D&D 5E Choose 3 to protect you (a poll)

[DND_Reborn]

Based on @merkili's thread here: D&D General - Choose 3 to protect you

The options are, left to right top to bottom:
500 kobolds, 1 red greatwyrm, 4 Solars, 20 tyrannosaurus rex, a level 20 party, 5 purple worms, 50 nilbogs, 8 beholders, 5 storm giants.

For the sake of you not getting killed instantly, you can assume yourself to be a commoner with 500 hp. You can answer both in terms of game mechanics or based on lore.

What would you choose? Vote for the three who would protect you while the rest try to kill you!

 

[merkili]

I'd try and go for storm giants, purple worms, and the adventurers. Storm giants could start a storm which should for the most part negate flying, and can kill off a good amount of the kobolds. The adventures are too versatile in my opinion to leave on the enemy team, and they can help the giants survive for longer. The worms can burrow so they can mostly ignore the weather and hopefully can take me with them too so I'm protected. The main thing that is scary are the nilbogs, since they can disrupt the whole storm making before it even starts, but if starts I think I'd have a good enough chance.

 

[Charlaquin]

Assuming this is taking about 5e…
• 500 kobolds because action economy is king.
• 5 20th level PCs, because they have the most access to the most powerful magic.
• 8 Beholders to shut down the enemies’ magic (and so they won’t shut down my allies’ magic).

 

[overgeeked]

500 kobolds, 20 t-rexes, and 50 nilbogs.

5E's action economy means they'll utterly destroy the rest.

 

[Clint_L]

Action economy is super important but...those kobolds could all be dead before they even get a turn. So I dunno - it really depends on the context.

I would go with the adventurers, Beholders, and Solars. The adventurers are the most flexible, and since it seems like I get to choose, I am going to make sure that there is a Moon Druid and at least 2 wishes in the mix. Those Beholders will add a ton of control, and Solars are unbelievably mobile and heavy hitting.

Edit: Like, how do 500 kobolds take down even one Solar, let alone four? It has 150' fly, and 120' teleport that it can cast for 1 legendary action, and a searing burst that will automatically kill every kobold in a 10' radius, so every turn it can just take out a chunk of them with total impunity. Having 500 actions doesn't do much in that situation.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I would go with the adventurers, Beholders, and Solars.

Are you actually voting, through? Right now I am the only person who as voted for solars...

 

[Zubatcarteira]

Solars have the Resurrection spell, so even if I die, they can bring me back. Good in a fight too, easy choice.

Greatwyrm is the strongest individually, good AoE to wipe out the Kobolds.

The party ought to have some Teleportation or Plane Shift spell, so they can just send me to somewhere safe while the other enemies have no way to give chase.

 

[FarBeyondC]

Does the adventuring party have prep of any sort, or are they magically gear-less and experience-less level 20s?

I'd still take them regardless, and probably wouldn't even bother making a second or third pick, but I'm curious as to how badly the others are screwed over in this scenario.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I'd still take them regardless, and probably wouldn't even bother making a second or third pick, but I'm curious as to how badly the others are screwed over in this scenario.

Seriously with 8 beholders, 1 red great wyrm, 4 solars and 5 storm giants. That is some ball-sy adventurers.
I suppose you could plane shift and then deal with the 4 solars who gave chase.

 

[Seramus]

4 adventurers to plane shift us to Celestia. 4 solars to vouch for us and get sanctuary in Celestia. 5 storm giants who probably won't catch flak for being in Celestia.

All the others are either KOS in Celestia, or can't get there on their own.

 

[FarBeyondC]

Seriously with 8 beholders, 1 red great wyrm, 4 solars and 5 storm giants. That is some ball-sy adventurers.
I suppose you could plane shift and then deal with the 4 solars who gave chase.

So, about that...

The fact that nothing on this list is immune to non-magical weapons means that something like my AL armorer/necromancer could handle everything that's not the adventuring party on this list through the use of spells and mundane items.

I'll leave off everything that probably wouldn't fly in this scenario and just stick with the necromancer herself and one day's notice.

Day 1: Make Simulacrum of self (long way), move client into created Demiplane for client's safety and Wish -> Hallow it, have Simulacrum of me True Polymorph itself into the wraith factory (aka an atropal), start wraith factory, get as many longbows, arrows, and suits of armor as possible for wraiths, have wraiths armed, armored, and commanded to kill anything and everything not me, the client, or the atropal, rest.
Day 2: Let something on the order of 800~7200 Wraiths annihilate everything else via Life Drain (everything not the solar) or arrows while the necromancer chills with the other party members wondering why they were even here.

 

[Clint_L]

So, about that...

The fact that nothing on this list is immune to non-magical weapons means that something like my AL armorer/necromancer could handle everything that's not the adventuring party on this list through the use of spells and mundane items.

I'll leave off everything that probably wouldn't fly in this scenario and just stick with the necromancer herself and one day's notice.

Day 1: Make Simulacrum of self (long way), move client into created Demiplane for client's safety and Wish -> Hallow it, have Simulacrum of me True Polymorph itself into the wraith factory (aka an atropal), start wraith factory, get as many longbows, arrows, and suits of armor as possible for wraiths, have wraiths armed, armored, and commanded to kill anything and everything not me, the client, or the atropal, rest.
Day 2: Let something on the order of 800~7200 Wraiths annihilate everything else via Life Drain (everything not the solar) or arrows while the necromancer chills with the other party members wondering why they were even here.

Solars can still attack you with impunity, flying in and then teleporting out with your wraiths helpless to stop them. 4 solars are gonna do around 300 DPS/round, assuming a few bad hit rolls.

 

[AverageMojito]

Two decades of D&D taught me to never go with PCs as bodyguards, no matter their level. Odds are you'll end up in a cheap tavern armwrestling a thri-kreen for the prize of tasting his carapace or chasing a squirrel into Mirkwood because that's supper for today (although everyone has a fortnight supply of rations).

 

[Steampunkette]

Level 20 party, 500 kobolds, 50 nilbogs.

Kobolds constantly appease the nilbogs with gifts and small traps and stuff. The party adopts all the adorable kobolds and nilbogs as mascots.
Nothing gets NEAR me without getting through the Party Mascot (of which there are 550) and you know D&D players.

Every one of those Kobolds and Nilbogs would have 10-12 class levels by the end of the week. And be geared to the gills with magic armor and items to keep them safe.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Obviously the great wyrm, solars, and level 20 PCs, especially if the PCs are made to order. Don't even bother with the nilbogs, kobolds, or t-rexes; they'll all be dead in just a few rounds, especially since they can't fly.

The only real threats remaining are the beholders and purple worms. The storm giants might not be trivial, but they won't be horribly difficult either.

I do appreciate the "solars, storm giants, PCs, plane shift to Celestia and seek sanctuary" answer though. That shows a level of strategic thinking beyond just the parameters of the question.

 

[Stormonu]

I went with Red Greatwyrm, four 20th level adventurers and four Solars.

Redwyrm handles the Kobolds, Purple Worms and some of the TRexes.
The adventurers handle the Nilbogs, Beholders and some of the TRexes.
The Solars take care of the Storm Giants, help against the Beholders and the TRexes.

<EDIT> Though now I want an army of Beholder-riding TRexes leading an army of Kobolds and Nilbogs using Purple Worms as a sort of APC.

 

[GuyBoy]

The four 20th level adventurers give so much powerful flexibility, particularly if they know what they’re facing and can “ spell up” accordingly. The red dragon gives awesome AoE and the Solars are so powerful. Would be a tough fight but I’d be confident in my team.
Great thread concept btw.

 

[DeviousQuail]

I'm waffling on my third pick. The adventurers and solars seem like auto picks. If nothing else I don't want to defend against the myriad shenanigans that adventurers bring to the table and have you seen the Solar stat block!? They deserve that CR 21 and getting 4 of them is nuts.

I'm stuck between the great wyrm and beholders. I'm confident the 4 solars could make mince meat of the dragon if it's on the other team so that makes me think snagging the beholders removes the annoyance of a (slow) flying magic disrupting squad that can target a bunch of different saves with nasty effects. But if I take the dragon the sky is mine and then it becomes a game of whittling away the storm giants and beholders before laying waste to the rest.

 

[rgoodbb]

Could they be 500 Tucker's style Kobolds with cunning traps defending their own lair with a party of small sized adventurers? Add 1 more group for flavour.

 

[Clint_L]

Could they be 500 Tucker's style Kobolds with cunning traps defending their own lair with a party of small sized adventurers? Add 1 more group for flavour.

The only way to make the kobolds work is to allow for some kind of special context like that, IMO. Otherwise, I don't care how many actions they have, they are getting wiped out fast by the Solars, the Greatwyrm, or the Adventurers.