How Would You Defend A Mountain Fortress?

I'm having a bit of trouble visualising that scale of combat, so detailed suggestions are out from me, but I thought occurs about the vampires.

If the Valloreans have been trained and prepared to take down vampires first, it would stand to reason that a fair amount of the higher level NPCs in the legions would be leading these special anti-vampire units.

Would it not make sense then, to switch up tactics and use these vampires for feints and as decoys? Any Vallorean commanders and high level characters that can be kept away from engagements hunting down vampires that aren't crucial to the defense of the fortress would be beneficial to the defenders during attacks, right?

Let's look at the forces involved:

The Valloreans are organized into thirty-five Legions, each having 10,000 Legionnaires. The Vallorean army will no doubt have plenty of supplies, engineers, extra equipment, and formidable magical support from enchanted war machines, powerful warrior-clerics, and dreaded wizards. The Valloreans can also expect to have various contingents of elves, dwarves, halflings, as well as other races and beings, including some ogres and small units of Cloud-Giants.

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So the damnable Valloreans boast 35 legions of 10,000 men. (And all those legions are at full strength? Are these quasi-Roman legions or Xerxes-esque "immortals"?)

The legions are primarily heavy infantry with plenty of siege engineers. Their auxiliaries include elves, dwarves, halflings, etc., and small numbers of Ogres and Cloud Giants. More importantly, they have powerful Clerics and Wizards. (In a later post, we learn that they have flying cavalry too -- not in great numbers though, I assume.)

On our side we have:

(1) Commander: 50th level.
(12) Elite Specialists: 30th level.
(24) Lords: 20th level.
(1) Wang-Liang/Half-Fiend General. (30th level)
(2) Wang-Liang/Half-Fiend Lords. (20th level)
(30) Wang-Liang/Half-Fiends (16th level)
(300) Wang-Liangs (12th level)
(38) Fire-Giants (20th level.)
(24) Cloud-Giants (20th level.)
(15) Chimera's
(12) Manticore's
(600) Vampires (6th-12th level)
(880) Werewolves (4th-12th level)
(2800) Ogres (under 10th level)
(26,000) Hobgoblins (standard levels as organized).
(100,000) Humans (minimum of 2nd level, majority Fighters).

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So, against their 350,000 elite human heavy infantry and auxiliaries, we're supposed to pit our ~150,000 humans, hobgoblins, and assorted monsters. Let's look at our strengths and weaknesses.

Our Wang-Liang are effectively Trolls that can turn invisible or disguise themselves. That is, they're big, strong, and immune to most attacks (except fire and acid). I'd love to be able to send Wang-Liang skirmishers against mundane heavy infantry. They can do some damage, withdraw -- with some dead foes for "rations" -- come back fresh, and so on. They can also ambush quite effectively, using their invisibility. Perhaps they can even disguise themselves and infiltrate a camp that doesn't have much magical support. We can't risk Fireballs and Flame Strikes though. Disguised as mundane Ogres, the Wang-Liang might not draw so much fire.

The Vampires have many stengths and at least a few obvious weaknesses. Vampires and their spawn are, of course, vulnerable to sunlight and to Clerical magic, but they have an amazing capacity for spawning more of their kind -- particularly in the short term, since they "spawn" quickly and won't run out of "food" in the time frame of this military campaign. The two nearby cities might find their "noncombatants" (women and old men) quickly conscripted into the Midnight Legions. Also, Vampires don't have to advertise their nature. Armed as soldiers, adult, male Vampires should blend in fine (during a night attack).

The Werewolves, as lycanthropes, don't "spawn" as quickly and effectively as the Vampires. Perhaps they can use their curse behind enemy lines or in guerrilla skirmishes -- the high-level Clerics can't be everywhere -- but they don't end up with powerful slaves. In the vast forests, they should make good scouts and quasi-cavalry, and they may have enough wolves there to command as auxiliaries.

big freaking lasers.

Paragon

Volaran said:

Would it not make sense then, to switch up tactics and use these vampires for feints and as decoys?

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I think this is exactly what a few of us are saying. If they are so "trained-n'-ingrained" with their "copyrighted anti-evil" tactics, time to pull some new tactical and strategic suprises on them!

Hit them on the mundane side, wear them away like sandpaper. Soon, the losses will start to add up!

Let us know how their conversion to the ELH goes. I remember the old Story Hour and would be interested to hear your comments onwhat their thought on the "new and improved" 3E high level characters look like.

One word.

Plague.

And not here at my own fortress - back home where their wives and children are. And their food, really.

Next, you've got alot of undead and the like. They need protecting more than anything, their liability is the enemy's knowledge of them and how to defeat them. Vampires are tough, but not that tough.

Sanctum spells (I think that's the feat). Make it clear that (1) if we meet on the open field, its an even battle but (2) if you attack my home I'm stronger there.

Then, since most of the legions of the V's will not be high level folks, I like the epic "dire winter" (2d6 per round cold damage, 1000 foot radius). Crap, if I'm 50th level we can maybe extend that radius abit, get some help casting and possibly change the elemental type. Either way, legion killer. Maybe even a few-legions-at-a-time killer.

Vampires and Werewolves, if equiped with the right anti-magic equipment, become quite tough to tackle. Are any of those Vampires variant races? Fire giants? (etc.)

And, if I'm really rich, why don't I bribe some legionary commanders? Seriously, what do they want? Immortality? Lichdom? Cash?

i agree with crg on this as i was about to say it.

Disease em out. The humanoids can't take too much and god knows the clerics will be busy once the enemies start launching rotting flesh from catapaults on the walls at them.


Idea: bury the undead hordes and place a contigency spell upon them. Wait till the valorean masses are upon them and then at night have the dead rise from the grave where the troops are and attack. Simultaneously harry the front with some of the troops from the fortress that come rushing out and have the magical being attacked by the vamps in gaseous forms.


Another note would be to infiltrate some doppelgangers or polymorphed wear folk into the midst. Sow confusion amongst the troops and take out their leaders. Spells like color spray, prismatic spray, gold dust, grease, confusion, ray of enfeeblement will knock out the front line fighters and make them easy to kill. ONce the front ranks are decimated bring in the undead clerics and raise the snot out of the fallen troops before the good guys get there. Send in those shock troops to continue the battle and if you are feeling lucky send in your remaining forces on the flanks to crush your opponent. If it's fairing badly let the undead take the brunt of it and retreat to the castle. You've already covered your retreat by the undead hordes who will continue to fight until destroyed.


Undead+spell+disease=win for these guys. coming out of the castle will shock the hell out of the attackers as it's completely unexpected but with your undead lying in wait they will be confused and disorganized.



Idea 2: If the defenders know of who is leading the charge out there what better tactic than to go after the leaders wives, children, parents, etc. Take a list of the troops and who's commanding. Send out some vampires, augury, scry, etc. Find out who their loved ones are and go after them. You can cast spells through a scrying pool so have at it. Distress the leaders, make them think that their battle is foolish and that their loved ones are at home dying while they are out here in this god forsaken land. Send in some forces to infilatrate and propogandize the end. Bribe some soliders to just start spouting doom if they attack and watch the morale fall like a lead brick. Even the mighties of the paladins will have a tough time if his god is telling him his faithful followers families are being slaughtered while he is leading the charge.

When they attack have illusions cast on trees showing the loved ones of the soliders hanging from the bows. Crucify the familes of them and put them along the path. Would it incense them? Possibly but it could also work as a deterrent. Thrusting a contigent of undead soliders who were once valoreans shouting "Join us..Join us or you shall perish" in the wind would cause most low levels to run in fear.

Unhallow the ground. Make it near high impossible to cast cure spells while in the area. Seal away acccess to the gods that they worship and nullfiy healing and augury. Allow no recon into my fortress for them to see. Summon troops to harry any airbore forces and drop bodies from up high into the masses of the troops with maggots and worms (the grey ones that burrow in your brain and kill you i forget the name). Spread contagion like above and keep hammering at the troops on the field day and night so they don't sleep with messages and nightmares.

Another thought along the previous lines.

Are the Valloreans drawing all their troops from bordering provinces? ie. Are the cities and towns behind them less defended than usual?

Vampires can move fairly fast. If they're to be used as decoys, why not encourage the legions to leave and take care of things at home? Or even better, if they do take the mountain fortress, will they be able to hold it and those cities with this Vampire Lord sending reinforcements from one side, and newborn vampires pouring out of their homeland from the other?

Hi all.
That fast moving river is aweful tempting.
Cleric or Druid Earh Elementals could quickly tunnel under potential battlefiels, and some creative walls of force could put spell casting support under water long enough to do some other damage.
If you are mean, you tunnel near your front door cap with a WoF and set up some archers in arrow slits above the water line. Make the area near the 'trap' somewhat of a gully or better yet put some entrencments with a token resistance in them - Make sure one would look particuarly nice to put the commanders into. Put an illusion of a great poticullus behind the WoF.
After taken the entrenchemnts, the invading army will use them. When the aggressing army reaches the door they will be stopped by the WoF which looks like it is protecting the archers. Enemy casters dispell the WoF while under fire. When the wall is dispelled, all the deep entrenchments are flooded and a couple of Walls of Iron cut off some commanders, and drowns some troops.

Kugar

Hey SHARK, first, WOW you do indeed come up with some cool stuff. Second... I would look at all of my forces, take those that gain no particular advantage from fighting in the fortress, and do the unexpected: ATTACK. This doesn't have to be an all out assault btw, it could be hundreds of undercover sorties, magically aided of course. You could use some Greater Rituals from Relics and Rituals if you have it. Also, imagine if there were enough evil druids (perhaps among the werewolves) so that when the invading army arrives, the very land and weather themselves attack. Another thing that seems likely is both several assassinations of higher-ups in the legions as well as possible counter strikes in the held lands behind them, perhaps drawing legions away from the main army and causing chaos. Hey, did I read that you are working on your PhD in English Lit? If so, COOL, I am hopefully beginning mine soon as well. Anyhow, good luck putting this awesome sounding battle together. I hope your players are grateful to have your volcano of a brain at the head of the table.

Greetings!

Yaun-Ti wrote:
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Quote:

"Two questions:

1) How am I feeding this massive garrison?
2) Do the Valloreans have more than 35 Legions or are they bringing everything they have against me?"
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End Quote.

Well, besides food in storage, there are grain, fruits, and vast herds of animals that the cities have access to. These resources are generally maintained to the north and east of the two cities.

You don't know precisely how many legions that the Vallorean Empire can field. They do have over 1,000,000 troops fighting in the Occupied Territories. How many more than that, that the Vallorean Emperor can summon up for the war effort, you do not know. The Vallorean Empire is a vast, and ancient empire that has ruled in glory and might for 2,500 years though. The population of the Vallorean Empire is thought to be upwards of, and perhaps more than, 200 million people. Thus, their might and power can be very great. They have been known to prosecute wars for over twenty years straight, never relenting, never retreating, until they have crushed all resistance. They have been fighting inside your kingdom for over eight years now as it is, with no signs of them going home. The Vallorean Emperor has decreed that your kingdom shall be crushed, and that all of the land here is now part of the Vallorean Empire.

In addition, you do know that the Vallorean armies in the north number approximately 600,000 troops, or some sixty legions.

Hope this helps!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK