Encounter-a-Day

A massive beehive, bloated with tens of thousands of the venomous little insects, hangs precariously from a tree branch.

Description: The hive is an active* feature suitable for forests, plains, ruins, and other places a hive of bees or other insects might be found.

Setup: Try to place the hive somewhere which combatants are likely to pass near it, such as a natural choke point or a point of interest. This also works especially well with monsters which are vulnerable or resistant to the insects’ toxins.

Use: If any damage is dealt to the hive (including from area attacks), it falls to the ground, releasing a swarm of stinging bees. The bees immediately attack the closest creature, regardless of who attacked the hive, and hound that creature until it dies, disappears, or the swarm is defeated. Once one of those happens, the swarm disperses harmlessly.

Considerations: If the swarm attacks the PCs, they should probably get experience for defeating it; if the swarm attacks the enemies, no experience should be given, it’s just a case of the PCs using the terrain to their advantage to make the fight a bit easier.

Customization:

• Increase the number of swarms released, attacking the nearest n creatures.
• Change the nature of the bees, for example if you’re adventuring in hell make them Hellfire Hornets which are tougher and more dangerous than their mortal counterparts.
• Instead of dispersing, the swarm could continue attacking nearby creatures.

*An active feature is something which must be triggered before it “comes into play.” This is contrasted by a passive element, such as thick underbrush or a lava stream, which is indifferent to the actions of combatants. Look for a more in-depth explanation of active and passive features, and the Dynamic Domains series, this weekend.