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I GMed this yesterday with a group of 5. Here is my take on my experience:
Edit: I completely forgot I had a blast as GM with this small bounty. I didn't get everything right first time (see notes) - so it was more of a cliff-hanger as needed - but a good game is one where the group needs to fight to win.
A bounty is quick to set up, prepare and do. There are a few subtleties to watch out for. But getting some of them wrong won't make the experience worth unless you kill someone.
1 map which is easy to set up in a VTT, edges cut off, standard flip-map format of 24x30.
1 monster, part of Bestiary 2. You should be able to get it as drag&drop if you have Bestiary 2 in your VTT or you just set up a single monster plus the elite version.
Skill challenges are meaningful, DCs not too high, text has a few nice twists, the group loved the picture of Majesty. We did introductions and some roleplay - so we did run for 1 hour 40 total. But surely can be done a lot quicker.
Allow the naming of the next born by someone in the group in the conclusion - my group loved this tiny aspect.
Hazard / Sinkholes:
Prepare ahead which one(s) are not present. Make a secret perception check for everyone ahead of time to know who might spot it ahead of falling in. This hazard has no proficiency - so characters don't need to search to find them, simple perception is enough. I would rule this secret perception only kicks in if they are next to the sinkhole (if not searching)
Alternately let everyone roll 2 perception checks open and use a d2 for first set/second set to use (or both in that order if someone possibly detects/is in danger of 2 of them)
There is a DC to balance up the log if the group starts in starting place 1. Also an athletics check to climb up the wall. This one is part of the hazard description - so it can be easily missed. No depths for the sinkhole, no DC to climb out of that one.
I used DC 15 single action to climb out of a sinkhole.
Observed/Unobserved/Hidden
The Chupacabra is outside line of sight if the group starts in position 1. This makes it difficult to handle it.
I would say - he is unobserved when initiative is rolled (spider senses tingling - you notice multiple tracks up and down the tree trunk and assume you are close to the lair). Chupacabra has +9 Initiative (stealth +9, +11 in undergrowth, -2 on stealth if starting position 1) - add an extra +2 for elite.
If someone gets up the trunk, then the Chupacabra should become observed (no check). Unless he acts before the first one gets up and spends his turn to hide.
I asked my group to roll perception when they got up and made it more difficult. And my group was unlucky as all failed to notice the creature.
The Chupacabra starts quickened - assuming one character gets up the tree trunk it allows it (if still hidden) to stride (quickened action), pounce against flat footed (action 2), grab (action 3) and Chupar (action 4).
Using Chupar a second time? I interpret 'A Chupacabra can’t use Chupar again while it is quickened in this way.' that it still can drain blood and inflict the drained condition - just not getting (prolonging) the quickened condition.
The way I read it position 1:
4 players - Chupacabra is too far away to pounce round 1 and to grab/drain (unless someone really wanders far enough) - it won't be quickened before round 3.
5/6 players - Chupacabra is quickened for 6 rounds - but it loses one round to hide (if quick enough) or starts not hidden.
Ensure to ask exploration mode as stealth might mean the Chupacabra doesn't know yet the group approaches and won't notice before someone gets up the trunk.
In my game I lured 2 players into sinkholes and we had a truly epic fight - ending with a total of 11 !! HP on the map. 5/18, 5/15, 1/22, 0/19 and 0/19. Three characters went down - one down twice.
This bounty is likely hardest with 5 players. The group seemed in control - but one char went into a sinkhole when he should have finished the beast and one failed when he was close to dying - making it a lot closer to wipe out as expected.
Use the movement, quickened to position the beast behind sinkholes - but ensure the players have an automatic chance to spot the hazard.
Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
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Yeah, 5 players, 3 of them went down dying with the last one purposefully setting himself as a bait to allow the remaining ranged guys stay back with clear line of fire. And I may have pulled some punches with non-optimal tactics. Everybody did live, though, unlike bounty 1 where I witnessed my first character death as a GM.
I kinda love the bounties and quests because they are quick and easy to prep and easily give a challenge, and they are just lovely if you know your players love a challenge.
But for a new group of new players, many of them are death traps and it takes delicate GMing to not wipe out a party of newbies :(
