Big Game Hunter: what creatures does he want to hunt and kill?

[braveheart]

I’m about to start in a new campaign, and I’ll be playing (thematically) a big game hunter from ~ the late 19th century, he has a list of creatures he wants to take down in time, and I’d like some assistance creating that list. Aside from dragons and the tarrasque (late game goal) I can’t think of many good creatures to add. All suggestions are helpful, and I’m in 5e if that matters to your suggestion.

[Samzat]

The legendary Watheerian Yodeling Roc

[Lord Torath]

Purple Worm
Owlbear (and Ducksnake, Penguinlion, Bunnywolf, and possibly Quailtiger)
Giant Space Hamster
Kraken
Kython
Catoblepas
Dinosaurs of whatever kind the nearest "lost world" region has to offer
Colossal Arthropods (spiders, scorpions, pediapalps, solfugoids, etc.)
Umber Hulk
Bullette
Ankheg

[dps]

You're designing the campaign and the setting. What kind of monsters/game do you want in your game?

Also, what level are your players' characters going to start out at? At low level, even non-fantastical, real-life animals can be a challenge, assuming that you're using a fairly standard pseudo-medieval setting, i.e., no firearms. Heck, without guns, a wild boar can be more dangerous IRL than some dragons in fantasy. Of course, above a certain level, real-life animals will cease to be any sort of threat at all to PCs and you'll have to go with fantasy or enhanced creatures.

In general terms, a big-game hunter will want to hunt the most challenging game that's available that's not clearly too difficult for their current skills.

[Chronos]

Quoth Lord Torath:

Giant Space Hamster

I like that-- It's good to have a few monsters on the list that don't actually exist, so that he'll always have something to drive him on (or, alternately, if he actually does encounter one, it'll be all the more meaningful). In that vein, I'd also suggest the crumple-horned snorkack.

[Avonar]

Well, think about the most iconic dangerous creatures there are. Some suggestions I'd have would be:

Beholder
Lich
Mind Flayer
Vampire
Purple Worm
Rakshasa

Maybe have a range of creatures of various difficulties, so your character can accomplish things along the way instead of having to wait until high levels to do any of them.

[Hellpyre]

I like that-- It's good to have a few monsters on the list that don't actually exist, so that he'll always have something to drive him on (or, alternately, if he actually does encounter one, it'll be all the more meaningful). In that vein, I'd also suggest the crumple-horned snorkack.

Minsc is sad that you do not know about Miniature Giant Space Hamsters.

[Chronos]

But Boo is a miniature giant space hamster. Totally different.

[Blackhawk748]

Chull
Dire Wolf
Dire Bear
Any Dinosaur
Hydra

Seriously, how did you guys forget Hydras?

[braveheart]

You're designing the campaign and the setting. What kind of monsters/game do you want in your game?

Also, what level are your players' characters going to start out at? At low level, even non-fantastical, real-life animals can be a challenge, assuming that you're using a fairly standard pseudo-medieval setting, i.e., no firearms. Heck, without guns, a wild boar can be more dangerous IRL than some dragons in fantasy. Of course, above a certain level, real-life animals will cease to be any sort of threat at all to PCs and you'll have to go with fantasy or enhanced creatures.

In general terms, a big-game hunter will want to hunt the most challenging game that's available that's not clearly too difficult for their current skills.

I’m not running the game, I’m a player in it


To address other comments, there are guns in the game, and it is high fantasy, though we will be starting at level 1

[Avigor]

I'd say go nuts on anything of Huge size or bigger, especially those which lack the ability to speak or are inherently Evil. Other critters might be worthy of attention sometimes (especially if they are unique or have a lot of HD) but in general the bigger the better. I'd strongly advocate trying to get your DM to allow the Trophy Hunter feat from Dragon 332 and Trophy Collector from PHB2 (or better yet, try to squeeze past a homebrew of a single feat or a 1 level PrC that gives you the benefits of both feats with no creature type limitations).

[PhoenixPhyre]

I'd say go nuts on anything of Huge size or bigger, especially those which lack the ability to speak or are inherently Evil. Other critters might be worthy of attention sometimes (especially if they are unique or have a lot of HD) but in general the bigger the better. I'd strongly advocate trying to get your DM to allow the Trophy Hunter feat from Dragon 332 and Trophy Collector from PHB2 (or better yet, try to squeeze past a homebrew of a single feat or a 1 level PrC that gives you the benefits of both feats with no creature type limitations).

Note: he's playing 5e so 3.5 feats and PRCs won't help much.

OP: I'd start small. Dire Wolves and other special beasts, then move up the chain to monstrosities and eventually to things like dragons, beholders, and fiends. But have something for each level range.

[dps]

I’m not running the game, I’m a player in it


To address other comments, there are guns in the game, and it is high fantasy, though we will be starting at level 1

Ah, that changes things a bit. And it was right there in the opening post, too.

But in general, you'll still want to hunt the most dangerous things that exist in the setting that aren't clearly too tough for you to handle.

[Mando Knight]

But in general, you'll still want to hunt the most dangerous things that exist in the setting that aren't clearly too tough for you to handle.

Where's the fun in that? For a real big game hunter, there's really only two kinds of things: the ones you can hunt now, and the ones you'll have to hunt later.

[Mechalich]

Being a big game hunter in a medieval world is kind of unusual. How would such a philosophy develop? Keep in mind that, unless you use magic, preservation of traditional trophies is impossible, since taxidermy has yet to develop. You can still keep antlers, hides, and horns (and I guess scales since there are giant reptiles) but you can't actually mount a dragon's head on a wall without casting spells (it fact you probably can't even mount the skull since it would likely be too heavy for contemporary wires to support). The tradition game-based motive for killing a wide variety of animals and magical beasties has been to harvest them for mystical components to make magical items, but that's significantly different from hunting for sport and the achievement of the kill.

This also seems like the sort of thing that druids and rangers would get mad about. Does your character follow some deity with a particularly pro-civilization (or just evil) viewpoint?

[dps]

Where's the fun in that? For a real big game hunter, there's really only two kinds of things: the ones you can hunt now, and the ones you'll have to hunt later.

Yeah, of course. But at level 1, he's not going to go gunning for dragons, unless he's an idiot or has a death wish.

[Anymage]

There are a few problems with a first level big game hunter. Partially due to way hit dice interact with the system (D&D guns don't have the same sort of effect that real life guns have), and largely due to the fact that first level characters are just getting their feet wet. A talented hunter is possible, certainly. But you'll have to expand your stomping grounds to be much larger than the area around your starting village before you can really start heading out for big game. That increased scope tends to coincide with higher levels, which conveniently allows you to take down big game when you do see it.

Being a big game hunter in a medieval world is kind of unusual. How would such a philosophy develop? Keep in mind that, unless you use magic, preservation of traditional trophies is impossible, since taxidermy has yet to develop. You can still keep antlers, hides, and horns (and I guess scales since there are giant reptiles) but you can't actually mount a dragon's head on a wall without casting spells (it fact you probably can't even mount the skull since it would likely be too heavy for contemporary wires to support). The tradition game-based motive for killing a wide variety of animals and magical beasties has been to harvest them for mystical components to make magical items, but that's significantly different from hunting for sport and the achievement of the kill.

This also seems like the sort of thing that druids and rangers would get mad about. Does your character follow some deity with a particularly pro-civilization (or just evil) viewpoint?

The setting has guns, so the tech level can be assumed to be a little higher. Not to mention that things like full plate aren't normal medieval tech either. (Granted, guns in D&D work very differently than guns in the real world do, so the archetypal big game hunter would need some serious rule support in order to have a chance against anything properly big.)

[braveheart]

I’ve been working with my DM To explain why a low level character would have experience, and it boils down to having a more experienced but recently deceased uncle who was taking him on expeditions.

[FreddyNoNose]

I’m about to start in a new campaign, and I’ll be playing (thematically) a big game hunter from ~ the late 19th century, he has a list of creatures he wants to take down in time, and I’d like some assistance creating that list. Aside from dragons and the tarrasque (late game goal) I can’t think of many good creatures to add. All suggestions are helpful, and I’m in 5e if that matters to your suggestion.

Can't you just use the animals from The Big Game Hunter Section of the Death in the Dark Continent Rules you lifted this idea from?

[Beleriphon]

Being a big game hunter in a medieval world is kind of unusual.

Not really, nobles all over the world have hunted dangerous creatures for sport. One just has to remember the Babylonian kings hunted lions with naught but a knife to prove they were worthy of ruling (of course the lion was captured first and tied to stake, but hey its still a blood duel with an apex predator and dude with a knife).

[Chronos]

Quoth Mechalich:

This also seems like the sort of thing that druids and rangers would get mad about. Does your character follow some deity with a particularly pro-civilization (or just evil) viewpoint?

The hunter's class itself is most likely ranger, and there's no inherent reason he couldn't be a druid, either. Sure, some druids and rangers will have a problem with what he's doing, but then, some members of any class will, too. Druids are required to revere nature, but that doesn't mean that they have to be nice to it, and rangers don't even require that.

[Jay R]

I’ve been working with my DM To explain why a low level character would have experience, and it boils down to having a more experienced but recently deceased uncle who was taking him on expeditions.

Invent experiences that he failed to conquer (rescued, ran away, all the work done by uncle, etc.). An adult character has been alive for a decade or two. He should have years of experiences that failed to provide xps.

[braveheart]

Invent experiences that he failed to conquer (rescued, ran away, all the work done by uncle, etc.). An adult character has been alive for a decade or two. He should have years of experiences that failed to provide xps.

This is an excellent idea, so far I have one instance of it, the uncle was killed by an unexpected bulette which my character only survived by running away as fast as he could while it ate his uncle. That specific Bulette is on his kill list, I’ll have to think about cases prior to that.

[Chronos]

In other words, somewhere out there, there's a bulette with his name on it?

[braveheart]

That specific one is on his hunt list, correct

[Ionsniper]

Could go the other way too. He was out hunting for his family when he followed a wrong blood trail and followed a wounded Dire Bear. After a clash he struck with a lucky shot and he hopes to imitate that feeling of being an ultimate Hunter by finding larger and more dangerous foes to test his skills to prove he is the greatest Hunter of them all. As he hunts he would achieve lower end kills, and begin moving to larger and larger kills like a Lich, Dragon, Chimera, Griffon among others. Keep going and going till you reach a certain point where you reach the final true challenge. Your fellow party members! Lol! But nah it's easy to make him think he has to keep challenging himself before he can move on.

[BRC]

The most Dangerous Game.

Man....Ticores.

[Potato_Priest]

I know I'd want to hunt a Chuul, the guardians left behind by the aboleths.

Hunting a minotaur in its own maze would be an interesting challenge for the intrepid hunter.

A wyvern would make a killer trophy display.

Unicorns would be a uniquely elusive and intelligent prey.

Owlbears are cool and weird, and something to aim for at lower levels.

[paddyfool]

At lowish levels, some more real world animals may also be appropriate:

Bear
Leopard
Lion
Tiger
Buffalo
Rhino
Elephant / Mammoth

Then add Dire / whatever versions of the same.

[Jay R]

His ultimate target? Big game hunters.