Dangerous Encounter: Where The Deer And The Spidergoats Play

While passing through a quiet peaceful valley, the party will see what looks like a farmhouse in the distance. There appear to be many animals grazing near it and some cultivated crops as well. (Hopefully, the opportunity for a hot meal and a good night’s rest will prompt the PCs to approach the ranch.) As they get near, the PCs may be horrified to see that the grazing animals are actually Spidergoats (MF rulebook, pg. 98)! It appears that 18 of them have surrounded the farmhouse.

Spidergoats (18) (AL N, MV 120’ (40’), AC 6, HD 4, #AT 1 (gore, kick, or bite), DG 2d4, 2d6, or 1d4, SV L3, ML 8, mutations: toxic weapon, webs)

If the party watches the scene for a while, they’ll see that the Spidergoats don’t seem to be threatening the house. In fact, they seem to be quietly grazing and/or wandering about. If the party approaches, the Spidergoats regard them with disinterest, as they’re quite tame. (Have one or two of them trot up out of curiosity, but don’t have them attack the PCs.) If the PCs do attack the Spidergoats, they will viciously defend themselves as only Spidergoats can.

The Spidergoats at this ranch are actually farm animals being raised for their meat and milk by the ranch’s owners Bubbo and his wife, Leenzy (both Pure Strain Humans). Bubbo and Leenzy are genuinely happy to have visitors (no one ever comes along this road and those that do are scared off by the Spidergoat herd). They will offer to feed the party and let them rest for the night in one of the spare rooms. Starved for entertainment, Bubbo will encourage the visitors to tell them of their adventures and of any news they may have heard about the local area. They may also try to engage the party in some parlor games. (The PCs may feel there is something creepy going on, but it has been a LONG time since they have had visitors and are a little overenthusiastic for the company.)

After the evening’s entertainment and after everyone has bedded down for the night, the party should be startled awake by shouts outside from Bubbo and Leenzy; the bleating of frightened Spidergoats; and loud grunting gibberish in some unintelligible language. If the party runs outside, they’ll see Bubbo and Leenzy trying to defend their herd from a band of marauding Homo Erectus (MF rulebook, pg. 75). They have discovered the tame Spidergoat herd and have decided to help themselves to the fresh meat they’ll provide.

Homo Erectus (5) (AL N, MV 120’ (40’), AC 8, HD 6, #AT 1, DG 2d4, SV L2, ML 7, mutations: none)

The fence penning in the Spidergoats has been breached, and the Spidergoats have run off into the night. The Homo Erectus have stopped chasing them, deciding that they’d rather deal with Bubbo and Leenzy first. All five have engaged in combat with the ranch hands who are horribly outmatched. It is assumed the PCs will come to their defense.

Once the fight has ended, Bubbo will thank the PCs for their assistance. “But what about the herd?” Leenzy will ask. Bubbo and Leenzy will begin rounding up the Spidergoats in the nearby fields and crops. The party is welcome to assist if they wish. (The Mutant Lord can play up the “Midnight Hunt For Spidergoats” as comedic in nature. Or maybe some wild untamed Spidergoats have come down out of the hills and are now intermingled with the tame herd animals. The possibilities are endless!)

The next morning, the ranchers will reward the party for their help. If they defended the ranchers from the Homo Erectus clan, they will be given as much Spidergoat jerky as they can carry. If they also helped round up the herd, the ranchers will give the party their life's savings of 133 gp as their way of saying "Thanks."