These are a set of encounters I created to flesh out the raiders’ camp in Hoard of the Dragon Queen. Thanks to Slyflourish (Mike Shea) for inspiration with his version.
Encounters:
The Banshee Cougars
A sharp set of 15 mercenaries in black leather jackets and trousers sitting on boxes around a camp fire between four neatly pitched tents. Their leather jackets have a logo with a cat’s head with an open mouth looking up to the right silhouetted against a full moon.
They are tending to their weapons and clothes – sharpening nicks out of their swords, mending broken strakes in their splint armour. There is a pot of stew bubbling over the fire.
If approached they are wary. They were on the raid the night before but concentrated on the looting rather than killing since that was the main objective.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 16(+3) | 13(+1) | 14(+2) | 9(−1) | 11(+0) | 10(+0) | 13 | 22 | +1 | 10 |
Skills: Athletics +5
Action: longsword: +5, d8+3s (d10+3s), longbow: +3, 150/600, d8+1p
Bibbi’s Bobcats
A group of 8 dark-skinned women with bare arms showing hulking muscles, shaved temples and hair running in a crest over the centre of their heads and hanging down their backs.
They take no nonsense from anyone, particularly men, but may talk to men who treat them with respect or women who look like they can handle themselves in a fight.
They were efficient raiders, using their intimidation to force people to hand over their treasures and executing rather than fighting those who refused.
Bibbi:
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 17(+3) | 12(+1) | 13(+1) | 9(−1) | 12(+1) | 15(+2) | 13 | 20 | +1 | 11 |
Skills: Athletics +5, Intimidation +4
Action: longsword: +5, d8+3s (d10+3s)
Others:
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 15(+2) | 12(+1) | 13(+1) | 7(−2) | 9(-1) | 13(+1) | 13 | 19 | +1 | 9 |
Skills: Athletics +4, Intimidation +3
Action: longsword: +4, d8+2s (d10+2s)
Brass Monkeys
A rough set of 7 mercenaries with stained once-white jackets hanging open, sprawled around a camp fire swigging brandy and singing raucously about a woman called Mary and her various improbable features and actions.
They are happy to talk to anyone who supplies alcohol. They will make wild claims about the fights they won and the treasure they looted, and start to get argumentative with anyone who doesn’t appear to take their claims at face value.
Given that other members of the group were there and know they’re exaggerating, this is likely to lead to the group fighting among themselves.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 13(+1) | 10(+0) | 10(+0) | 7(−2) | 7(-2) | 7(-2) | 12 | 12 | +0 | 8 |
Skills: Intimidation +0
Action: shortsword: +3, d6+1s
Kobold guards
The guard tower at the entrance is manned by 5 kobolds. They are self-important and officious with a military bearing verging on caricature. They march around the tower turning at right angles each time, pulling off smart salutes each time they pass each other.
They will be lax towards anyone straggling in on the first day, though they may get suspicious of people in uniform arriving late – they will call them by name. After the first day, they will officiously challenge anyone entering the camp, asking for the passphrase. They are on guard, so it will take a DC15 Stealth check to get past without being noticed. If suspicious, the guards will raise the alarm, but they can be fooled with a DC10 Deception check.
The kobold guard changes precisely at sunrise and sunset, and they are too busy with the ceremony of changing to pay attention for 10 minutes. At this point it only takes a DC5 Stealth check to sneak past.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 7(-2) | 15(+2) | 9(-1) | 8(−1) | 7(-2) | 8(-1) | 12 | 5 | +2 | 8 |
Skills: Adv if ally in 5’, Dis in sunlight, Darkvision 60’
Action: Dagger: +4, d4+2p, Sling: +4, 30/120, d4+2b
Barell
Barell is about ten years old, small and skinny, about 4’2” tall. He wears a robe which is too large for him and wanders the camp trying to pick pockets, scrounge food and generally get what he can. If caught he will burst into tears, crying about being an orphan with no resources who is so hungry and is just trying to get something to eat.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 6(-2) | 16(+3) | 8(-1) | 9(−1) | 11(+0) | 12(+1) | 13 | 3 | +3 | 10 |
Skills: Sleight of Hand +5, Deception +3
Action: knife: -1, d3-1s
Encampment
A musty spicy smell combines with unwashed body odour and wood smoke in this encampment of poorly-pitched grubby grey tents with washing lines of clothing strung about. Children run yelling through this area, chasing each other, pulling hair and teasing, while the adults – men and women – lie sprawled in a drugged stupor, vaguely watching with dull eyes.
The children are fighting over clothing which looks like clothing from the town, and dressing up in it with shirts coming down to their knees, dresses dragging in the mud, hands lost in sleeves.
The children are happy to answer questions, but weren’t on the raid. The clothes were brought back by their parents, who also managed to find a stash of the drugs they are now stupefied by. They know basic stuff about the camp, and would be happy to show people round.
The parents are pretty much out of it. They remember to give the pass-sign and that they’re collecting for Tiamat, but there’s not much more that can be got out of them.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | AC | hp | IN | PP |
| 11(+0) | 12(+1) | 10(+0) | 10(+01) | 11(+0) | 10(+0) | 12 | 9 | +1 | 10 |
Skills: Deception +2, Religion +2
Action: Scimitar: +3, d6+1s
Currently incapacitated
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