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Post by Admin Pete on Mar 30, 2016 10:12:19 GMT -5
How many different ways could bands/tribes/clans of Humanoids make life really miserable for a group of all human PCs?
The party (is mounted and has pack animals with them) consists of:
8th Level Ranger
8th Level Fighting Man
7th Level Fighting Man
8th Level Cleric
6th Level Cleric
7th Level Magic User
7th Level Magic User
Henchman
4 - 5th Level Fighting Men
2 - 5th Level Clerics
Different Terrains in the area
1. Wooded Hills
2. Rolling Hills with occasional clumps of trees
3. Foothills of Mountains with some woods
4. Mountains with some woods and some very rocky areas
The Monsters
100 Goblins
80 Hobgoblins
70 Gnolls
15 Ogres
6 Hill Giants
3 Stone Giants
12 Trolls
The monsters usually let each other alone but have been known to work together from time to time.
In addition, there are
A clan of 137 Dwarves in their own cavern complex currently at peace with their neighbors
A clan of 80 Elves in their own territory of woods also currently at peace with their neighbors
Assume that at least some if not all of the Monsters are not going to be happy with the party and will seek to drive them out of the area.
Assume that the Elves & Dwarves could go either way on this for various reasons.
You get to decide what weapons each/all groups have.
Your task if you choose to accept it:
What alliances form against the party?
What tactics are used against the party?
Do any alliances form with the party?
What tactics does the party (and allies - if any) use?
What do you see as the likely result?
Feel free to present more than one scenario.
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Post by captaincrumbcake on Mar 30, 2016 11:59:00 GMT -5
The thread question asks one thing; this-- wants something else. 1. Monster alliances are, fickle, at best. The weaker ones will want to ally with equally weaker ones to create a mass that will be able to feed and defend itself; stronger monsters will want to take control of and dominate weaker ones--if they're somewhat intelligent. Not all will see the dwarfs, elves and humans as competition; the weak ones, for example, might see them as possible allies. The "it depends" factor cannot be casually over looked. 2. Each humanoid type will have its own tried-and-true attack/defend posture according to its ability/abilities and environment. 3. See 1 above. 4. The "it depends" factor...etc. For example, what is the intention of the character-party? Is it to invade this area and wage war against the humanoids? Is it to explore? Is it driven by knowledge of some hidden wealth within the zone of interest? 5. I see a campaign-in-progress, based on what is provided. I don't know if any of my responses are useful, but...you asked.  |
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Post by captaincrumbcake on Mar 30, 2016 13:34:24 GMT -5
Well, depending upon each monster type and what their goal/s is/are, I can imagine several types laying false trails to confuse the party, get them lost, get them trapped in an inescapable ambush zone...etc.
Does that help?
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Post by Admin Pete on Mar 30, 2016 13:54:04 GMT -5
You are pulling my leg right!? Lets try again - go back to my original post, pretend I gave you the initial info about the PCs and NPCs involved and that you are writing an adventure module for a party of PCs and Henchman of that makeup and then just answer the questions for a scenario - as many times as you want for one or more different scenarios. That is what I am asking.  To my questions in the first post add the things you raised: 1. Monster alliances are, fickle, at best. The weaker ones will want to ally with equally weaker ones to create a mass that will be able to feed and defend itself; stronger monsters will want to take control of and dominate weaker ones--if they're somewhat intelligent. Not all will see the dwarfs, elves and humans as competition; the weak ones, for example, might see them as possible allies. The "it depends" factor cannot be casually over looked. Propose a specific "it depends" as the actual situation.2. Each humanoid type will have its own tried-and-true attack/defend posture according to its ability/abilities and environment. Great, list some.3. See 1 above. Fill in the blank with something.4. The "it depends" factor...etc. For example, what is the intention of the character-party? Is it to invade this area and wage war against the humanoids? Is it to explore? Is it driven by knowledge of some hidden wealth within the zone of interest? Posit an intention.5. I see a campaign-in-progress, based on what is provided. Cool.
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Post by tetramorph on Mar 30, 2016 14:28:19 GMT -5
The goblins and hobgoblins form an alliance to lead the trolls out of their lair for an attack.
The goblins will wait in the wooded hills and take advantage of their hive-mind capacity to attack en-masse once the trolls press the party back against the woods (from wherever they are, you know your own campaign map, just find a suitable site).
The hobgoblins will then emerge from surrounding hills once they see the en masse goblin attack in order to provide an ambush without escape.
"At all cost," they say in the dark tongue of chaos," these no-good do-gooders must be sent to their eternal reward as quickly as possible." They hiss and laugh. An alliance that will hold just long enough to do the trick.
The party will have to pull itself together against foes that regenerate 3 hp after 3 rounds and that can form hive-mind.
They will convince the hill giants to fake a call for a parlay in order to trick the party to the ambush spot. They will not be asked to fight, but invited to come along for the fun should they wish to.
The hill giants will inform the stone giants and ask their opinion of the whole matter. Reaction roll for the stone giant part.
That's all I got.
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Post by Admin Pete on Mar 30, 2016 16:15:08 GMT -5
I did not make a map for this, you can arrange the terrain oriented anyway you want. I am just curious to see how different people approach this. No right or wrong answers here - just throw out your ideas and no one approach is right or wrong - good or bad. Just curious what works for you with these starting points. Tweak or alter wholesale anyway you want.
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Post by waysoftheearth on Mar 31, 2016 1:52:43 GMT -5
How many different ways could bands/tribes/clans of Humanoids make life really miserable for a group of all human PCs? I would hazard: in very many and varied ways. Including: * Spoiling/razing regional food stocks, * Poisoning the regional water supplies, * Harassing them every night with small or feigned attacks so that they can never properly rest, * Building a huge stockade/edifice (Troy, anyone?), * Laying a veritable minefield of traps and snares, * Setting fire to the woods/heath/grasslands, ** Laying a smoke screen to blind players/conceal their activities, ** Herding the players, or hemming them in, or forcing them to move (into the aforementioned minefield), * Concealing forces under heath/brush so they can ambush from behind, ** (Optionally) simultaneously with a frontal attack, * Having Giants hurl boulders from 200 yards off. For hours or days on end, * Attempting to hire the PCs to eliminate another faction, ** (Optionally) it being a ruse between the factions to eliminate the PCs, * Overwhelming the players by sheer numbers in a field battle, * Deploying widely spaced to minimise the inevitable fireballs, * Coming on in discrete "waves", with leading waves of weaklings to sap the casters, * Hob/goblins arming themselves with lots of missile weapons, ** (Optionally) poisoning/fouling their arrows, A lot more I'm sure... |
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