Fortress battle help

[Grimmjow]

Next time my full group is together for DnD i will be charged with DMing. The group is currently part of the elven army and have been told that they are laying siege to a fortress that they built, and then was captured by undead and shard-kai. The Elves built the fortress so that it wouldn't be destroyed by the undead. It was suppose to be impenetrable. How does one run a battle like this? any hints and tips you can give. It needs to be more then just battle-battle-battle-battle. What are some objectives that they can fulfill during the course of the battle to determine weather they win or lose the battle?

-Thanks

 

[Quickleaf]

Next time my full group is together for DnD i will be charged with DMing. The group is currently part of the elven army and have been told that they are laying siege to a fortress that they built, and then was captured by undead and shard-kai. The Elves built the fortress so that it wouldn't be destroyed by the undead. It was suppose to be impenetrable.

Sounds like there's a story there...So how did the undead and shadar-Kai overrun the "impenetrable" fortress?

How does one run a battle like this? any hints and tips you can give. It needs to be more then just battle-battle-battle-battle. What are some objectives that they can fulfill during the course of the battle to determine weather they win or lose the battle?

It depends on how the fortress is designed. Many fortresses would have an outer and inner bailey, so the undead could fall back to the inner bailey if the PCs are winning...or the wily shadar-Kai could let a headstrong elven prince charge into the inner bailey then shut the gates separating his unit from the rest of the army fighting in the outer bailey.

Here are some cool non-combat things you might include:
* A necro-gem (puzzle) which must be destroyed/disarmed to prevent the elven army's dead from rising as undead
* Tormented spirits who were hung off parapets and cursed by Lich ask intensely personal riddles of those who approach - killing all who fail with their deadly visage/voice
* An elven agent is hidden in the undead court (either a good-aligned undead, a living creature "allied" with the shadar-Kai, or a Mage disguised as undead) who the PCs need to reach for urgent intel
* Some of the animated undead possess a multi-part clue that their bodies were buried with/wearing (e.g. seven seals which combine to form Great Seal of the fortress)
* Negotiating for military aid from an order of paladins who historically had bad relations with the "pagan" elves
* Investigating a potential necromancer spy among the elves
* Interrogating a shadar-kai captive or defector who is extremely standoffish

 

[Grimmjow]

Many fortresses would have an outer and inner bailey, so the undead could fall back to the inner bailey if the PCs are winning...or the wily shadar-Kai could let a headstrong elven prince charge into the inner bailey then shut the gates separating his unit from the rest of the army fighting in the outer bailey.

this made me smile. It would work perfectly too so i thank you.

As for how they took the fortress the question never came up at the table so i never really thought of that. However it was established long before we started out campaign that the elves were loosing ground. A lot of undead and a lot of Sharda-kai. I feel like after months of the elves being locked on the inside of the fortes, with undead that dont need to eat, drink or sleep being on the outside, they eventually just lost.

 

[Storminator]

Obviously there is some kind of secret passage - an escape tunnel, for instance. This secret exit can now be used by the PCs in reverse to gain access to the interior. Since it's the elf fortress, the PCs should have access to various maps of the interior, or be able to interview people who were inside at one point.

Perhaps you can have an information gathering "skill challenge", each success of which can grant more details about the interior of the fort. After sneaking in and sabotaging/killing/disabling the rapid response teams, the PCs have to force open the outer gates, allowing the elven army inside.

PS

 

[Neonchameleon]

The PCs objective is to open and hold the gates. Which ... will be a challenge. Especially as the PCs are trying to take and hold the inner wall's gates - the outer wall open without the inner will just allow the elves into the killing ground between the two walls. It's a perfect job for PCs because it's something that only a small commando team can do that more or less determines half the battle. It's scary for the PCs because they have little in the way of line of retreat. And because you can describe the carnage outside. Alternatively there's a reason why the fortress was meant to be impregnable to the undead in specific. Instead of a clock the fortress marks the hour with a pulse of positive energy (only a point of damage but it soon mounts up). The fortress fell because the Shadar-Kai managed to redirect the pulse into the shadowfell, meaning the undead could lay effective siege - the Shadar-Kai aren't undead so could get into the fortress. Again, the PCs are commandos - this time to deal with the Shadar-Kai meddling.

 

[Teacher Man]

Why not borrow from the Iliad? Perhaps the elves had something that was valuable enough (holy symbol, leader etc.) to the Shadar-Kai that they had no choice BUT to lay siege to the fortress to get that item/person back. It would be ironic to have the party in effect, be the bad guys in this situation. You know, something like there was a truce between the elves and the Shadar-Kai that was broken by the elves, after all war is good business, and the PCs are being played for fools by the elves.

As for WHY they overran the fortress? Divine intervention, exploitation of a weakness, escape tunnel discovered, trojan horse, take your pick. Maybe finding out WHY it was overrun is part of the mission...