Alpha predators are top level monsters, big beasties who tend to look on everything else as food. They are of hungry alignment by default.
Alpha predators still count as a “group” even if there’s just 1 of them.
Setup[]
Find the room nearest where the die landed on the map. Place 1 ⬤ in this room. An alpha predator has chosen this spot as its lair. Write the type of predator next to its lair, along with a name for the beast.
The Season[]
Alpha predators need to hunt in order to live.
The alpha predator forages up to 1 finger from its lair along tunnels until it encounters ⬤. This may be a group the alpha has encountered before.
If no ⬤ is available, the predator will content itself with gathering ⭘.
If the alpha has no ⬤ or ⭘ in range, it will spend one of its ⭘ to acquire food. If it has no ⭘ to spend, it moves its lair to a new location up to 1 finger away.
Encounters[]
Alpha predators always gain +2 to encounter rolls.
If an alpha predator destroys a group, it may immediately loot 1 ⭘ from that group.
With Lawful or Chaotic Groups[]
The alpha predator demands tribute–make an encounter roll:
- Win: Opponent pays alpha 1 ⭘. If no ⭘ are available, opponent loses 1 ⬤.
- Tie: Alpha kills 1 ⬤ of opponent’s group.
- Loss: Alpha is driven off. It leaves behind 1 ⭘ and relocates to a new lair at least 1 half finger further away from the opponent.
With Alpha Predators[]
There is a battle for dominance–make an encounter roll:
- Win: Opponent is killed.
- Tie: Opponent relocates to a new lair 1 finger away, leaving 1 ⭘ behind (if it has any).
- Loss: This alpha relocates to a new lair 1 finger away.
Alpha Predators[]
| Roll | Flavor |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dragon: Dragons start with 2 ⭘. Dragons have a random alignment and will be friendly with adventuring groups of that alignment. Dragons never expend ⭘ to survive, preferring to sleep for a turn instead. |
| 2 | Ettin: Ettin starts with 2 ⬤. |
| 3 | Fire Giant: When a giant wins an encounter against breeder or delver groups, it demands 2 ⭘ instead of 1 ⭘. |
| 4 | Minotaur: If a minotaur has 1 ⭘ at the end of its turn, it may spend it to turn its lair into a maze. The minotaur rolls +1 in conflicts on a maze. |
| 5 | Ogre: Ogres prefer lairs in natural caves. |
| 6 | Ogre Magi: Ogre magi start with 1 ⭘. |
| 7 | Owlbear: No special rules. |
| 8 | Purple Worm: Instead of placing the purple worm in a room, create a new natural cavern for it where the die lands and dig a new tunnel connecting this room to the dungeon. The purple worm may dig natural tunnels to reach prey and loot if necessary. Purple worms start with 1 ⭘. |
| 9 | Rakshasa: Rakshasa gain +1 to their die roll for each ⭘ they have in their possession during conflicts. |
| 10 | Sphinx: Sphinx start with 1 ⭘. Their alignment is random. |
| 11 | Xorn: When a xorn forages, it may choose to dig a new tunnel in a straight line to any prey in range. Xorn prefer to loot, and only forage if no free loot is available. |
| 12 | Make up your own. Write it down for future use. |