Boar Bounty: A Labyrinth Lord Adventure set in Korton Forest

Sep 25, 2011

Mark

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Get Ready

A drift of hogs has taken over the forest and have begun to forage into nearby fields. The mayor of Korton has issued a bounty of 1sp per head with a bonus silver for boars.

Get Set

Korton is set in the the forest of the same name. Korton Forest is a small woodland of mixed conifer and deciduous trees. The town of Korton is set in a clearing near the edge of the forest. The town economy is intertwined with the health of the forest including wood cutting, nut harvesting and gathering of woodland edibles. Many of the resulting goods are sent to the capital city as trade materials.

The original infestation of boars were normal hogs escaped from farms in the region. They began to breed and spread throughout the forest. The boars caused little damage and were considered something of a boon by the huntsmen of the forest as an additional game animal.

Gradually, the population began to swell beyond what hunting could control The larger population attracted giant boars from the far reaches of the forest. The larger beasts easily dominated the smaller rivals and began to interbreed with the normal boars. The more aggressive cousins caused more destruction and also caused a population spike due to rampant breeding.

A pair of Demon Boars eventually heard of the infestation and has moved into the forest. They rarely appear in human form. Instead, they use the large population as camouflage to stay hidden. The two are responsible for the majority of deaths in the forest and prey upon the hunters seeking the bounty on the other boars.

Go!

The boars are not a cohesive group. They are spread among the forest in smaller bunches and occasionally encountered separately. A normal encounter will be several normal boars with 75% chance of giant boars being part of the group. Only two demon boars currently reside in the forest near Korton.

Before beginning the play, the GM should roughly estimate the overall population in the forest and the breakdown between the normal and giant boars. The game play should be split into a number of encounters with varying numbers along with a series of clues leading to the demon boars. Once half of the overall population has been killed, the infestation will be under control by the bounty payments.

The GM may also want to adjust HD for the normal and giant boars downward to include a diversity of hog ages. Piglets are common and can make the encounters more exciting while dramatically reducing risk to the party.

The overall hunt should be a series of individual encounters. Each should have a few details to add suspense to the otherwise dull task of hunting down pigs. The following are a few suggestions. Use a few or invent your own.

Farmers Field: Just on the outskirts of town a group of hogs is destroying a field and garden. The farmer has rushed to town to seek help. The hogs arrive near dusk or dawn and set about rooting out all the edible plants in the field. [3 piglets, 2 normal boars, 1 giant boar]

Dead Orc: A small number of hogs is feasting on the carcass of a dead orc. One hog lies dead nearby impaled by a crude spear. [2 normal boars, 1 giant]

Footprint of a Fatman: A huntsman has been killed and the corpse is little more than scattered bones. Based on the hoofmarks around the corpse, a large number of beasts were involved or came to feed. Amid the hoof prints are massive bare footprints of a human in the nearby mud. A skilled tracker may note the prints end in close proximity to unusually large hoof prints. The party can track down several beasts in the area as smaller encounters.

Injured Woodcutter: A lone woodcutter has survived a deadly assault. He managed to escape the battle and crawl up a tree. He’ll aid the party in finding the original location of the attack along with telling the tale of two massive hogs killing and feasting upon his fallen comrades.

Dazed and Confused: A pair of humans have setup camp in a small clearing. Both are well equipped but were obviously in battle. The male has a bandage on his leg and head. The female’s left arm is in a sling. The humans are seeking to escape the woods. They will share the story of 7 hogs led by two massive hogs surprising them on a narrow path in the woods. After killing several of the smaller beasts, neither of them can recall the remainder of the battle. Both were charmed by the Demon Boars. Luckily another group of hunters distracted the Demon Boars who chose to retreat rather than fighting a pitched battle. Unfortunately, the second group did not find the humans.

Each encounter should be memorable. Liberally drop clues pointing toward the presence of the menace of the Demon Boars.

Notable NPCs

Boar (d6) [AL N, MV 150’ (50’), AC 7, HD 3, #AT 1 (tusk), DM 2d4, THAC0: 17, SV F2, ML 9, XP 50, LL 66, HC None] HP: 17, 12, 17, 10, 12, 11.

Boar, Giant (d3) [AL N, MV 120’ (40’), AC 6, HD 5, #AT 1 (tusk), DM 3d4, THAC0: 15, SV F5, ML 9, XP 200, LL 66, HC None] HP: 19, 27, 26.

Demon Boar (2) [AL C, MV 120’ (40’) Boar 180’ (60’), AC 3 (9), HD 9, #AT 1 (gore or weapon), DM 2d6/weapon, THAC0: 12, SV F9, ML 10, XP 3,800, LL 69, HC XX] HP: 38, 56.