Animal Encounters

[Otaku-sempai]

All adversaries have a minimum Attribute Level of 2. Probably all animals that are not trained fighters will have an AL of 1.
In terms of points (to be rearranged as seen fit), lions and tigers could be like wolf leaders. Boars like wolves. For elephants we'll have to wait for Mûmakils or use the trolls stats.

That's a start. Would normal creatures have Hate? I'm using it for the White Wolves, which I consider highly aggressive canines.

[Stormcrow]

However, that doesn't address the issue of beasts that fight back (or the hungry predator with no fear of Man who attacks from ambush). The RAW just seems to assume that this will never happen.

Loremaster Characters as Obstacles, p. 216 of the revised rule book or p. 24 of the Loremaster's Book.

For instance, just off the top of my head, let's say the party is attacked by ambush by a pack of ordinary wolves (which doesn't happen in real life, but let's pretend).

The first obstacle to present is whether the party notices the ambush. The loremaster calls for a perception test. Success means you spot the ambush just before it happens; failure means you're pounced on by one wolf and lose 5 endurance points.

The second obstacle is the fighting of the wolves. The loremaster calls for a prolonged test of any weapon skill. There are about a dozen wolves, so he calls for six successes at TN 8. At least two heroes must take the test each roll, and each time a hero fails a test each remaining wolf inflicts 5 points of endurance damage on a hero. Each success scored eliminates two wolves.

But really, slaughtering innocent animals in the wild is hardly the stuff of great adventure.

[Otaku-sempai]

Loremaster Characters as Obstacles, p. 216 of the revised rule book or p. 24 of the Loremaster's Book.

Okay. Thanks for the citation.

About your example. You are looking at this from a modern perspective. There is a world of difference between a modern timber wolf and the White Wolves that came down from the North in the Fell Winter of TA 2911. They don't seem to have been Wargs, but they were still large and aggressive with no fear of Man (or Elf, Dwarf, etc.). Treating them like the Wild Wolves seems pretty fair.

Surviving the attack on a maddened boar might not have much in the way of glory, but it still has a certain satisfaction, especially if your Hunter managed it solo.

[Falenthal]

All adversaries have a minimum Attribute Level of 2. Probably all animals that are not trained fighters will have an AL of 1.
In terms of points (to be rearranged as seen fit), lions and tigers could be like wolf leaders. Boars like wolves. For elephants we'll have to wait for Mûmakils or use the trolls stats.

That's a start. Would normal creatures have Hate? I'm using it for the White Wolves, which I consider highly aggressive canines.

About Hate... Mmmm, it probably wouldn't be called Hate, but I think they do.
If not to activate Special Powers, at least to know when they're Weary. Also, I think most savage animals would have the Craven ability (call it Survival Instinct if you like).

Oh, and for female animals protecting their children, The Love of a Mother (a.k.a. Denizen of the Dark) doubles their Attribute Level for all their rolls. And add also No Quarter there.

[Majestic]

Just wanted to add another example of animals from the books. As I'm prepping for The Crossings of Celduin I was reminded of the snakes that get thrown on/at the party. Again it was a case of no stats, though, just that the heroes can make Athletics or weapon tests to dodge or kill them.

[Glorelendil]

In the case of the "wolf ambush" (for example) I could totally see players first rolling to avoid the ambush, then making one more roll...weapon? athletics? battle?...with a TN determined by the first roll. Failing results in endurance loss before you drive them off, failure with an eye means a Wound. So rather than work out the entire battle, or having the wolves roll any dice, you are just rolling to see if (and how badly) you get hurt before driving them off.

That's the sort of framework I'd like to see for a variety of wild animal encounters.

[zedturtle]

In the case of the "wolf ambush" (for example) I could totally see players first rolling to avoid the ambush, then making one more roll...weapon? athletics? battle?...with a TN determined by the first roll. Failing results in endurance loss before you drive them off, failure with an eye means a Wound. So rather than work out the entire battle, or having the wolves roll any dice, you are just rolling to see if (and how badly) you get hurt before driving them off.

That's the sort of framework I'd like to see for a variety of wild animal encounters.

Yeah, that's where I'd want to go as well. Perhaps this could work:

Wild Beasts

When the company is threatened by wild beasts, each hero must make an appropriate test to avoid harm. You might use Stealth to sneak past a sleeping animal, Athletics to avoid harm or a weapon skill in order to drive off the animals. The TN is 14 for most animals, but especially large or dangerous animals will have a higher TN.

On a success, the animals have been dealt with and no harm has come to the hero. On a failure with a Sauron rune, the hero has been Wounded in some manner. On a failure with a numerical value, the hero takes that much Endurance damage. Especially aggressive animals might do double the Feat die's value in Endurance damage.

- - -- - -

Patterned after Tales method for dealing with climbing and other things.

[Otaku-sempai]

Perhaps this could work:

Wild Beasts

When the company is threatened by wild beasts, each hero must make an appropriate test to avoid harm. You might use Stealth to sneak past a sleeping animal, Athletics to avoid harm or a weapon skill in order to drive off the animals. The TN is 14 for most animals, but especially large or dangerous animals will have a higher TN.

On a success, the animals have been dealt with and no harm has come to the hero. On a failure with a Sauron rune, the hero has been Wounded in some manner. On a failure with a numerical value, the hero takes that much Endurance damage. Especially aggressive animals might do double the Feat die's value in Endurance damage.

- - -- - -

Patterned after Tales method for dealing with climbing and other things.

Well, here is how I wrote up the encounter with the White Wolves for the adventure I'm working on:

The cave has become home to a pack of White Wolves. These large, powerful canines have thick, white coats and large, well-furred feet. The White Wolves are similar to the Wild Wolves of Wilderland although they are not technically Wargs. For a White Wolf Leader, substitute the Great Leap special ability for Strike Fear. The Company may attempt to drive off the Wolves with buring brands or torches; a successful check of either the Awe or Battle skill (TN 16) will cause them to lose one point of Hate. If the Wolves attack then there will be at least one White Wolf for each companion plus the Wolf Leader.