“Phoba’s Bet” – Out of The Box #32 D&D Encounters

December 9, 2016

Introduction: The following encounter takes on two challenges. First, it addresses an issue that has been

brought up around multiple tables where a DM seeks to have some sort of bounty hunter or assassin. Perhaps this is to address some offense the player characters have created against a king, noble, wizard to guildmaster. Perhaps it’s to address some action that the player characters have done in a city where vital laws were broken.

Second, it looks at the unique issue of adding player character class levels to a monster.. The DMG touches on this, but really leaves it up to the individual DM to make the final call on how the CR of the monster is affected. This starts on p. 273 of the DMG, and stretches all the way to 283 before it addresses “Monsters with classes”…and yet, as you refer back to those 10 pages. In the end, they call it a case by case.

I think the secret here is asking yourself “What do I want this monster to do?”, and then build for that purpose. To that end, the purpose is to be able to capture player characters in a dramatic fashion, and return them to the “employer” (be it king, criminal boss, or angry mob) alive…or at least relatively.

Environment: Anywhere. That’s the point. But the example below will be in the wilderness.

Suggested level: 5-7

Description: To properly set this encounter up, one needs to put the players in the right frame of mind.

Players can become very complacent when they do not have random encounters at night for a few nights. Go out of your way to make things very peaceful and calm if you want to. Make fake encounter rolls that don’t count and gloss over them as if you’re unconcerned. This will give you a great feel for who they put on watch and when. Consider this time that the bounty hunter is spending observing the party at a distance. She might even be “handling” those who might be thinking of attacking her valuable bounty. One can’t collect on a fee if one’s targets have been killed by Ogres. 😉

Next, it’s good to think of whom you have selected for the role of Bounty Hunter. In this case, I present to you the one and only Phoba. Phoba was an experienced Rogue, who tricked, seduced, lied, and manipulated her way across the continent. However, she stole from the wrong temple and was transformed into a Medusa. Making the most of her curse, she takes bounty after bounty in the hopes of earning enough to find a cure for her condition – and she doesn’t care whom goes down to cure that effect.

Her services come with a high price. Not everyone can hire their own Medusa. She will be cold and ruthless. She will be patient and methodical. She will wait for the right time to pick off her prey. She cannot end her curse if she dies either. And she will always…always…keep to her contract. Keep all of this in mind should you choose to employ Phoba. I’ve also given Phoba one unique ability. She can also return one of her victims to life with a kiss. This kiss is given rarely, and costs extra. Phoba is intended as an ongoing villain. That requires something extra.

The players will be holding up for the night. They will have a campfire burning, they’ll be swapping stories, but they will likely have a watch posted. The sound of crickets or peeper frogs will fill the air, along with the crisp, fresh air that only the night can bring. Aside from the tension that may come from sleeping in the wilderness, all seems calm.

Phoba, under the cover of her Ring of Invisibility, will approach your chosen member of the party when they are on watch. She’s not the kind to rashly attack when everyone’s ready. When she’s close enough and her target is unaware, she’ll get close enough to see him face to face. Only when she’s good and ready will she reveal herself so the person can see her. Hopefully, the target will be petrified. If not, she’ll use her Cunning Action to Use Object and activate her Ring again and escape. If the target is Petrified, (DC: 14 Constitution save to prevent), she will then open up her Portable Hole below the target, let it drop in, and escape. Everything will be done via her Stealth (Expertise: +8), so be sure to account for that should Passive Perception be required to know what she’s up to.

If she can nab her target, she will then open the “Hole”right next to the target and then push him or her over into it. She will then fold up the Hole and make good her escape. She may leave some calling card or sign behind to give a clue to any characters that would be otherwise unaware of the event.

If Phoba truly succeeds on her Stealth check, you may want to gather your selected party member away from the table to RP what happens next, or to let them know what you have in the works. Players are generally willing to be part of a story-line if you let them “in on it.”

Monsters: “Phoba” Medusa – (as per page 214, Monster Manual), but add 3 levels of Rogue (Thief). She’ll have Sneak Attack (+2d6), Expertise (Stealth +8, Investigation +7), Cunning Action, Fast Hands, Second-Story Work. Skills: Deception +5, Insight +4, Intimidation +8, Investigation +7, Persuasion +5, Perception +4, Stealth +8, Thieves Tools +5. She is an intelligent foe, and would rather flee to gather a bounty on another day than die. She will, however, have no problems with petrifying multiple foes if she can just to collect on the one that carries the best price.

She should not be trifled with.

Treasure: Phoba carries a few magic items to help her. She has a Portable Hole, a Ring of Invisibility, and will have at least 200gp of pocket money for bribery and other necessities. Any additional treasure she might have on her will come if she actually collects on her bounty on the abducted character. This may be up to the DM to decide.

Complications: The most evident complication is petrification. The second most obvious complication comes with intentionally splitting the party. Both can resolve problems that you may have in play already. If you have an angry tyrant/lick/other mean boss guy that has been wronged and you want too use Phoba, consider the following:

Does one of the party members suffer from a disease? If so, Petrification stops all aging or disease

action. It’s like suspended animation. That character is not cured, but their condition cannot get worse. Choosing that character may buy you time to resolve the issue to the benefit of the player.

Do you have a player that cannot show up on a regular basis? Will they be away for a period of time? This is a great way to remove that character and create a story arc that will occupy the rest of the party while that one player is away from their character.

It’s important to remember that an encounter can not only be a way to challenge the party or fill time between adventures, but it may also be a way to resolve issues in a fun and different way. Phoba may be your answer to that, while providing a re-occurring villain that can pop up from time to time to create her own story arcs and interactions with the party.