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Xanthos Prince of Darkness
Orc
(12/11/02 7:06:58 pm)
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Session Recap and other stuff
After quite a large break in gaming my players just reached the Ruined Temple. Here is the party:
Mage 5 (has Haste and Improved Invis. gave him a fireball scroll to help him feel more useful)
Fighter 5 (spiked chain, full plate what else is there to say)
Cleric 5 (uses mace as much as spells)
Monk 5 (more of an up-front fighter than a tumbler)
I had had quite a bit of time to prepare and had done so. I pre-rolled inititive and listen checks for every enemy and wrote a diagram with who responds where and when. Many of the listen checks were appaling so it made it slightly easier on the PC's.
They walked up to the main gate and the Fighter spotted all of the hobgoblins hiding (darn nat. 20). Then he beat them all on inititive and killed 1. All the hobgoblins missed (it was here I realised the AC's my party has). DM's note: Fighter has a AC of 20, Monk 18, Cleric 21 and Mage 16 meaning high rolls needed for hobgoblins.
The guards at the Entrance noticed this and ran towards the party (shouted first), I should have left one behind but oh well. By the time they arrived the party had finished of the others and were buffing (Bull's Strength and Prot's from Evil).
Thanks to my previous listen rolls only the Hobgoblins at the Camp, The Elites and Rarkus heard the initial call. They prepared and waited. The party entered the temple and were awe-struck by it's vastness. They approached the Central Altar and were then attacked. All of the Elites and the Camp Hobgoblin's attacked from the west(?). Krebbich had been warned and had gone invisible. The Fighter was soon surrounded (how he wished he had Whirlwind Attack) but the Monk and Cleric held back and protected the Mage. Here was where it turned. The Mage decided that this was the perfect time to use his fireball scroll he took out 11 assorted hobgoblins (rolled 22 which means even half kills) and dealt the full 22 to the Fighter (as the Mage said 'I'm above such trivial details') needless to say the Fighter (now on 4hp) was not amused. At this time Rarkus and his entourage arrived from the north. No one had picked up the Dire Ape (I forgot) . Rarkus then set up a flank on the Cleric and dealt quite a bit of damage before it was broken up. By this time the Fighter had cleaned up what was left of the first wave (still on 4hp) and was wading into the fray (dunno if it was courage or stupidity a max damage Greatsword could insta-kill him at this point). Soon it was down to Rarkus and an as-yet undiscovered Krebbich (who was healing Rarkus as fast he was getting hit). I gave the party spot checks to see what was happening but no one made it so I just said it appeared he was healing at an extreme rate (they thought he was regenerating).Slowly Rarkus was taking damage and was eventually going to go down. I ruled that Krebbich saw this and sneaked off. Rarkus ran too. An AoO (damn 10ft. reach on spiked chain) and the mage's last Magic Missile finished him off. Now I'm left with Krebbich and the Dire Ape (I think I'll rule that the DA will listen to Krebbich) plus the renegade hobgoblins and the slaves). I think I will have Krebbich ally himself with the renegades and maybe think about a strike at the party. Unsure how yet.
Anyway, I have word that a new gamer will be coming to the session after next (22nd) as a one-off (lives too far away). I want that session to be the Main Gate attack (seems like the point they will want an extra character).
Anyone have any ideas about what to put in the next session so I can delay the Main Gate?
Also do you think a party of 5 6th level (they should be 6th very soon) could take on the Main Gate with the fully advanced Howler?
Anyone got any ideas on how to make the War1's more effective as they can't hit enough to be dangerous any more?
Y'know it's very hard to talk quantum using a language designed to tell other monkeys where the ripe fruit is. |
Trithereon
Pie
(12/11/02 8:47:20 pm)
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Re: Session Recap and other stuff
Quote:
Anyone got any ideas on how to make the War1's more effective as they can't hit enough to be dangerous any more?
I have used the Aid Another tactic to pretty good use. In the ideal situation of eight medium-sized attackers surrounding a single medium-sized defender seven of the attackers use the Aid Another (they all have a flank bonus) giving the last attacker a bonus as much as +14 (+2 for each successful Aid Another) plus he gets the +2 flank bonus for a total of +16 to hit.
This usually is enough to put a little fear back into the players when they are overwhelmed by sheer numbers of greatsword wielding War1's. Of course, its a tactic of diminishing usefulness as the PC mows down those War1's. But, if you have a large supply of fanatical War1's ready to die for a cause ... well, it gets to be a bloody mess.
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Xanthos Prince of Darkness
Orc
(12/11/02 9:07:35 pm)
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Re: Session Recap and other stuff
Strange, when I last read Aid Another I got the idea that you could only have +2 to attack and +2 to AC, oh well that's what you get for skim reading. Sounds useful. However I know that the Wizard will pick up Fireball (maybe Lightning Bolt as well) next level. That means that the Fighter gets very annoyed as he and everyone else is burnt to a crisp. Soon I think the Cleric will start casting Fire protections on him. I was thinking as the Fighter doesn't have Combat Reflexes he only gets 1 AoO a round so I can do as much Bull Rushing as I want. Push him back 5ft. and everyone (including the Howler if possible) gets an AoO. Trip might work too. This Fighter is a tank (+11 to attack, 2d4+7 damage) but I still have to watch the monk who is getting used to using Flurry of Blows and soon will have another attack meaning 3/round. Then again if I advance the Howler by the rules it may kill everyone itself.
Y'know it's very hard to talk quantum using a language designed to tell other monkeys where the ripe fruit is. |
Trithereon
Pie
(12/11/02 9:43:48 pm)
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Re: Session Recap and other stuff
Quote:
Strange, when I last read Aid Another I got the idea that you could only have +2 to attack and +2 to AC, oh well that's what you get for skim reading.
A single successful Aid Another action gives a +2 circumstance bonus which then stacks with other circumstance bonuses unless otherwise specified. It doesn't specify under the Aid Another section that it does not stack, thefore by default it does.
The trick to making it an effective tactic is getting enough low-level NPCs in a position where it can be used to its full effect. As the PC's Armor Class get into the mid-20s even surrounding the PC and using Aid Another becomes effective only 50%, or less, of the time.
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madfox
Orc
(12/11/02 11:24:12 pm)
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Re: Session Recap and other stuff
Quote:
Mage 5 (has Haste and Improved Invis.)
How can a 5th lvl mage have an improved invisibility spell? That after all is a 4th lvl spell and a mage needs to be at least 7th lvl to be able to cast it.
Quote:
Also do you think a party of 5 6th level (they should be 6th very soon) could take on the Main Gate with the fully advanced Howler?
That depends entirely on the group. I have run the beginning of the adventure with 2 groups now. The first party was unable to defeat the howler and they needed to run (though they were smart enough to run into the abandoned mines, close and block doors behind them and manouvre into areas where the howler could not go). The second party never faced the howler, but considering the much bigger damage output and higher ACs this group had compared to the first, they should have been able to defeat the howler.
Edited by: madfox at: 12/11/02 11:28:28 pm
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Xanthos Prince of Darkness
Orc
(12/12/02 1:40:35 pm)
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Re: Session Recap and other stuff
Quote:
How can a 5th lvl mage have an improved invisibility spell? That after all is a 4th lvl spell and a mage needs to be at least 7th lvl to be able to cast it.
Doh, meant Invisibility Sphere. He has yet to use it though.
Madfox did you use the properly advanced Howler or the one in the book? Trust me the properly advanced one is much tougher. I think I will throw the lot at them and see what happens. As for filling in a session I'll see if I can entice them to meet/fight the orcs at Rastor. Then again I have a Side-Trek from an old Dungeon I've wanted to run about Giants wonder if I can fit that in.
Y'know it's very hard to talk quantum using a language designed to tell other monkeys where the ripe fruit is. |
madfox
Orc
(12/13/02 1:08:28 am)
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Re: Session Recap and other stuff
I used the properly advanced howler  I was the first one pointing out on these boards that the stats were incorrect and I placed the proper ones here (with a small error or two which were corrected by Thrommel if I remember correctly).
The effectiveness of the howler is highly dependend on the tactics of the PCs and that is which I like so much about this gate. If the PCs chose for a straight attack and then fight "everybody-for-themself" style, they will get butchered. When they sneak in or use roleplaying, they can easily dispatch the normal guards before they are even able to release the howler. On chains the howler is not much more then a nuicance. Also remember the size of the howler. It would not fit through any of the normal doors. The PCs might decide to use this to their benefit as did mine.
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