunters, a swarms seems more reasonable.)


So we can conclude that the Wild Hunt should have swarm and fey traits, such as immunities, damage reduction against everything but cold iron, flight, and automatic damage. For ca. 13 HD, the automatic damage would be 3D6 per round, magical, because that fits fey, maybe with trip or bleed because it is largely made out of hunting dogs.


Aura: Fear, activated via free action, as the spell, Range: 300 feet, Save DC 20 (to reflect the effect on people in the area)


For Spell like Abilities, the normal fey-list doesn't really fit the mythos. What we need is something like the ability to spirit people away to make them join their ranks, some means of bringing fortune/misfortune, maybe something sound-based because of the constant rumble and screaming, cloud-shape/etheralness and invisibility. And a fear ability of course, as noted above. So maybe:


SLA (at will) bless or bane
SLA (3x/day each): lesser invisiblity, curse, cloud shape
SLA (1x/day): feeblemind
Aaand some ability to spirit people who are currently affected by the fear effect and fail their saves away to join the hunt. (one fortitude save
to resist and one will save to perserve one's mind, perhaps?) Usable multiple times per day, but is a full round action.



As for stats, I thought something like this:
Str: 20 In: 10
Ge: 18 Wis: 20
Con: 28 Cha: 30

At 13 racial HD, that would be ca. 163 HP (13d6 + 117)

Saves:

Ref: 13
Wil: 13
Fort: 13



So, what do you guys and gals think? Any ideas (e.g. SLAs) to make it memorable and strong while staying true to the original?

CopperElfCleric
2018-12-27, 10:37 PM
The old AD&D (Advanced D&D) edition has the Wild Hunt being led by "The Master of The Hunt" who was a extremely powerful demi-god with AD&D stats and a whole write up about the hunt and how it works. Look it up online and just convert the old AD&D stats to whichever edition you're playing.

CopperElfCleric
2018-12-27, 10:42 PM
I found this image from the AD&D book Deities and Demigods, circa 1979 I think. It's a Picture of The Wild Hunt in the Celtic mythos chapter featuring The Master of The Wild Hunt. http://oldschoolfrp.tumblr.com/post/22050234932/the-wild-hunt-jim-roslof-from-the-celtichttp://oldschoolfrp.tumblr.com/post/22050234932/the-wild-hunt-jim-roslof-from-the-celtic

CopperElfCleric
2018-12-27, 10:52 PM
I also found this link, which someone has already converted the AD&D Wild Hunt to 3.5ED. Enjoy!! http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?68790-The-Wild-Hunt

rferries
2018-12-28, 12:57 AM
If CopperElfCleric's link doesn't appeal, I'd suggest looking at the Mob template instead of the swarm template (as most of the individual members of the Hunt would be at least Medium size -alternatively you might like to look at my Sprite Swarm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?531599-Sprite-Swarm-(shedding-pixie-dust-everywhere)) too :)).

Finally, the Hunt might function better simply as a spell-like effect (e.g. an unseen servant or black tentacles non-instantaneous area-of-effect that is immune to most attacks).

Hipster Dixit
2018-12-28, 04:43 AM
Also, although probably a bit difficult to put your hands on it, the Monster Manual V from D&D 3.0 has stats for the Master of the Hunt and its Hounds. Starting from there, a pathfinder conversion would be trivial.

Elvensilver
2018-12-29, 01:56 PM
Thanks for the ideas! I think i'll keep the leader of the Wild Hunt, maybe with a few tweaks. The Mob Template is another good idea for the Wild Hunt, where can I find it?

ngilop
2018-12-29, 09:27 PM
Thanks for the ideas! I think i'll keep the leader of the Wild Hunt, maybe with a few tweaks. The Mob Template is another good idea for the Wild Hunt, where can I find it?

Epic Level handbook has the Hoary Hunter and Hoary Steeds (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/hoaryHunter.htm)

One could probably up the HD on a wolf to 10 and then slap on the air walk, etherealness, misty breath, immunities, and magic circle vs good to get the hound of the hunt going,

rferries
2018-12-30, 02:18 AM
Thanks for the ideas! I think i'll keep the leader of the Wild Hunt, maybe with a few tweaks. The Mob Template is another good idea for the Wild Hunt, where can I find it?

Mob template (https://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/mob.shtml) (you'd probably want at least a few different mobs, each of a particular creature e.g. the Hounds).

nikkoli
2019-01-01, 03:17 AM
Pathfinder also has a full wild hunt party already stated out too. It came out in beastiary 6 in 2017 so it's only just recently getting into the srd sites.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/fey/wild-hunt/