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Message: <blockquote data-quote="!DWolf" data-source="post: 8103981" data-attributes="member: 7026314">Right. You read that wrong but let me address the second part first. We have very different play styles: I heavily foreshadow encounters instead of having them just burst out of the darkness/brush/whatever and attack. This makes the game significantly easier (as you yourself pointed out) since players can choose how to engage the enemy. It also makes stealth mode much easier since the pointmen generally a) know what’s coming and b) are never suddenly in a combat with a powerful monster that burst out of nowhere (or if they are, they are kicking themselves over all the signs that they somehow missed). Also: if the players bypass or trivialize an encounter - I let them. I don’t need X number of fights per day because I am not playing in that style. The adventure also assumes that which is why there are passages all over it saying that if the players somehow bypass this then award them full XP. Looking at the Fortress of Sorrows: you will note the classic ‘take out the sentries’ setup. There are sentries 4 levels below the characters isolated in the towers and the adventure specifically notes that they aren’t doing a good job at it. There is an easily stealthable approach to the walls (the swamp) and the wall is easy to climb. The deinosuchus in the water is either the first obstacle or complication for the scenario depending on the situation. That out of the way, let me illustrate what I am talking about using a hypothetical assault on the Fortress of Sorrows as example. I don’t know the exact character builds but I will use a wizard, cleric, monk, and fighter. The sequence of obstacles for the infiltration might be: <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Observe the guards</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Lure away, charm, or otherwise negate the monster in the water</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Get up to the first tower.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Silently neutralize the guards on the tower. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Repeat for the other three towers.</li> </ol>The party might approach this as follows: follows: <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Hide in the swamp well outside of detection range and use a spyglass to get info. Retreat to plan and prepare. The wizard and cleric can select the appropriate spells. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Lure away the deinosuchus with bait, then (for a safe position) use spells + social Kung-fu to get it on their side.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Have the fighter set up in the swamp with his longbow. Use waterbreathing to have the monk and cleric get to the base of the wall. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> On the other side have the deinosuchus and wizard create a distraction (make it look like a fight between two monsters), to draw the attention of the sentries. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> The cleric casts silence (fun fact it has no verbal component) on the monk who runs up the wall (with wall run) and kills the sentry. If necessary the fighter and cleric shoots it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> The fighter, cleric, and monk (using ranged attacks if necessary) take down the second sentry that is not being distracted.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> The fighter and cleric reposition to a tower using a knotted rope the monk lowers, while the monk uses silence plus wall run to get to the third tower.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> The monk/fighter/cleric take out the remaining sentries while the wizard uses spells to disable any sentry that survives the initial assault.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> The party tries to keep one sentry alive (monk can choose to deal nonlethal damage) for interrogation and the party tries to time it at the beginning of the guard shift.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> If things go wrong they just retreat into the swamp using waterbreathing and the deinosuchs covers the retreat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> After they have interrogated any captives, tossed the bodies to the deinosuchus, and taken other information gathering activities (crawling along the ceiling listening for instance);they plan the next stage of the infiltration.</li> </ol>As you can see from this example the whole party was helpful in the infiltration and no one sat on the sidelines or tried to solo a level 10 monster. Note: if I were to run the deinosuchus as a complication instead of an obstacle I wouldn’t just drop them into combat (thank you kingmaker for teaching me that lesson - my players were so pissed) but would instead give signs that they weren’t alone in the water and let them react in exploration mode first.</blockquote>

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