Capturing A River Monster

[Peasant]

The upcoming arc of my homebrew includes a fetch quest inspired by the show River Monsters. I am entertaining doubts however that this party, which could charitably be described as underoptimized and undergeared, can actually pull it off. So, I could use some input. Imagine if you will that you have an 11th party that has made pretty much every 'mistake' in design possible and gotten by mostly on luck and the GM's mercy. How would you tackle the challenge of capturing an Inkanyamba (3000 lb 60' river serpent) alive and delivering it over a distance of several hundred miles to its ultimate end in ritual sacrifice?

I of course need to expand on the mistakes I mentioned. Healing is basically single sourced to the cleric. The meatshield (a Barbarian) has negligible armor). The ranger disdains the use of a bow and doesn't really grasp that her spell list extends beyond Speak with Plants. The Ninja continues to think Invisibility is the answer to everything no matter how many times it fails him. The sorcerer is spec'ed as a basic blaster and occasional counter-speller. And lastly the Inquisitor, who likes to charge into the fray but has no hp to speak of.

Some of you will ask why they aren't already dead? Put simply, it's a casual, RP-heavy game where when push comes to shove they will occasionally display tactical or devious brilliance and overcome their mechanical deficiencies. That being said, if it seems like too much to handle from a narrative perspective, I'd rather just shelve the quest.

[Azaryth]

Can I ask how you think an optimized group might accomplish the task?

If it were up to me I'd have all my casters try hitting the Inkanyamba with a hold monster spell using prepared scrolls. Then I would summon some earth or water elemental to drag the beast to shore. Then tie it up using mule cord, heavy chain, etc. Then cast aqua orb over its head to allow it to breath. Then try to figure out a spell that would allow you to teleport it or fly it over land.

I am sure there is a much easier way to do this but I am drawing a blank.

[Peasant]

You know, that's a very fair question. I harp on the lack of optimization mostly because it always seems to come up on these boards and strictly speaking, they aren't the best tactical players (hence roleplayed solutions to difficult problems). I consider this to be a challenge that can be approached through either mundane or magical means.

The mundane approach calls for survival and knowledge skills, brute force (preferably nonlethal), constant monitoring of a subdued captive and a sturdy, competently piloted watercraft. The simplest magical approach would probably be scrying on its location, charming it and high-tailing it back to town. Failing that... kill it, pack out the body in pieces and have it raised back in town... not the cleanest way to go but it would work.

Really, I'm just hoping I don't have to hand feed them these solutions. If there are other and better ways to handle it, great! I would just rather not have it be an odious chore. And you're already giving me that kind of input. It being a river monster I didn't really give the slightest thought to someone trying to march it overland, though they totally could.

[Kayerloth]

Azaryth wrote:

Can I ask how you think an optimized group might accomplish the task?

If it were up to me I'd have all my casters try hitting the Inkanyamba with a hold monster spell using prepared scrolls. Then I would summon some earth or water elemental to drag the beast to shore. Then tie it up using mule cord, heavy chain, etc. Then cast aqua orb over its head to allow it to breath. Then try to figure out a spell that would allow you to teleport it or fly it over land.

I am sure there is a much easier way to do this but I am drawing a blank.

First caveat: I have no idea what a Inkanyamba is other than a very very very large river creature.

Probably the first thing I'd look into trying would be Dominate Monster scroll(s). There's some potential issues depending on party capabilities: Does the sorcerer have Read Magic or can they make a Spellcraft check DC=29. Then activate the scroll, a Caster level check DC=18. Can the party get close enough and or survive long enough to get the sorcerer within range to use the scroll? If they can dominate it they have 17 days to get it to its destination.

Can they reach the destination entirely via waterways large enough for the Inkanyamba to swim?

[asthyril]

knocking it unconscious via removing it's ability to breathe/non-lethal damage or charm/dominate seems like the only way to go. the issue is transporting it. there is no optimized build that can really deal with that so imagination is what that will take.

the way i would go about it is this. (i am assuming a huge sized creature from your description)

1. first try to charm/dominate, keep trying until you succeed
2. make whatever checks necessary to cast reduce animal on it (assuming it is an animal, if not use some other sort of reduce spell on it that will last at least, say, 10 minutes)
3. convince it to get into a bag of holding filled with water, the largest bag of holding is 10,000g and has pleanty of room for a large sized creature (which it is now)
4. close the bag then immediately cast or use a scroll of teleport, or greater teleport if you think its necessary, to the ritual place in question.
5. open bag and let animal into the aquarium of sacrifice or whatever

wait however long for the spells to wear off and you're done.

you don't need anything really longer than a charm monster if you time it right, so i think this would be the most cost effective way to do it.

now i would like to mention that the EASIEST way would be to kill it, take a piece of it, travel to the location and raise dead/resurrection it. this to me though makes the whole idea of death by sacrifice somewhat superfluous. i like death to be permanent or REALLY REALLY hard to undo. plus spells like that cannot be forced on unwilling creatures (it may be happy in the happy hunting grounds in the sky) so there is no guarantee that would work.

I think my way above is probably the best for your purposes and spirit of the game, and if anyone wanted to capture something like that for a menagerie or something like that.

[Mage Evolving]

You could use something like a barbasco. Basically trap the monster with chains dams and nets then poison the river with a sedative. Then just drag it to the alter.

I like the idea of an aquos orb keeping it alive.

[asthyril]

aqueous orb is only 1 round a level, not really helpful for transport. i still claim a bag of holding filled with water is the way to go, especially with so far to travel.

[harmor]

When I read this thread's title it reminded me of Kill the River by stabbing it in the 'mouth'.

Could you use 'Air Bubble' spell?

[Peasant]

@harmor - While it is obviously not the intended use of the spell, I would probably let Air Bubble work. It falls into that general category of rewarding creativity.

@Mage Evolving - I have learned a new word today, Barbasco! The idea of poisoning the river, while extreme, is quite intriguing.

@asthyrill - While these are good ideas, this party has a strange obsession with handy haversacks, which aren't quite suited.

@kayleroth - Dominate Monster would certainly overcome the flaws inherent in the Charm Monster spell they already have available. And yes, there is a network of navigable waterways they could follow. It would take longer, but not longer than the spell duration.

My apologies for not better describing the Inkanyamba. It lurks in one of the AP's so I thought I would avoid spoilers for those who hadn't encountered them. It is essentially an intelligent, gargantuan riverborn sea serpent with hypnotic abilities and a very nasty venom that savages whatever attribute it feels like. Every idea presented here is a good one, and if nothing else, it gives me options to offer to the players if they need a hint or two without feeling like I'm just driving them along the rails.