Extended Rest in the Horned Hold (spoilers)

[nicholasgeorg]

Seeking DM advice - Thunderspire spoilers below:

My group just wiped out the North and South towers of the Horned Hold, and want to take an extended rest by holing up in the two pantries. Should I let them get away with that? Wouldn't a patrol raise a crazy alarm and search the place top to bottom?

I don't want to step in and tell them what to do, but I am afraid that if they try for an extended rest they'll end up in a TPK when the alarm is raised.

Any thoughts?

 

[Tony Vargas]

Our party took an extended rest after clearing the first two towers. No alarm was raised, and we had the prisoners there make a regular delivery to the remaining tower at one point to 'keep our cover.'

Though, our DM had to wing it a bit. We were hold up in the tower that served as mess hall, and, at one point, a 'shift' from the other tower showed up for dinner. He drew it from several of the encounters in the remaining tower (mostly the entrance). We ambushed them, and it was a tough fight, even with the advantage of surprise - it would have been a lot easier if we'd let the wizard with Thunderwave blast them off the bridge, but we still didn't want to tip our hand, so let them get inside before springing the trap.

The final tower is brutal. I wouldn't want to try to go through it with anything less than a fully rested party. If they end up hitting the 'Ruined Chapel' early, chances are they'll need /another/ extended rest.

 

[DracoSuave]

If they want to extended rest so badly... why don't they -leave- the theatre of operations so that wandering people don't accidentally stumble on them?

 

[Soel]

Could be wrong, but I think the adv even suggests that the pantry is a safe place to rest because its doors are easy to bar. However, the pcs gotta come out sometime.

Maybe a skill challenge could be used here. Basically, the goal would be to make any newly arriving enemies think that the attacking pcs have left the fortress, or at least are not anywhere near where they are resting at.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Wouldn't a patrol raise a crazy alarm and search the place top to bottom?

Another reasonable possibility is a patrol saying "Alarm! Major incursion, two towers compromised!" and then retreat and regroup, fortifying the position in the final tower and raising their threat awareness level generally.

i.e. allow the party to complete their extended rest, but the opponents are more on their guard and more ready for them when they make their final assault.

If you follow up on Soel's skill challenge suggestion, the success or failure of the skill challenge tells you whether the final tower ends up fortified or not.

Cheers

 

[DracoSuave]

I dunno. I have trouble with PCs hiding where the baddies keep their food. I don't know about the rest of you, but I tend to eat more than once a month. Sure you can -bar- it, but if the pantry (something that shouldn't be locked from the inside) is locked from the inside, alarm bells would be ringing, and an ambush at the ready, especially once bodies are found. 6 hours might be enough time to do that.

But then I'm of the old school 'No, really, DON'T camp in the middle of the enemy's busy fortress if you don't want to get caught' train of thought.

At least not without Rope Trick.

 

[bert1000]

If you think a patrol is a likely reponse then do it. Just don't cream the PCs for it. Send a challenging but not overwhelming scouting party to investigate and disrupt their extended rest. If they don't get the hint and try to rest again, then let them have it...

 

[Plane Sailing]

I dunno. I have trouble with PCs hiding where the baddies keep their food. I don't know about the rest of you, but I tend to eat more than once a month. Sure you can -bar- it, but if the pantry (something that shouldn't be locked from the inside) is locked from the inside, alarm bells would be ringing, and an ambush at the ready, especially once bodies are found. 6 hours might be enough time to do that.

But then I'm of the old school 'No, really, DON'T camp in the middle of the enemy's busy fortress if you don't want to get caught' train of thought.

At least not without Rope Trick.

If it was one big fortress, I'd agree with you - but since the setup is three linked towers (each of which could stand alone in case of siege, one would hope) it isn't necessary that the party be hiding in the only place where they store food.

But if a patrol did find a locked and barred pantry, and it was the only one they had - why set an ambush? Much better to seal the dangerous intruders in there, perhaps!

Cheers

 

[Verys Arkon]

I agree that taking on the third tower without an extended rest is asking for trouble.

I let the party rest in the pantry, and they convinced the serving slaves to keep up appearances for the evening meal. I made a random encounter check to see if a patrol tried to check the pantry, but it didn't happen. I figured the duergar have slaves working in the kitchen for a reason - why would they bother with the pantry? That is the slaves job! Made the players watch the roll with added tension though, which is enough for me. Manipulating player emotions is as much the DMs job as running battles

If they had decided to just leave the Horned Hold and rest somewhere in the labyrinth, I would roll the random encounter anyway, so there was no real difference.

 

[nicholasgeorg]

Thanks all - they made it through alive.