Need help fashioning an encounter...

[Dwarven Cabbage]

Hello all! I've currently been running a homebrew game of Pathfinder with some racial alterations, but my party is as follows:

A Dwarven Cleric (lvl 4)
A Dwarven Paladin (lvl 4)
A Dragonborn Spear-fighter (lvl 4)
A human Blood Hunter (lvl 4)
An Eladrin Wizard (player MIA) (lvl 3)
An Wood Elf Ranger/Sorcerer (player MIA) (lvl 3)

The issue I have is my players haven't found much for their characters (through passing on certain loot or even by totally bypassing encounters entirely) which I understand is mostly on them as a fault.

HOWEVER, the dwarves are the only ones with any interesting weapons/gear.

I want help fashioning an encounter particularly for the dragonborn (who hasn't seen much "screentime" as it were).

- - - - -

I was thinking about having them face a "fearsome beast of the forest" that has been a threat to loggers or things of that sort. A dire bear is what I was going with initially. I was wondering what sorts of templates I could add to make the encounter more challenging but not a death-trap for them. In turn, I wanted the players to note a "magical spear" jammed between some of the dire bears bone plates so that way when they kill it (and they will) the dragonborn at least gets something interesting.

[DeTess]

I assume this is 5e (based on class names)? You'll get more responses in the dedicated subforum, where this probably should have been posted. You can report your own post to ask the mods to move it.

Regarding the creature, what do you mean by templates? Those are a 3.5 thing iirc.

[Dwarven Cabbage]

I assume this is 5e (based on class names)? You'll get more responses in the dedicated subforum, where this probably should have been posted. You can report your own post to ask the mods to move it.

Regarding the creature, what do you mean by templates? Those are a 3.5 thing iirc.

It's not 5th Ed, it's Pathfinder.

And by templates I mean like should I make it Fiendish or Umbral or anything like that.

[Calthropstu]

Fashioning an encounter with a dire bear? You've come to the right place!

It depends on how you want this encounter to go down. Fashion can alter the entire mood.

For humor, you can go with a tutu. A dire bear wearing a tutu may be cliche, but it still works to get the laughs going.

For dark and sinister, I reccommend adding a black tunic and cape.

For making it seem intellectual, a white tunic with a medium blue cloak and glasses would be in order. If female, a white top and blue skirt with the glasses would serve the same purpose.

To make the bear mysterious I would reccommend adding a mask.

But fashioning doesn't just apply to its clothing, the outward color of the bear itself can be brought to bear... (pun intended). A darker color can can make it more fearsome, while a lighter color can make it cute. If you want amusement, you can go with an odd color such as purple or orange.

You can also add scarring to make it more intimidating... but only if you haven't made it funny yet. Then the scars just add to the humor. I can't imagine scars helping a purple with pink polka dots fiendish dire bear wearing a tutu.

I hope this helps you with fashioning your encounter!

[Dr paradox]

If it were me, I'd throw in a pack of Stirges, or similar. They've learned that even though they can't get their beaks through the Dire Bear's plates, the bear always leaves plenty of bodies for them to snack on, so they follow the thing around.

This does a couple of things, I think. First, it adds a layer story/world wise where the Sorceranger can see if they understand the symbiosis going on. Second, more monsters of a different type makes for a more dynamic and challenging fight, where the Stirges can flit around the front-liners to suck the Wizard and Sorceranger. Third, a swarm of weak enemies is the perfect opportunity for the Dragonborn to show off their breath weapon.

If you want more treasure, maybe even include Stirge Spit as a kind of consumable blade oil that can be harvested from their corpses. It's a powerful anticoagulant that can be applied to blades, and allows them to cause bleeding damage for the first few hits.

[Dwarven Cabbage]

Fashioning an encounter with a dire bear? You've come to the right place!

It depends on how you want this encounter to go down. Fashion can alter the entire mood.

For humor, you can go with a tutu. A dire bear wearing a tutu may be cliche, but it still works to get the laughs going.

For dark and sinister, I reccommend adding a black tunic and cape.

For making it seem intellectual, a white tunic with a medium blue cloak and glasses would be in order. If female, a white top and blue skirt with the glasses would serve the same purpose.

To make the bear mysterious I would reccommend adding a mask.

But fashioning doesn't just apply to its clothing, the outward color of the bear itself can be brought to bear... (pun intended). A darker color can can make it more fearsome, while a lighter color can make it cute. If you want amusement, you can go with an odd color such as purple or orange.

You can also add scarring to make it more intimidating... but only if you haven't made it funny yet. Then the scars just add to the humor. I can't imagine scars helping a purple with pink polka dots fiendish dire bear wearing a tutu.

I hope this helps you with fashioning your encounter!

Y'know I'm... not even mad.

This was the funniest thing I've read today.

Thank you!

[zlefin]

do the characters have some gold stockpiled?
if so why aren't they just buying stuff?

if not, then is theri wbl tied up in other uninteresting items, or did they just not get enough treasure for some reason?