How do you make hunting monters fun/interesting?

[Tonguez]

So PCs are hunting a pair of Krenshars in the woods who have slaughtered a family of farmers. Theres an NPC ranger for exposition and theyre gonna start by going to the farm to look for clues/tracks.

so how would you make the rest fun and how would you stage the confrontation?

 

[AtomicPope]

I'm reminded of a D&D campaign I ran where the PCs were road wardens. They were asked to investigate some missing cattle in a ranch far away from the city. I intended it to be a horror theme like Tremors, except the creatures were Ankhegs. The PCs show up and there's a wagon stuck in the road, a sinkhole had formed. The horses were ripped away. The farmhouse is abandoned. It's not until they are out in the open fields heading over to the barn that I describe the ground bulging up and moving. The PCs were forewarned that Dire Moles have been causing problems undermining the foundations of structure. The reveal was the most important thing, not to mention choosing thematic locations for encounters.



Whenever the PCs are looking for something I like to do a classic horror fake out. A normal reveal shows something that shocks the audience in some way. The most iconic is Darth Vader's reveal in The Empire Strikes Back. Horror movies commonly employ a fake reveal, something that sounds like a monster but it's just a branch blowing in the wind and scraping the side of the house. Then when you are comfortable and ignoring that sound, the creature is scraping its claws. In my original example of "Dire Moles" it's important to give clues that could be either the Mole or the Ankheg. You want to mislead them a bit. In your case you should have wolves or maybe mountain lions that are also in the area to mislead the PCs. Add subtle clues to make the scenes slightly different so you can craft the story you're looking for without revealing the source until you ready to drop the surprise.



What kind of game are you running? What exactly are you going for? Are the Krenshar a deadly pair of stalkers that kill and eat people but choose for fleece the herd? Or are they laying claim to the territory and clearing the people out slowly? Is it exploration and discovery more than combat? That matters when you're planning an adventure and the encounters.

 

[Haiku Elvis]

First listen to @AtomicPope they obviously know what they are talking about and anything inspired by Tremors can only be good.
I was trying to think what I would do. The first desicion point I hit was how to the PCs succeed. Do they have to make rolls to find the creatures or as long as they go into the woods will they cross paths eventually. Then the question is, if it's rolls what happens if they fail and if it isn't how do you make it not be on rails.
I think I'd have the party make some kind of tracking hunting rolls of various difficulty depending on the terrain/situation and modifyers for clever/stupid ideas/looking in the right place for clues to random it up with the idea that some rolls would be passed but some failed and have a handfull of scenarios for both.
E.g. If they pass, they encounter some trail of destruction/dying survivor etc. That would confirm they were on the right path. If they fail they will run into someone/something that would put them back in pursuit. (a bloodcurdling scream from higher up, a bloody animal with claw marks that clearly came from the left before dying etc.)
If say there were four stages each pass scenario could give a clue that would help with the final encounter. Either finding out one of the creatures is injured or some clue about the terrain ahead that would give an advantage in the final encounter or something similar. If they fail and get the back on track encounter they miss out the on the trail scene and the info that comes with it.
Or each failed roll + detour changes the final encounter location. 0-1 fail, catch the creatures on the move- advantage PCs. 2 fails, creatures reach their lair only one way in - advantage creatures. 3 creatures reach their lair have time for dinner, rest and a movie and are fully rested when the PCs finally arrive.
That way the PCs actions matter, there is some randomness/rolls so it's not all on rails and although the fact of a final encounter is preordained there is some variation depending on the PCs prior actions.

 

[Tonguez]

Yeah I was thinking to use horror elements, especially with the Krenshars scare ability. They're a mated pair and cub so gonna have them stalking the hunters in the dark, using their screeching and skullfaces appearing in flashes before they attack. I do want the exploration/tracking part of the adventure to be more prominent than the final confrontation (the warlock character secretly wants to try and catch one rather than kill it too, I've told the player he can).
Great suggestion about the pass/fail rolls resulting in clues that grant advantage to one side or tother - thats a great help

 

[jasper]

Never pour sand, cock roaches, leeches, and jello pudding down your players pants to make the swamp hunting more real.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Hunting isn't scary, it is simply tracking down the prey and killing it.

Instead, put the PCs in the woods, and let them come to the realization that the enemy is hunting them. And the two that wiped out the family of farmers inexplicably living well away from other farmers were just part of a pack or pride.

Toss in the factoid that the creature's digestive juices prevent any form of revival.

Then have the NPC ranger suffer a breakdown similar to Quint's in Jaws.

Toss in a few carnivorous plants for variety, and you've got a couple session's worth of interest.

 

[aco175]

I was thinking that the simple, "Hunt the krenshars" allows you to introduce a larger threat or BBEG. Maybe there is an orc chief looking to take over this region and now the PCs can find an orc camp after tracking the krenshars. The NPC ranger can scout ahead and be captured with the PCs finding him being tortured and sacrificed. Here they can learn the name of the chief they will need to deal with in a few levels.

 

[GMMichael]

Hunting isn't scary, it is simply tracking down the prey and killing it.

Yup. A horror scene tends to be rooted in "hey, you're about to die." Hunting is about whether to have the skill to make your prey die. It's puzzle solving, with physical tests, and the threat of an injury if you drink too much wine screw up. The excitement is about whether fate gives you the pieces you need, sometimes the luck, to catch your Krenshar (in this case).

As long as your PCs don't go hunting all the time, you can throw a few wrenches in their gears and make them think they've failed in the hunt. Then it turns out one little thing they did earlier actually helped, and they have the opportunity to slay their quarry as long as the dice don't go south.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Watch videos of how cats (lions) attack and kill, go beyond the monster manual.

It is all about taking the prey by surprise and picking the target. As this is a pair, no head on attacks unless it is a set up for the other to attack from behind or above. Yep, above, go 3D, put them in the trees. Also come up with patterns for them, like one will circle the party at night, while the other will slide into camp.

Colorization = cover, think about the visibility of the Krenshars in the forest, +4 to hide and don't forget their jumping.

 

[J.Quondam]

Watch videos of how cats (lions) attack and kill, go beyond the monster manual.

It is all about taking the prey by surprise and picking the target. As this is a pair, no head on attacks unless it is a set up for the other to attack from behind or above. Yep, above, go 3D, put them in the trees. Also come up with patterns for them, like one will circle the party at night, while the other will slide into camp.

Colorization = cover, think about the visibility of the Krenshars in the forest, +4 to hide and don't forget their jumping.

Right! IIRC, krenshar are much smarter than ordinary great cats. With Int 6? 8?, they're not rocket scientists, but they're far more clever than just animal instinct allows. Definitely use that intelligence to their advantage.