First Campaign - What monsters to use?

[mooflaghero]

So i am running my first campaign in a few weeks from now. I was planning on sending my PC on a bear hunt are the bears in Basic Fantasy by default to tough for lvl 1-2 players?

[Metroknight]

So i am running my first campaign in a few weeks from now. I was planning on sending my PC on a bear hunt are the bears in Basic Fantasy by default to tough for lvl 1-2 players?

It could be tough but without knowing more about your bear hunt session like number of pc's, maybe what classes, and are they going on their own or are they going to be part of a noble's retinue, it is hard to really say.

[mooflaghero]

The hunt is going to be in the form of a contract, I believe there will be 5-6 PCs i am waiting on confirmation from one of them. This will be the start of a longer campaign the other option I was going to look at was the adapting a module that I purchase with the rule book a mostly fighting goblins. Both would be contracts from a High ranking official in town. I could add a NPC to the party if I felt that the bears are to strong. I do not know the class make up yet the PCs are making their characters tomorrow. Hope this info helps thanks.

[Woe]

A 3HD bear would be a good challenge for 4-5 players. It would probably take about four or five hits to knock out. The bear would likely maul a few unless the players had really good tactics or dice rolls.

[mooflaghero]

Thanks for the quick reply I was thinking of dropping them down a hit die like you suggested. Thanks for the tip.

[quozl]

The bear would have no chance if the characters planned properly and took it down from a distance. Nobody with a brain should go mano a mano with a bear.

[Metroknight]

I would second the range attack tactics, also since it is going to be a contract you could suggest to the players that hiring npc's is totally allowable (guides, skinners, carriers, etc...) and if it is just a trophy hunt, it should have specialists that are trained in the care of the hide and such.

Now with that said, most of the focus could be part of the actual hunt and not the combat with the bear itself if you are just going to have the pc's only and no npc's. Let them then wander through the wilderness (random encounters that could lead to other adventures like a forgotten ruins that has a dungeon where some monsters live in it, such as a goblin lair) till they find the bear.

[Longman]

The difficulty of such an encounter will probably depend very much on how it starts.

Bear seen or detected at range above about 80 yards = dead bear.
Bear encountered at about 40 yards = even odds.
Bear leaps out unexpectedly at close range and starts attacking = mauled characters.

So you will need to think about how the encounter will kick off, depending on what the characters say they are doing.

Like quozl says, a sensible party will want this encounter to be all about missiles. They'll also want to imagine that they can run back and shoot ad infinitum without the bear ever getting anywhere near them. So use the formal movement rules to make sure this doesn't happen.

As soon as they have fired on the bear, their move is over. They can run back and shoot, but range applies after they have run, not before.

Make sure you let the bear run at 80 yards (move x2) until it has gotten within 5' of them - if it moves 40 yards or less, it can attack the same round. Also, don't let characters who are within 5' of the bear move back and shoot without letting it get a "parting shot" - one claw or bite. I'd roll for initiative every round, and give it a +1 for initiative because bears are pretty speedy when they want to be.

Anyway, 4-5 characters should easily be able to handle a 4 HD black bear provided it does not get the drop on them. But there is nothing wrong with an easy first encounter.

[Woe]

The bear would have no chance if the characters planned properly and took it down from a distance. Nobody with a brain should go mano a mano with a bear.

Why should the players get all of the advantages? Bears are (despite appearances) great hunters and great runners. If it surprises the party, it's pretty much mauled characters. If it doesn't, there's only a one-round respite for the party before it's mauling time.

Plus, if it is the first encounter of a new campaign with new players, probably good for the combat to be a bit light. The players probably spent six hours on character background. I know I did^H^Ho still.

[quozl]

Planning properly means tracking the bear, then trapping the bear, and finding good places to shoot the bear without being attacked by the bear. (For example, climb a tree.)