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Help me defend a pass. (My players go away!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Roman" data-source="post: 2104981" data-attributes="member: 1845"><p>This sounds like great fun <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> , but I think the orcs stand virtually no chance of stopping the PCs. They only have 6 days to construct fortifications, which would be enough for a basic pallisade and some other basic defenses, but not a powerful fortification with an elaborate network of traps and deceptions as some have suggested (of course, for game purposes you might wish to let them do this anyway, but it does not sound like that's the approach to the game you wish to take). The front the orcs have to defend is 1/4 mile wide at its narrowest. That is a distance of 1,320 feet. That in itself would be bad enough, since the orcs would be spread out over this area, while the PCs can decide where to punch through (and I am assuming they won't use 'tricks' to bypass the orcs [flying, going around, swimming around, etc.,] which they most likely will use), but the orcs will not be able to deploy all 50 men at any one time unless they expect a battle to take place precisely at that time. A sustainable deployment is going to be at most about 15 (and most likely fewer) orcs on guard duty at a given time with the remainder of the orcs resting, sleeping, etc. Given the distance accross the front, by the time they sound the alarm for reinforcements and by the time the remaining orcs arrive the PCs will be gone, so about 15 orcs is all they will have to face (well not even that, since the orcs will be spread out over the front and not all of these orcs will get to the breach point in time to intercept the PCs - remember that the orcs will have to be spread 90 feet apart to cover the entire distance and if you have some of orcs at the gate they will be spread even thinner than this elsewhere). The PCs will almost certainly scout out the orc camp beforehand and attack at the weakest and least defended point, they will be 'buffed-up' and they will almost surely attack at night, when their approach is likely to remain undetected until they reach the orc line itself at which point any alarm will come too late if it even comes at all. On the other hand, none of the above can be a good thing - the PCs will have a heroic tale to tell of how they crossed an impenetrable orcish line... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> </p><p></p><p>As a cautionary note, several sessions ago my party of about level 7 at the time wiped out a unit of about 100 orcs plus the orcish leader (technically speaking the remaining orcs fled after the party killed about 85 orcs and their leader. The orcs ambushed the party and were in an advantageous position being able to attack at a time of their choosing with surprise, shoot from concealment and concentrate mass, while managing to split the party into three parts, but it still was a slaughter of the orcs with the party clearly winning the day - only one PC came close to dying after some crits with a greataxe (nasty). I am saying this because the party was at a similar level as your PCs, though the party had 7 members and you only have 4, so the results may differ.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Roman, post: 2104981, member: 1845"] This sounds like great fun :) , but I think the orcs stand virtually no chance of stopping the PCs. They only have 6 days to construct fortifications, which would be enough for a basic pallisade and some other basic defenses, but not a powerful fortification with an elaborate network of traps and deceptions as some have suggested (of course, for game purposes you might wish to let them do this anyway, but it does not sound like that's the approach to the game you wish to take). The front the orcs have to defend is 1/4 mile wide at its narrowest. That is a distance of 1,320 feet. That in itself would be bad enough, since the orcs would be spread out over this area, while the PCs can decide where to punch through (and I am assuming they won't use 'tricks' to bypass the orcs [flying, going around, swimming around, etc.,] which they most likely will use), but the orcs will not be able to deploy all 50 men at any one time unless they expect a battle to take place precisely at that time. A sustainable deployment is going to be at most about 15 (and most likely fewer) orcs on guard duty at a given time with the remainder of the orcs resting, sleeping, etc. Given the distance accross the front, by the time they sound the alarm for reinforcements and by the time the remaining orcs arrive the PCs will be gone, so about 15 orcs is all they will have to face (well not even that, since the orcs will be spread out over the front and not all of these orcs will get to the breach point in time to intercept the PCs - remember that the orcs will have to be spread 90 feet apart to cover the entire distance and if you have some of orcs at the gate they will be spread even thinner than this elsewhere). The PCs will almost certainly scout out the orc camp beforehand and attack at the weakest and least defended point, they will be 'buffed-up' and they will almost surely attack at night, when their approach is likely to remain undetected until they reach the orc line itself at which point any alarm will come too late if it even comes at all. On the other hand, none of the above can be a good thing - the PCs will have a heroic tale to tell of how they crossed an impenetrable orcish line... :D As a cautionary note, several sessions ago my party of about level 7 at the time wiped out a unit of about 100 orcs plus the orcish leader (technically speaking the remaining orcs fled after the party killed about 85 orcs and their leader. The orcs ambushed the party and were in an advantageous position being able to attack at a time of their choosing with surprise, shoot from concealment and concentrate mass, while managing to split the party into three parts, but it still was a slaughter of the orcs with the party clearly winning the day - only one PC came close to dying after some crits with a greataxe (nasty). I am saying this because the party was at a similar level as your PCs, though the party had 7 members and you only have 4, so the results may differ. [/QUOTE]
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