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Hunters of Northmarch

Introduction

It is night, it is dark. See the cloaked figures on horses. Feel the rain strike their cloaks and soak into their skin. Behind them, illuminated by lightning, see a mess of fur and claws. It charges, but they were baiting the beast. Hear three arrows whistle and strike true. See vines wrap and twist around its legs. An axe is raised high. Smell the blood.

See the figures drag what remains to the town gate. A purse of coins is dropped down to them. The figures are denied entry. No one wants to sleep near a hunter.

Hunters of Northmarch is a dark fantasy, monster hunting campaign. The game takes place on the continent of Orica, in a Byzantine-inspired empire.

Players will create D&D 4th edition characters for this campaign. There will be some rule changes. Character creation is more flexible and emphasizes player choice more than in the base rules.

Gameplay Overview

Section titled “Gameplay Overview”

Each session of Hunters of Northmarch is designed to be self-contained. Between sessions, we will determine how the group is spending that downtime and may even make some rolls.

Each Hunt will have a few key aspects:

  • Mystery: Most Hunts have very few details. Before you can confront the monster, you will need to know where it is. I highly recommend also discovering what it is.
  • Social: There will be 1 or more factions at the location that are not the monster(s). They may help you or they may hinder you. In part, this will be based on how you treat them.
  • Violence: The monster’s plans will come to fruition or you will confront the beast. Either might result in battle, but it is always in your interests to initiate the fight.

Example: The Vampire of Dunlund

Section titled “Example: The Vampire of Dunlund”

A classic adventure in a remote mountain village. A vampire awakens in a dark cave and begins to make forays into the village of Dunlund at night.

  • Mystery elements
    • A few young women have disappeared.
    • A swarm of bats attacked a man searching for his daughter.
    • A torn dress was found on the ascending mountain path.
  • Social elements
    • The charismatic Mayor, Viktor Thenn, wants to live forever. His great grandfather told him a story of a beautiful man sleeping in the mountains who can promise him eternity. He just needs a little bit of blood. Once Viktor turns, he will want to turn the entire town. He can convince them. He preys on their fear. “Don’t you want to see your daughter again?”
    • The smith, Martin Moor, thinks his daughter is dead. He wants to rouse the town to help kill whatever is taking the women. He is bad with words, and if his cause fails, people will turn to the Mayor for advice.
  • Violent elements
    • The Vampire may turn the entire town if Viktor Thenn has his way. Each young vampire is another minion that can now kill you.
    • The Vampire has many abilities that only work at night (such as turning into a swarm of bats), but several do not work in daylight.
    • The Vampire takes damage each turn if he is in daylight.