DM challenge (my players stay out!)

[shilsen]

The situation: The PC party consists of six 7th level characters, plus a pair of animal companions. All of the PCs have trained warhorses. This group is more powerful than average for their level (high stats and around 25,000 gp in magic each, which is higher than the DMG suggests for their level). They will be traveling along a well-used trail through an area of plains on horseback. The terrain is too flat to provide advantages of elevation and nearby vegetation has been cleared away from the trail (itself about 15 ft wide), giving at least a 50 foot flat area on either side.

Your mission, if you should choose to accept it…

Put together an ambush by a group of four NPCs to take down this PC party. Restrictions:

1) NPCs must be 6th lvl each. Only PHB races and classes (no paladins) are available. No repetition of classes (so no 4 evil druids with 4 animal companions). No PrCs.

2) NPCs have 6,000 gp worth of equipment each. All spells available through magic items must be of a level that the NPC can cast (i.e. no wand of fireballs at 10th lvl with 1 charge).

3) NPCs each have 76 pts to divide between their statistics (e.g. one might have Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10). [Edit: This is only for reference purposes. I'm not expecting anyone to actually stat out NPCs for this.]

Rules: 3.5 core rules.

One relevant house rule - the 2nd level “buff” spells (Bull’s Strength et al) last 10 mins/lvl. Assume that NPCs can have spells of durations 1 min/lvl and longer pre-cast. The NPCs, however, will not have enough of a warning to be able to create physical barriers (pit traps, etc.) without the use of magic.

So is it possible to defeat this group in this situation (and with the above restrictions) with four 6th lvl characters? I think it is, and have a group planned, but I’m interested to see what all the RBDM minds of ENWorld can come up with.

Have at it…

 

[Piratecat]

Sorry, too much work for me. I don't do this for my own game!

I'm happy to throw out ambush ideas, though, if you think that'd be helpful.

 

[Shallown]

I would definately go for the trap door spider ambush. I have used it a few times myself. Basically use pits dug into the flat plane beside the road and have the NPC's Concealed there. this gives time to cast buffs and such (Spell casting will be in a concealed hole and therefore hard to hear at any distance.) I am not sure what classes and other tactics you could use I'll have to think on that some.

Later

Edit : Also think of using Major Image to draw them off the road into the grass where an entangle would be effective. Also to get out of the pits without getting gunned down (so to speak) use cover spells or smoke sticks. Sorry don't have time to stat out a full encounter.

Later again

 

[Archade]

Bandits with potions of invisibility and entangling nets. Nuff said.

Archade/Blair

 

[Telperion]

1)NPCs must be 6th lvl each. Only PHB races and classes (no paladins) are available. No repetition of classes (so no 4 evil druids with 4 animal companions). No PrCs.

2) NPCs have 6,000 gp worth of equipment each. All spells available through magic items must be of a level that the NPC can cast (i.e. no wand of fireballs at 10th lvl with 1 charge).

3) NPCs each have 76 pts to divide between their statistics (e.g. one might have Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10).

Okay, I’ll accept you challenge =).
With the restrictions you have set up for the encounter it should be a “very difficult” fight for the PC’s. Well, that’s what the DMG says anyway.

Open space all around up to 50 ft. means that we are going to have at least one archer. I prefer a human fighter with weapon specialization for mighty composite longbow. Supply the archer with poison for the arrows, and a long sword for close-up work.

High dex
Moderate con
Moderate str

They like horses, so we like spells that eliminate their advantage of speed. I would call in a human druid for the job. Druids can hamper vision, mobility and cause all sorts of annoying (and potentially dangerous) problems for the non-human participants of the group. And remember: those animal companions aren’t magical beasts, so they are subject to a whole lot of spells the druid can cast. And let’s not forget those horses either =). A quarterstaff for the druid if things get uncomfortably close.

High wis
Moderate con

For close encounters I would use half-orc barbarian with plenty of constitution to soak up the damage the party will try to unleash. Orc double axe for him, with the necessary feats to make him deadly with the weapon. Three attacks per’ round isn’t bad for a 6th level character.

High str
High con

Lastly I would add a bard to the NPC group. This guy might not look like much, but he can bolster his companions, create confusion with all manner of spells and double up as either a second archer or a close-up fighter. Long bow, with poison for the arrows and a long sword for him as well.

High cha
High dex

Before combat:

Druid: cast Spike Growth on the path and around it (20 ft-square/level). This spell is very effective against horses and just about anyone on foot. The Slow part of the spell is excellent for fast moving opponents, it dishes out steady damage and no one can charge trough it. Plus, unless someone has a permanent Detect Magic (or something similar) it is very hard to notice before you step on it. Even after that it’s hard to tell how the spell area is erected.

Archer: poison those arrows and put them into a specially crafted wooden board so the poison doesn’t go bad before combat. Within easy reach. Find a suitably open place to shoot from, so you can cover as much of the battleground as possible.

Barbarian: sharpen the axe and get ready to rage.

Bard: Cast Mirror Image to make your enemies think there’s a whole lot more enemies out there than is readily obvious. They’ll notice the ploy soon enough, but it might make them hesitate for a moment: always a good thing at the beginning of a battle.

Surprise round: Step out of hiding (trees, rocks, wholes you have dug into the earth or whatever) and surprise that party of PC's.

Druid: trigger action: if anyone clears the Spike Growth area stop him/her/it with Gust of Wind spell.

Archer: start firing those arrows as soon as the party hits the Spike Growth area.

Barbarian: hold that rage for a moment longer. The idea is to keep part of the group in the Spike Growth area and kill the one’s that get out one by one.

Bard: start singing Inspire Courage. The best idea is to sing for one round, and then leave it at that. If the PC’s aren’t dead by round 5 then it’s time to start running away anyhow.

1st round: enemy is probably charging at this point and casting their first spells. So take it easy and wait for them to hit the Spike Growth area.

Druid: cast Soften Earth and Stone to slow the party down even more once they get trough the Spike Growth area.

Archer: keep firing away. The poison should be taking effect fairly soon, and a steady barrage of arrows hurts as well.

Barbarian: hold that rage for a few more seconds. Once the PC’s have cleared Spike Growth you can advance to the edge of the Soften Earth and Stone spell area. Your druid will show you where it is.

Bard: stop singing and start firing poisoned arrows at the PC's. The effects of Inspire Courage will last for 5 rounds from this point forward. If the battle isn't won by then you are worm food anyhow.

2nd round: the PC’s are probably now in Soften Earth and Stone area, so it’s time to advance.

Druid: Call lightning. If it’s raining you can do some serious damage, but the spell is fairly nice anyway.

Archer: drop that bow and charge the characters still wallowing in the Soften Earth and Stone area.

Barbarian: rage and charge.

Bard: Cast Rage on the Archer before he rushes at the enemy.

3rd round: time to start killing the enemy.

Druid: trigger: if anyone is trying to flank your allies then slow them down with a Gust of Wind spell.

Archer and Barbarian: hack away at the front line.

Bard: shoot anything that moves and isn’t an ally. Concentrating on PC spell casters is always nice.

4th – 5th round: finish up the battle or run like hell.

Druid: support your allies with Cure-spells.

Archer & Barbarian: keep the pressure on until the last one is down or running away.

Bard: Cast Scare at any threatening opponent. Divide and conquer is the name of the game.


This is by no means a certain victory, but a group that depends on lightning quick attacks and spell caster support from behind might be in serious problems with this one. And like always: no plan survives intact after first contact with the enemy.

 

[shilsen]

Sorry, too much work for me. I don't do this for my own game!

And if I had Tauric Kuo-Toa Rog/Asn/Clerics and Psychic warrior demigods lying around the place I wouldn't bother either

I'm happy to throw out ambush ideas, though, if you think that'd be helpful.

Sure. That's what I'm looking for, actually, rather than a statted-out group of NPCs.

This is actually a bit of a DM challenge for myself. Throw an enemy group at the PCs that the latter should definitely outclass, and then use smart tactics and strategy to give the PCs a run for their money. Beating up on a party with a more powerful opponent is fun. But giving them the willies with a one-eyed, crippled, kobold commoner is priceless

 

[shilsen]

Okay, I’ll accept you challenge =).
With the restrictions you have set up for the encounter it should be a “very difficult” fight for the PC’s. Well, that’s what the DMG says anyway. .

Yeah, but who agrees with the DMG anyway? Let's go for a TPK

Open space all around up to 50 ft. means that we are going to have at least one archer. I prefer a human fighter with weapon specialization for mighty composite longbow. Supply the archer with poison for the arrows, and a long sword for close-up work. .

Nice. That's one of the first in the four I'd picked. At 6th lvl, that's 4 arrows a rd with Rapid Shot. I hadn't considered poison, but now that you mention it...

They like horses, so we like spells that eliminate their advantage of speed. I would call in a human druid for the job. Druids can hamper vision, mobility and cause all sorts of annoying (and potentially dangerous) problems for the non-human participants of the group. And remember: those animal companions aren’t magical beasts, so they are subject to a whole lot of spells the druid can cast. And let’s not forget those horses either =). A quarterstaff for the druid if things get uncomfortably close..

Yup. Druid with Spike Growth pre-cast. Great minds do think alike! Though I'm going a slightly unusual route with the druid. Made him focus on mounted combat and have a horse as animal companion. He'll focus on strengthening the party and himself with spells (share spells is great in this regard) before combat, and try to get off a couple of spirited charges in combat.

For close encounters I would use half-orc barbarian with plenty of constitution to soak up the damage the party will try to unleash.

...

Lastly I would add a bard to the NPC group. This guy might not look like much, but he can bolster his companions, create confusion with all manner of spells and double up as either a second archer or a close-up fighter..

I'm going for something different on the last two NPCs. Still, your picks sound pretty darn effective.

This is by no means a certain victory, but a group that depends on lightning quick attacks and spell caster support from behind might be in serious problems with this one. And like always: no plan survives intact after first contact with the enemy.

Right. The only weakness I can see with your strategy is that it's dependent on the party actually charging the NPCs. With the party having the edge in numbers (6 to 4) and spell levels (4th to 3rd), if they hang back and unload with medium and long-range spells, esp. some of the area-effect spells available at their level (fireball, ice storm, flame strike, etc.), the NPCs are hosed. Still, this is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot.

Nobody else picking up the gauntlet?

 

[Piratecat]

Okey dokey! I'll post ideas tomorrow.

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Well, I just used these yesterday on my PCs (mostly newbies) in order to help them learn group tactics. They're basically one of the more powerful mercenary bands that was after my PCs. I gave alot of them toughness (IMC it gives +1 hp/level) due to mainly being lazy in their creation and a few of them are unfinished, but they're mostly usable.

Company of the Golden Sphere
Rose, Female Elf Fighter 6: hp 66; Init +9; Spd 30 ft; AC 22 (+3 armor, +5 Dex, +4 barkskin); Melee Short sword +12/+7 (1d6+2, 19-20/x2); Ranged Longbow +15/+10 (1d8+4/x3) +3 damage when within 30‘; AL LN; SV Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2; Str 14, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Tumble +14; Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Longbow), Weapon Specialization (Longbow).
Equipment: MW Short sword, MW Mighty Composite Longbow (+2), MW Studded Leather Armor, 50 +2 Arrows (Greater Magic Weapon), Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (x2).

Alton, Halfling Rogue 6: hp 42; Init +8; Spd 20 ft; AC 18 (+3 armor, +4 dex, +1 size); Melee Dagger +11 (1d4+3, 19-20/x2); SA Sneak attack +3d6; SQ Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (Flanking); AL CN; SV Fort +2, Ref +11, Will +1; Str 12, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: MS/Tum+13;Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse.
Equipment: MW Dagger x6, +1 Shadowy Leather Armor, Potion of Cure Serious Wounds, Potion of Invisibility.
Notes-Start Invisible, listen check for Pcs to hear him.

Fnipper, Gnome Transmuter 6: hp 42; Init +1; Spd 20 ft; AC 16 (+4 m. armor, +1 Dex, +1 size); Ranged Light crossbow +8 (1d8+1, 19-20/x2); AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +6; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: X; Silent Spell, Still Spell, Spell Mastery, Weapon Focus (Crossbow).
Equipment: MW Light Crossbow, 25 +1 bolts, Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (x2), Tanglefoot Bag (x4), Spellbook.
Spells Per Day (4/5/5//4) (Evocation Banned):
1-Burning Hands, Expeditious Retreat, Mage Armor (cast), Shocking Grasp, True Strike
2-Bull’s Strength (cast), Invisibility (x2) (both cast), Melf’s Acid Arrow (x2)
3-Dispel Magic (x2), Greater Magic Weapon (cast), Haste
Pedro, Raven Familiar, AC 21, Fly speed 40’ avg, +7 touch attack.
Notes-Him and his familiar start invisible (share spells).

Hugo, Human Fighter 6: hp 78; Init +0; Spd 20 ft; AC 19 (+5 armor, +4 Barkskin); Melee Greatsword +12 (2d6+9); AL N; SV Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 18, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9.
Skills and Feats: X; Blind-Fight, Cleave, Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (Great Sword), Weapon Specialization (Great Sword).
Equipment: +1 Great sword, MW Breastplate, Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (x2).

Mary, Half-Elf Druid 6: hp 48; Init +6; Spd 30 ft; AC 18 (+4 barkskin); Melee Quarterstaff +6 (1d8+1), after Shillelagh (1d10+2); SQ Wildshape 2x/day; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +10; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 13.
Skills and Feats: X; Alertness, Improved Initiative, Iron Will.
Equipment: MW Quarterstaff, Leather Armor, Dire Wolf Companion (see MM).
Spells Per Day (5/4/4/3)
1-Cure Light Wounds (x2), Entangle, Shillelagh
2-Barkskin (x3) (all cast), Tree Shape
3-Cure Moderate Wounds (x2), Dominate Animal


Basic plan was for Alton to sneak in the midst of the PCs while under invisibility, preferably on the outer edge of a formation right next to a weaker PC, then let Mary drop an entangle in the middle of the PCs (Fnipper's raven familiar was previously invisible and scouted on the PCs to chart their path) with Alton choosing then to strike with Sneak Attack. Rose readied actions to attack the party's wizard to disrupt her spells, standing just outside the edge of the entanglement effect. Fnipper mainly helped buff and scout (he used Haste on Rose in my game), but also targeted some of the weaker characters with Melf's Acid Arrow and had his raven familiar drop some shocking grasps on trapped people. Hugo basically picked on anyone who made it outside of the entanglement effect, and Mary dominated the ranger's animal companion and used her dire wolf to great effect whenever he made it out of the entangle spell.

 

[Telperion]

Agreed: the NPC's are toast if the PC's don't charge. That's one of the reasons why I was a bit sceptical about doing the Mirror Image at the beginning. If the NPC's seem to be out-numbered at the beginning of the fight then the PC's are either going to be very paranoid (are those NPC's high level or what?) or charge them straight away, and think it's an easy fight. That's my experience anyway...

Also I was torn between putting a wizard into the NPC camp, because he could be used to counter spell the worst of the 1st round spells that the PC's are going to cast at the NPC's. But the trouble with that is that a wizard doesn't have so many "safe" spells when it comes to group fights. Too many evocations simply take out both allies and enemies. That's why I sacrificed the wizard for a druid.

Aside from that this could work with a little tweaking. Have fun =).