Oh The Scarecrow Knows

What makes the 3D printing community so darn special is there are just mountains and mountains of free STLs for all of us to try. This time we’re going to share a fun, free pumpkin patch from the land down under.

Crafting Toawi is an STL artisan hailing from Australia and offers numerous RPG freebies for your hungry 3D printer. His slick “Pumpkin Garden” sprung up during a recent Thingiverse search and it just turned out swell! Let’s take a closer look!

This was an FDM print and required very little supports. DM Ben wanted something that looked extra rustic and somewhat tattered. Some scarecrows can have immense details which makes them quite spooky and that’s perfect for a likely surprise combat encounter but we’ve got some other ideas here.

This farmy model was painted by MehMiniPainting and we think he just nailed it! And this primed patch will fit perfectly into our kooky Old Lady and Pumpkins that ain’t Pumpkins storylines.

To recap, the party is traveling deep into the forest to locate some missing kiddos that many townsfolk believe have been abducted by an evil witch. The old crone just loves mimics and utilizes them to protect her affairs. So DM Ben is going to sprinkle a series of quick-shot encounters en route to her forest lair and this mysterious scarecrow is a perfect fit.

DM Ben got the idea for this encounter from Roll & Play’s must-own “Game Master’s Fantasy Toolkit.” We just think the world of this DnD content creator. Their blog is filled with free content and their e-newsletter sends out delightful roll tables. And they make great products too!

For inspiration, we flipped to the “Journeys and Events” section and specifically, the “Meadows Encounters” table. No d12 was rolled for a random result, we just needed our RPG brains jumpstarted scanned the list accordingly.

This one lept out at us: “A scarecrow sits still near a fence. Some players might notice its head turn, before it darts toward the party!”

It’s a perfect side quest…sorta. We just mentioned the other day how we like to avoid too many predictable events. And a scarecrow coming to life and attacking is a bit too expected. Still, that doesn’t take away from Roll & Press’ idea here. Walking into a solo strawman in an open meadow is an excellent suggestion, however we just need to flush out another angle so it better fits our campaign.

How about turning an obvious enemy into a friendly cohort here? Maybe this stuffed bird scarer was once the old lady’s husband. Then as she started to go off the deep end with all this kidnapping (e.g. their lil’ tears power her illusion), the husband’s intervention went awry. He never even knew she was a witch and the battle to stop her reign of terror over the town was over before it started. She was so furious with his meddling that she bestowed a curse on him and propped him in this field to punish him for all eternity.

Now the husband wants to be freed so that he can exact revenge! Can the group tether a new ally here? There should be some fun persuasion and diplomacy checks during this encounter. DM Ben is going to have the scarecrow be pretty darn spooky – glowing eyes, a whispery voice, creeky movements coming from the post, etc.

The encounter will probably go something like this:

• You see a lone scarecrow in the distance.
• As you approach, the wind picks up but it’s eerily quiet.
• Perception Checks DC 15 to try and catch it moving/glancing at the group.
• Suddenly its eyes light up red, its arms begin to violently flail – the shrieks are deafening.
• “No, Lyra! I beg of…!” | the scarecrow stops moving entirely.
• Then slow whispers, “releaaaaaase me…freeeeeee me.

The scarecrow will ultimately explain his imprisonment and offer valuable intel on what’s ahead. Stuff like, he saw the two missing children the group is looking for come through here with Lyra less than a week ago and has heard their screams recently as last night. He knows she’s vulnerable to radiant damage. He advises the group to try and negotiate the children’s release so that she can reveal them to the group. He also can lead them around a vicious trap ahead.

If cut down, Jack Shaw immediately starts a brisk, angry walk right toward Lyra Shaw’s cabin! He is pissed! The group now needs to stop him and point out the benefits of a more tactical assault.

For our angry, on-the-move mini, we have a couple of options: a re-based Heroclix scarecrow or a WizKids Legendary Evils scarecrow. We want less of a zombie vibe so this Heroclix one should fit the bill.

Lastly, let’s get our villain and NPC stats in order here:

• Lyra Shaw (e.g. the crazy old lady in the woods) | Night Hag
• Jack Shaw (e.g. the angry scarecrow) | Scarecrow

DM Ben wants Lyra to become a reappearing character so we’re going to make a few subtle mods here. First, her hit points will get maxed to 165 (instead of 112 to ensure she can go a few combat rounds). As a bonus action, she will also be able to cast a new guardian mimic. Finally, she’ll have a Broom of Flying but will probably cast a Plane Shift spell to escape.

Lyra is no fool – she knows when she’s outnumbered and when it’s time to find a new base of operation. The jig is up as it were. Her Soul Bag contains Jack’s soul, who while not evil initially unknowingly became so because of what started happening under his roof.

For Jack, we think the monster manual hits it on the head here. He nearly comes unglued when he first sees Lyra and wildly fights to the death in a fury of rage. If the group ultimately saves him in the fight, they will find his soul bag which Lyra inadvertently left behind during all the chaos.

See?! Unpredictable and fun!