An owlbear in Hollowmaw Den, a steep ravine in the Wyrmshade, has gone mad with pain from a goblin spear head stuck in its neck. The trapper Dennel Wick wants it stopped, and he wants his dead partner Rold brought home to Naath. The character can fetch Rold while the owlbear hunts at dawn, then stop it with Dennel's log trap.
The character is at Dennel's camp on the rim of Hollowmaw Den, an hour before dusk.
A notice from Ezra’s Tavern in Naath says the Wardens pay 100 gold for the owlbear's head.
The owlbear walks the rim at dusk and kills more than it eats. Rold went down three weeks ago and never came back.
The spear head, the goblins and the trap come out in play.
Dennel Wick. A human trapper of about fifty. He wants the owlbear stopped and Rold brought home. He helps with his notes, his rope, a meal and his log trap, and shoots from the rim. He only goes down into the den if the character is dying there.
Oswin Farrow. The elf Warden at the Wyrm Bones post, two hours north. He wants to know why goblins keep cutting his rope line. He helps with a bed by his fire and a messenger bird to the Wardens in Naath.
Drakha Mol-Urn. The Redfang orc who leads the Seekers, Naath's guild of hired adventurers. She pays the bounty for a true report.
Hollowmaw Den. Dennel's camp is on the rim. The rope runs down to a mound of fallen trees where the owlbear sleeps. A stream runs along the far end.
The Wyrm Bones. The painted bones of the old forest wyrm, a green dragon that died long ago. Oswin's hut there is the nearest safe bed.
The Seekers' Hall. Drakha's hall in Naath, where the bounty is paid.
Dusk at the rim (0001-04-12, 18:30). The owlbear walks past the tent and ignores anyone still and off its path. A DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check spots a broken spear shaft in its neck. A DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check shows the wound has gone bad.
Dennel's fire, that night. Dennel says it hunts the stream from first light until 09:00, the safe time to go down. He shows his log trap, a dead spruce over the rim path, cut half through, that he cannot pull down alone.
Down the rope (any morning, 05:30 to 09:00). The climb is a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Failing costs ten minutes. Goblins are at the thicket (see Encounters). Under it lie Rold's body, bow and trapper's license token. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds the rest of a goblin spear and small boot prints going north. Dennel helps haul the body up in an hour.
Setting the trap (any day, in daylight). It takes 2 hours and a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check, with Advantage if Dennel helps. Hiding the trip line takes a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a failure the owlbear walks around it, and the character can try again.
The log trap (the next dusk, 18:30). The spruce drops on the owlbear. It takes 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage and has the Restrained condition. Run it as Encounters says.
The pregens are level 3. One character has a budget of Low 150 XP and Moderate 225 XP, and each other character adds the same. Skip Encounter Checks at Hollowmaw Den during this adventure.
The goblins in the den. Goblins from the deep Wyrmshade came to see if the owlbear is dead yet.
1 character. 2 Goblin Warrior (100 XP, Low).
2 to 4 characters. 1 Goblin Boss with 1, 3 or 5 Goblin Warrior (250, 350 or 450 XP, all Low).
Ways past. Hide with a DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check, and they go north up the stream after ten minutes. Scare them with owlbear noises and a DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check. Signal Dennel to roll a log down the slope, and they run. They never bargain.
If it goes badly. A goblin runs when hurt below half or when another goblin drops, and Dennel shoots from the rim. If the character drops to 0 hit points, the goblins grab Rold's bow and run. Dennel climbs down, stabilizes the character and hauls him or her up.
The owlbear. 1 Owlbear, 700 XP and CR 3, is never run as a straight fight. The wound has weakened it. When it enters an encounter, set status.Owlbear hp to 30 and conditions to Poisoned. Unless it is pinned, it runs back down the slope as soon as it takes damage. It backs away from fire.
Ways past. Stand still off its path, let Dennel wave a burning branch, or go down while it hunts.
Under the trap it has about 8 hit points left and plays as a Low fight. Each turn it makes a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check with Disadvantage to get free. Dennel shoots from his tent. A character next to it can pull out the spear head as an action with a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check. Then it stops fighting and leaves the ravine within three days. If it breaks loose, it runs to the den and comes back the next dusk without healing. For 2 to 4 characters nothing changes.
If it goes badly. When a character drops to 0 hit points, the owlbear leaves him or her and goes down. Dennel drives it off with fire and stabilizes the character.
If the player is unsure, Dennel says he would go down at first light while it is at the stream.
If the trap has not come up by morning, Dennel mentions it over breakfast.
If the character heads home without Rold, Drakha asks who will bring him back.
If the player waits, the owlbear wrecks Dennel's tent at dusk on 0001-04-13 without hurting him. It dies in its den on 0001-04-22.
The adventure ends when the character reports to Drakha. Full success means Rold is home and the owlbear is dead or freed of the spear head. Partial success means only one of the two.
At level 3 the gap to level 4 is 1,800 XP, so a Minor milestone is 450 XP and a Major is 900 XP. Write each in milestones and update experience.
Minor, 450 XP. Rold's body is out of the den.
Minor, 450 XP. Dennel's log trap is set.
Major, 900 XP. The owlbear stops killing, by trap, fight or pulling the spear head.
Fights. The goblin XP above, and 700 XP when the owlbear is killed or freed. Doing it all reaches level 4.
Gold. 100 gp from Drakha for the head and a true report, or 50 gp for a report Dennel backs if the owlbear was freed.
Other. For bringing Rold home, Dennel gives Rold's Handaxe and becomes a friend, and the character earns Heroic Inspiration.
The goblin trail. The boot prints lead north past the Wyrm Bones to the Wyrm Cairn, an old burial mound where goblins dig. Captain Calen Thornveil of the Wardens pays 40 gp to a crew that drives them off.
Trapper's work. Dennel vouches for the character to take the Licensed Wyrmshade Trapper job.