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The Bestiary
A listing of all the kinds of monsters that the party has
combated, along with some of
my notes.
Black dragon, very young
This was a tough encounter. The acid breath of the dragon
hurt a lot, even though the PCs kept making their Reflex saves, they took a lot
of damage. At the time they fought it, they didn't realize what it was.
I described this as a "black, winged lizard, about as
long as you are tall, with sunken eyes and forward-swept horns."
Goblins
What would have been a simple rescue operation turned
into the capture of all the PCs because they underestimated the power of
goblins.
I just told them straight off that these were goblins, since
goblins are pretty common, and they probably would have seen them before.
Kobolds
An easy encounter, the kobolds dropped with almost every hit
the party made. The monsters broke and ran before they were all killed.
I described them, again, as what they were. Kobolds are
fairly common, so they probably would have seen some.
Lizardfolk
A tough encounter, the party had lost hit points from the
Swamprat crash (see the storyline). They easily
defeated the two lizardfolk they originally encountered, but the noise of the
fight attracted four more.
The lizardfolk's description was "crocodile-like
reptilians that stand on two legs, using their tails for balance."
Ogres
The party's very first encounter, the ogres were made easier
by the fact that the PCs filled them full of arrows before closing to melee
range.
The description was "tall, unkempt humanoids with
pointed ears, a broad nose, and a mouth full of jagged teeth. Long, greasy hair
covers their heads."
Orcs
Ah, orcs, my favorite encounter. Using javelins, they soften
up the party, and then surround them, ducking in and out of the trees, keeping
the party confused as to their numbers. When the PCs first encountered orcs,
they laughed. Now they fear the sound of orkin wardrums.
These are another common creature, so I just give out their
identity right away.
Shocker Lizard
What my party considers "easy experience," these
five-foot lizards have only been encountered alone. Let the party try to collect
these easy XPs when there are two lizards together... I'm sure the Lethal Shock
ability will inspire my players to be more wary next time they see two or more
of electric-blue lizards together.
The description is simple: "a five-foot blue lizard with
long ears and tail, with sparks crackling around it."
Stirges
While flying around on the Swamprat, the party encountered
these little winged horrors. I figured that the Constitution drain was good for
low-hp characters with 16 through 18 Con scores. The battle was still tough, but
the PCs survived.
"Looking like two-foot mosquitos, with four wings and a
wicked-looking probiscus, the monsters converge on you."